Ayo Ola
Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi has called for the expansion of the frontiers of sustainable democracy in Nigeria.
He made the call in his speech at the Glowing Light Theological College’s Baccalaureate & Award Night 2022, on the occasion of his Honourary Doctor of Letters Award by the Institution, on Sunday, November 06, 2022.
Below is the speech:
My appreciation goes to the Rector of this esteemed Institution of knowledge and light, Bishop Dr Femi Soneye. The Governing Board and Faculty Members, Students of the institution, fellow Awardees, invited Guests, ladies and gentlemen.
I am honoured to be considered for a doctoral award and further elated to be elected among the Awardees to deliver the speech, titled:
*Expanding The Frontiers Of Sustainable Democracy*.
Some of the questions this topic raises are:
1. The need to clearly understand the concept of democracy; what democracy actually means.
2. If there are frontiers of Democracy; what those frontiers are and how they can be expanded.
3. What template can be considered especially if democracy must be sustained in our country.
Index 1: Democracy in its common simplest definition is generally accepted as the government of the people by the people and for the people.
If that definition should be taken on its face value, and it must, then democracy presents three crucial perspectives.
One, as government of the people, the people must be the engine room of its existence. It must emanate from them.
Two, if democracy is a government by the people, then its governing structure, life and power must come from the people.
Three, if democracy is for the people, then it must cater to the needs of the people.
So for democracy to indeed be democracy, it must be people emanating, people driven and people focused. In esssence, a government whose premium is not the people can’t be said to be a democracy.
A quick fixing of the people of Nigeria as indicator of rating the performance our democracy; how people focused is the electoral process? How has our democracy impacted on the lives of our people in the areas of GDP, Social Security and Welfare, Health Delivery, Education, ecetera.
In the context of our responses to these probes can we beat our chest and say that ours is truly a democracy?
Index 2.
Frontiers of Democracy. If we borrow a leaf from the United Nations invention for sustainability, coded as, The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aims at bringing transformation to our world; Actions we must corporately initiate to end poverty and inequality, protect the planet and ensure all people enjoy health, justice and prosperity. If this applies, what are the “sustainable goals” of democracy (frontiers) that must be advanced to sustain democracy and strengthen its ideals? The call to actions to which all Nigerians must corporately give themselves should then be to eradicate poverty and inequality, protect democracy from military intervention which were our experiences with our past 3 republics. How can we further protect it from non state actors as the case was with Afghanistan and the Taliban which looks like the due harvest of terrors unleashed against our nation and its multiple consequences of insecurities, banditry, kidnapping, etc.
Ours of course has become a country where citizens are held down to poverty for political control owing to long years of military occupation. Begging has become the culture from which successive leadership will benefit, from deliberate mal-administrations through institutionalized and weaponized poverty. This inherited system, our political class found useful for inordinate entrenchment in power. This has deprived democracy of its treasured tenet; the free will of the people to determine who should have their votes without inducements. Vote buying and selling is our unfortunately reality!
Everyone in this country practically survives on handouts!
The “All right Sir” syndrome, the phenomenon that has permeated our society and dressed and well packaged in the form of corporate begging; from the “area boys” on our streets who hail to get something, the policeman and traffic officer who deliberately stops our cars just to “greet us”, has now become the order of the day. No one does nothing for free!
Expecting to get rid of entrenched cultural begging that has made vote selling and buying attractive by simply saying, “we no dey give shi-shi” with a mind set ready take more than “shi-shi” as graft for civic duty is nothing but self deception!
What then must we do?
Let me square on the following as the frontiers of Democracy:
• Free and fair election.
• Rule of law
• Respect for Human Rights
• Good Governance.
We must be committed to strong advocacy until the masses come to the awareness of their rights and privileges as citizens and the Government accepts accountability as the first and the last steps in governmental responsibility.
