I’ve Not Benefitted Anything From Nigeria In 72 Years – Olisa Agbakoba

… Slams Mandatory Voting Bill

A Senior Nigerian advocate, Olisa Agbakoba, has condemned the House of Representatives’ move to make voting compulsory for all Nigerians, arguing that voter apathy is a result of bad governance, not a lack of civic duty.

His comments follow Thursday’s heated session in the House, during which lawmakers debated a bill proposing to amend the Electoral Act 2022 to mandate voting during national and state elections.

The bill, jointly sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas and Daniel Asama, a lawmaker representing Bassa/Joy Federal constituency, passed second reading despite opposition from some quarters. It proposes penalties for non-compliance, including a N100,000 fine, six months in prison, or both.

When first introduced in April, the bill was met with swift criticism. The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) threatened mass protests, calling it an attempt to punish citizens for refusing to participate in a broken system.

Speaking during an interview on Arise TV’s “Morning Show”, monitored by THE WHISTLER, Agbakoba argued that the roots of voter apathy are a lack of inclusion, broken trust in government, and absence of democratic dividends.

“Voting shouldn’t be mandatory,” he said, adding, “You don’t force people to vote, you make them want to vote. Right now, they don’t see the point. People know that nothing changes. Every four years, they come, we vote, then we go back to hunger, insecurity, no water, no jobs. What’s the incentive to vote?”

He added, “I’m 72. I’ve voted for decades, but I can tell you, I haven’t gotten a single thing from the Nigerian state. Not one benefit. So why should I keep voting?”

Agbakoba said punishing people for non-participation is misguided and a distraction from the real issue, which is a system that no longer delivers for its people.

“You can’t punish people into caring. If the system is rotten, you fix the system. You don’t jail people for refusing to play along.”

The former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) used the moment to criticise Nigeria’s larger democratic structure, which he said is borrowed and broken.

According to him, Nigeria’s adoption of Western liberal democracy has failed to produce inclusive governance and has encouraged a “winner-takes-all” mentality that cuts off most Nigerians.

“This Western liberal democratic model has failed Nigeria. It’s not working. It’s divisive, it’s exclusionary, and it breeds desperation. Everyone is jumping into the All Progressives Congress (APC) because they know opposition is a death sentence politically. There’s no room in this democracy for losing only for grabbing.”

To address this, Agbakoba called for a complete restructuring of Nigeria’s political framework into a homegrown model which he describes as “constitutional democracy,” rooted in cooperative federalism and inclusive governance.

“We need to stop importing systems that don’t work for us. We need a model that reflects who we are, our ethnic diversity, our traditional institutions, our reality,” he said.

The senior lawyer expressed strong support for rotational presidency as a mechanism to encourage fairness and reduce feelings of exclusion among Nigeria’s ethnic groups. He also said Nigeria’s zoning structure should evolve to reflect growing demands for representation.

He said, “In Belgium, the Flemings and Walloons rotate power. It’s not perfect, but it ensures everyone has a stake. That’s what we need here. If I know I’m from the Southeast and my region has a clear shot at the presidency in a structured way, I feel included. I don’t feel like a second-class citizen.

“Ekwueme proposed six regions, I propose eight, adding the Middle Belt and restructuring the South-South. That’s how you build a federation that works,” he added.

When asked about the risks of corrupt politicians hijacking such systems, and the moral crises affecting traditional rulers, Agbakoba did not deny the challenges but insisted that inclusion reduces incentives for corruption.

“Why do politicians and traditional rulers sell out? Because it’s an exclusive club. If everyone’s at the table, the need to bribe or bully disappears. At least, that’s my theory,” Agbakoba said.

He concluded by reiterating the need to abandon Nigeria’s current path and embrace bold, indigenous reforms.

“China doesn’t run liberal democracy, UAE doesn’t, Qatar doesn’t, yet they are advancing. We are pretending to practice Western democracy and we are going nowhere. We need to ask ourselves, if a system has failed for 25 years, is it not time to try something new?”

I’ve Not Benefitted Anything From Nigeria In 72 Years – Olisa Agbakoba is first published on The Whistler Newspaper