By Demola Akinyemi, Ilorin
The Director General of Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Ilorin, Kwara State Comrade Issa Aremu has disagreed with the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Mr Peter Obi over their recent comments that democracy is dying in Nigeria and Africa, describing Africa black nation as a Democracy destination undergoing consolidation despite the current challenges of nation building.
He also said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should run for a second term in 2027 to consolidate his achievements.
Recently both former President Olusegun Obasanjo and erstwhile governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, had claimed that democracy was dying in Africa and Nigeria”.
However, Comrade Issa Aremu took exception to what he called the “new Democracy-pessimism fad” by those he said, “without democracy would not have been able to exhibit their limited leadership ability in the past”.
Aremu spoke at separate interventions at the sideline of the 2025 Ramadan lecture of the Institute held in Ilorin and at Arewa House Kaduna during the Special Prayers to mark the 73rd birthday of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu organized by AREWA Think Tank Group on Saturday.
Aremu observed that it was time for Nigerians to deepen and consolidate the democratic process adding that “democratic optimism must not in any way give way to democratic despair in Africa”.
“ With 19 Registered Political Parties, 93,469,008, Total Voters Registered, 176,846 Polling Units in Nigeria, 7 concluded presidential elections since 1999, 5 elected Presidents, 2 elected twice, one graciously accepting loss of election, hundreds of state, National Assembly elections and bye-elections, active media, vibrant organized trade unions and civil society, freedoms of assembly and expressions, Nigeria is a model of how Democracy lives, not dying” Aremu observed.
The MINILS Director General also cautioned the media to “report but also profile the messengers of messages of despair and doom” for discerning citizens for informed judgement about them, stressing that both former President Obasanjo and former governor Peter Obi suffer what he called “bring-down-what I- cannot-control-syndrome”.
He further noted that” democracy is alive for only those who necessarily must not have their ways all the time but still keep faith in the ballot.
“Afro-democracy” is another subterfuge for a call to authoritarianism by OBJ, Democracy is not divisible, it is according to the 1999 constitution, the simple majority that made OBJ President twice, Peter Obi governor and a failed Presidential candidate in 2023, any resort to red herring that Democracy is dying because the duo are out and dry of elsewhere power is unhelpful and self-serving”.
He added that,“Following the death of President Hage Geingob On 4 February 2024, Namibia just successfully conducted an election to inaugurate the first female President Nangolo Mbumba who once served as vice-president. Senegal last year elected the youngest 45-year-old Bassirou Diomaye Faye, while Amadou Ba, the candidate of the ruling United in Hope (BBY) coalition, peacefully conceded defeat. OBJ must be operating from outer space to say Democracy is dying in Africa.” Aremu further said.
He said the challenges of development in Africa call for more democracy through quality control measures of politics of ideologies and programmes not doubt and scaremongering about democracy adding that the military juntas in Mali Burkina Faso and Niger must give way to free and fair elections for legitimacy.
Comrade Aremu who was also the Director of the Labour Directorate of Tinubu/Shetima Presidential Campaign Council ( PCC) during the 2023 election described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as an “audacious” reformer who legitimately “can and should run for a second term in 2027 to consolidate on his achievements in the labour sector”.
The Director General of the premier Labour Institute described the recently approved N758 billion bond to settle long-standing pension liabilities by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as “a timely welcome act of compassion, statesmanship and good governance” in the country’s pension market adding that the measure was the most impactful of the Renewed Hope Agenda in the labour market after the 2024 National minimum wage Act ”.
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