Outside of the three Arms of government is the realm often termed as the fourth estate; The Press! Their roles at birthing our democracy can’t be underestimated. Some became heroes of our democracy by paying the ultimate price with their lives; in this class is Late Dele Giwa, may his soul continue to rest in peace.
Civil Liberty Organizations like the Press are an integral part of a functional democracy. Their roles must be accommodated and protected if we hope to sustain our Democracy. May the memories of Comrade Chima Ubani forever be sweet.
The manner in which the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), a constitutional infraction to allow government exercise control was practically smuggled into our constitution is a shame to democratic representation responsibility that the 3rd Arm of government is expected to serve.
However there is no need crying over spilled milk of our legislatures’ failure. CAMA has it advantages; Churches and Ministries must therefore understand the strength of advocacy that being a Non Governmental Organization confers on us and rise up to discharge our liberties in civility.
Social Campaigns must be designed to see an end to every unwholesome practices that negates tenets of democracy, and Men and Women of God must take the lead particularly at this time when protest by CLOs have become cash and carry!
Since Rights, Human Rights strengthened by constitutionality is the heart that beats and gives Democracy its life, Advocacy must become the 2nd Mission of our Churches and Ministries.
This was what informed my consultation with Leaders of our kingdom which led to the setting up of Apostolic Round Table, ART within the structure of the Apostolic mandate of The Voice of his Word Ministries.
Let me give the church a caution; attempt must not be made to drive changes within government from doctrinal perspective as this will amount to contravention of the secularity clause of the Nigerian Constitution 1999, as amended.
Long Walk To Freedom is the title of Nelson Mandela’s book, informed by his experiences. Mandela was not alone in his walk, there were shades of characters who supported him to strengthen the freedom ideology and encourage his resolve. For the purpose of this honour, which is being given in honour of my advocacy in letters in the space of politics, demanding order over the house of Nigeria, let me single out The Archbishop Desmond Osei Tutu among the many who stood by Mandela. If Mandela was the political symbol of apartheid oppression, Tutu represented the moral voice. An ordained Anglican priest, who together with his mentor, Trevor Huddleston, a white priest became a leading human rights activist.
I do not know what will be our experiential encounter in the course of *our many advocacy projects,* but rest assured we are strongly determined like Mandela and are priestly prepared like Tutu to walk it through to FREEDOM!
As Christians, we must keep to mind that Politics is structured to strategically divide, whence the purpose of the church is to unite. The Church as The Body of Christ has no life in partisan politics, yet she is the shoulders upon which God’s plan for good governance is placed. This predicament calls for caution and wisdom for us to play in the space.
Judges 6:11 (KJV) And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: *and his son Gideon threshed WHEAT by the WINEPRESS, to hide it from the Midianites*. (Emphasis mine)
Individual Christians with interest in politics must thus be raised like Gideon and be encouraged to thresh the wheat of politics at the winepress of the Holy Spirit.
Rom 8:14 KJV For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Making our sonship in God known to the public is at the mercy of Holy Spirit leading actions.
As the light of the world and salt of the earth our focus must squared on giving serious attention to public *advocacy.* Efforts to confront poverty, promoting political culture, and community enlightenment must be designed for Christians’ action to see an end to our cap in hand attitude to politics and governance!
The need for practical solutions to these maladies informed *Project Victory Call Initiative, aka PVC Naija’s frontiers projects:*
A. To Re-think Nigeria.
B. To Re-invent Politics.
C. To Re-Model Leadership
D. To Re-Define Governance.
Our ongoing projects are iWalk and NUPRO. While iWalk is our attempt at re-inventing politics away from transactional buying and selling it has become, NUPRO is our brand re-modeling Leadership for our teeming youths in Nigeria. You can see the following websites to view actions for which I am being considered for this honour:
https://www.bolajioakinyemi.com
This Award for me, is dedicated to all who added in one way or the other to how far we have come.
