Governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri, has attributed Nigeria’s chequered democracy to the absence of justice, equity and fairness.
The governor also stated that without the practice of fiscal federalism and the rule of law, democracy would continue to struggle in the country.
Delivering a goodwill message at the 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue at the International Conference Centre, Bauchi, on Tuesday, Governor Diri contended that having long taken the wrong turn in its democratic journey, Nigeria needs to correct some of its structural imbalances to make the country beneficial to its citizens.
Citing Bayelsa State as case study, he said the injustice in resource exploitation, particularly crude oil, and the attendant lopsidedness in national revenue distribution had continued for decades.
He stated that oil-bearing areas in the state and the Niger Delta still lack commensurate development more than 60 years after oil exploration began despite generating so much revenue for the country.
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Equally, the governor faulted a situation where the state with only eight local government areas has revenue from its resources shared in Abuja, to states without oil but have more local governments.
According to him, there is also a relationship between resource exploitation and insecurity in the country, noting that the mining of gold in some states in the north has been followed by heightened insecurity in those states.
He commended former President Goodluck Jonathan and his foundation for organising and sustaining the annual dialogue, saying the country required such platforms to jaw-jaw in order to develop a truly democratic culture.
“To my mind, democracy is built on three pillars – justice, equity, and fairness. And I believe that we missed the road of democracy in Nigeria long ago because there is no justice.
“There is injustice where Oloibiri, the oil community in Bayelsa State that made Nigeria a commercial oil producing country, remains a shadow of itself.
“It is ironical that at the end of every month, all our states go to Abuja to share oil money. I do not think that is what democracy is all about.
“For instance, Southern Ijaw, an oil-rich local government area in my state that brings so much money to Nigeria, has no road access for more than 60 years until I invited former President Obasanjo, who graciously came to inaugurate a project there.
“This local government also has no access to its headquarters until recently that my administration constructed a 630-meter bridge across a river to the place.
“Also, to my mind, there is total injustice where my state has just eight local government areas. Some other states have 40 or more.
“But, the resources from my state are shared to those local government areas from my eight. No matter who becomes president, this injustice and unfairness continue. Resources are being expropriated.
“Today, there is gold in Zamfara State and other northern states. And what do we experience? Insecurity. Most of the insecurity has been traced to the discovery of gold in that far north.
“So, my dear leaders, my conclusion is that for democracy to thrive in Nigeria, there must be true federalism. Until we begin to practice federalism, we will have some pseudo-democratic, pseudo-autocratic, and sometimes even a tyrannical government in this country,” he asserted.
The event, with the theme: “Beyond Elections: Can Political Parties and the Judiciary Save African Democracy?” was held in collaboration with the Bauchi State government and chaired by Obasanjo.
In attendance were former President Goodluck Jonathan, his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan, former Vice President Namadi Sambo, Governor of Bauchi, Bala Mohammed, former Senate President and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim as well as presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress and former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, among other dignitaries.
