Why democracy is not working in Africa - Obasanjo reveals

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has explained why Western democracy is not working as a system of government in the continent of Africa.

Obasanjo said democracy is not working in Africa because it was “forced” on the continent, Vanguard reported.

He stated this while speaking at a high-level consultation on “Rethinking Western Liberal Democracy for Africa” in Abeokuta, Ogun state, on Monday, November 20, Vanguard reported.

Obasanjo argued that Western Liberal Democracy is a: “government of a few people over all the people or population and these few people are representatives of only some of the people and not full representatives of all the people.”

As reported by Daily Trust, Obasanjo added that African countries have no input in the “definition and design” of Western democracy and, hence, see no reason for practicing the system of government.

The former Nigerian leader called for what he termed “Afro democracy” in place of Western liberal democracy.

“The weakness and failure of liberal democracy as it is practised stem from its history, content and context and its practice.

“Once you move from all the people to a representative of the people, you start to encounter troubles and problems. For those who define it as a rule of the majority, should the minority be ignored, neglected and be excluded?

“In short, we have a system of government in which we have no hands to define and design and we continue with it, even when we know that it is not working for us.