Democracy is not booty sharing

By Sadiq Muhammed
Nigeria is often described as the Giant of Africa, but sometimes our political debates make us look like a nation still struggling to understand the very basics of democracy. Nigerians are funny people brilliant, resilient, and creative but when it comes to politics, we often reduce a serious national project to the logic of “whose turn is it?”
In many public discussions today, democracy is treated like a reward system, where power must be “shared” among tribes, religions, and regions, as if the presidency were a piece of cake to be divided equally at a wedding ceremony. This thinking is not only flawed, it is dangerous.
Democracy is not booty sharing. It is not a turn by turn arrangement. It is not a tribal rotation system. Democracy is a competition of ideas, competence, credibility, and the ability to convince the majority of citizens that you deserve their votes.
In a true democracy, no group is entitled to power simply because of where they come from or what they believe. Power is earned, not allocated.
Yet in Nigeria, we still hear educated people arguing that “it is our turn” or that rotating the presidency is the only definition of fairness. Fairness, however, does not mean everyone must sit in the presidential chair. Fairness means everyone must have equal rights, equal opportunity, and equal protection under the law.
Nigeria has over 300 ethnic groups. If we follow the flawed logic that every group must produce a president before the nation can be at peace, then we are admitting that Nigeria is not a country, but a collection of competing tribes waiting for their share of power.
The argument that some groups are “marginalized” because they have not produced a president is equally shallow. By that logic, if one group produces a president, then all others become victims. This is not justice, it is arithmetic madness.
What about the hundreds of other ethnic groups who may never produce a president? Does that mean they are forever oppressed? Of course not. Representation in a democracy is not measured by who occupies Aso Rock, but by how well the system protects the rights and welfare of all citizens.
The painful truth is that many Nigerians prefer emotional slogans to serious political engagement. Instead of building nationwide alliances, selling strong policies, and appealing to voters across ethnic and religious lines, some politicians hide behind identity politics. When they lose, they blame the system instead of their failure to connect with the people.
If your tribe does not have the numbers to win, the solution is not to cry foul. The solution is to build bridges, not walls. Democracy rewards persuasion, not entitlement.
Nigeria deserves better than recycled arguments and sentimental politics. Until we move away from tribal arithmetic and embrace issue based democracy, we will continue to argue in circles while our real problems,security, poverty, education, and development remain unsolved.
Democracy is not about whose turn it is.
It is about who is ready to serve.

Muhammed can be reached at [email protected]