May I therefore use this occasion to appreciate all church leaders that have encourage us in our advocacy, then PFN Chairman of Lagos State, Late Bishop Olusola Ore on whose wings ART flew, Bishop Felix Omobude, then PFN President who inaugurated ART. I won’t leave out the immediate past President of CAN Rev Dr Samson Ayokunle who accommodated our occasional excesses. Bishop STV Adegbite our major speaker in one of our past ART, the present CAN chairman in Lagos state is today the bull’s eye of our advocacy for his speech that God will not forgive him if he doesn’t support a particular candidate. He said recently in Rome at the Papal’s court that he has forgiven those who offended him. Truth is very bitter and therefore must be served coated in love. If mine tasted uncoated, let me assure him of my unbridled love.
Special mention must be made of Apostle Dr. Col. Joshua Akinyemiju who in company of the Vice Chairman, the Director of Social Issues, and other Executives of Oyo State CAN are ever ready to encourage our kingdom efforts. My very special appreciation to a friend of over 2 decades whose hands with us on the plough of iWalk in Lagos State got the job done, Bishop Theophilus Taiwo Ajose Director of the Directorate of Politics and Governance. May l doff this nobel cap of honour in honour of the PFN Chairman Lagos State, Apostle Dr Ennyinnaya Okwuonu.
Let me use the opportunity provided me by Glowing Light Theological College to inform this audience that following the success of iWalk; No to vote buying, conceived to promote values that can enhance a truly independent state, which will now be an annual walk every October on the ideology of fairness, equity, justice as the frontiers of sustainable democracy. Its public acceptance and the demand for another walk close to the election by Nigerians has given birth to iWalk & Wheel… Uniting in Love for Peace.
It shall be a charity walk to promote love and unity in all communities, designed as a community based walk.
The compromise of commercialization of democracy is two sided; the side buying votes to which politicians belongs and the side selling votes; constituted by the people.
It is therefore imminent on us to invest in iWalk & Wheel to support and strengthen the progress made with iWalk, which had focus on NO to vote buying. It is not just enough to say No to Vote Buying! The needful now is to take the campaign to the communities where Polling Units will be hosted to enlighten voters with valuable information that can help their resolution, so they can be emboldened and determined to say *No to Vote Selling*.
iWalk and Wheel is a unique concept that will bring the sighted able bodied members of our communities where polling booths are situated to lead sight impaired individuals and persons living with disabilities who are on wheel chairs together for a united walk in love for our country, to say No to Vote Selling.
Voting is a community activity and obviously if we can get voters in a given community to step out and walk together to say No to Vote Selling, then we would all have collectively become Community Ambassadors for Peaceful Election, (CAPE) and watch dogs of our electoral process which is necessary at keeping the Umpire (INEC) and Adhoc Agencies on their toes and the global community informed of our desires and determination for a free and fair election.
*The Dates Are:
Saturday, 28th January 2023
And
Saturday, 18th February 2023.
Time: 7:00AM to 9:00AM
Locations: Your Community.
iWalk & Wheel will be conducted in the community where voters live and where they will vote. Our projection is to cover as many as possible out of INEC’s 176,846 units across the country.
Logistics:
1. 176,846 iWalk Ambassadors who will lead and coordinate the walk across the country around their polling unit.
2. CAPE application for effective coordination of our projected 17,684,600 at 100 Walkers for each of the 176,846 locations across the country.
Everyone who participated during iWalk already have charge of their community for *”iWalk & Wheel…* with over 30,000 communities covered and about 146,846 yet to go. The tasks you will agree with us is still huge, but we are undaunted.
May I ask you to come on board with us and take charge of your community for iWalk & Wheel.
The support of the Rector of GLOTHEC, its Board of Governors, Faculty Members, Students and all noble hearts here is sought to be a part of this cause and help midwife another successful walk that will lead our nation to a free and fair election in 2023!
May I on behalf of all Awardees convey our appreciation to GLOTHEC and all Guests. Thanks we say to this honour and we are prepared to do more of the things that made you consider us for this honour.