By Tonye Clinton Jaja
There is a joke that popped up on the WhatsApp platform of one of the Nigerian lawyers groups.
The joke stated that: “in the year 2025, the word “allegedly” would be the most frequently used word.
And it appears that that is a self-fulfilling prophecy!!!
Nigeria is “allegedly” a federation of 36 States according to the wordings of our Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999!!!
Nigeria “allegedly” practices the presidential system of democracy according to the Nigerian Constitution!!!
Nigeria is allegedly very rich in terms of crude oil and other natural resources, according to the geological maps!!!
Nigeria is allegedly out of recession by reducing the rate of inflation from 34% to 23%!!!
Nigeria is allegedly the giant of Africa, with the most promising economy in Africa!!!
Nigeria has allegedly technically defeated insurgency!!!
According to Section 10 of the Nigerian Constitution, Nigeria is allegedly a secular country that doesn’t mix religion with governance!!!
Section 14(3) of the Nigerian Constitution is a unique feature wherein Nigeria allegedly recognises the need for each geo-political zone to be represented in the Governing Board of every federal government agency!!!
The list could go on and on!!!!
In Nigeria there appears to be a huge difference between what obtains in our Constitution and other laws and what obtains in actual practice!!!
Take for example, the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, where allegedly democracy is supposed to be practised, Mr. Ahmed Isah, Founder of the Human Rights Radio, Abuja, has just confirmed that in actual practice, it is autocracy that is being practiced there. As evidence of this, he cites the event of 20th February 2025, wherein the President of the Senate ordered the Sergeant-At-Arms to remove a fellow colleague Senator!!!
In the judiciary, it appears the practice of Gerontocracy is the predominant and full-blown practice. Judging by the speed with which the Presidency assented to the Bill for the law that increased the age of retirement of judges to 75 years.
Gerontocracy is defined as “a state, society, or group governed by old people.
government based on rule by old people.”
Judging by the fact that minimum wage in Nigeria is now ₦72,000 per month, no average citizen of Nigeria can afford to participate or self-sponsor themselves to purchase even nomination form for local government councillorship or Chairmanship elections. So it can be said that, instead of democracy, the Nigerian Executive is now a full-blown “Plutocracy”.
Plutocracy is defined as: “1. government by the wealthy.
“the attack on the Bank of England was a gesture against the very symbol of plutocracy”
- a state or society governed by the wealthy.
plural noun: plutocracies
“no one can accept public policies which turn a democracy into a plutocracy”
an elite or ruling class whose power derives from their wealth.
“officials were drawn from the new plutocracy”.
It appears that it is only the House of Representatives, National Assembly of Nigeria that practices a semblance of democracy.
Considering that members of the House of Representatives, National Assembly last October 2024 voted en masse for the President to confer the Rt. Hon. Speaker of the said House with the national honour of GCON (Grand Commander of Nigeria) instead of CFR-Commander of the Federal Republic.
Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja,
Executive Director,
Nigerian Law Society (NLS).
