Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has identified the absence of justice, equity and fairness as major factors responsible for Nigeria’s faltering democracy.
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The Bayelsa governor also stated that without the practice of true federalism, fiscal federalism and adherence to 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, Senator Diri said Nigeria, having taken the wrong turn in its democratic journey, needed to address some of its structural imbalances to make democracy more beneficial to its citizens.
Citing Bayelsa as a case study, he said the injustice in resource exploitation, particularly crude oil, and the attendant imbalance in national revenue distribution had persisted for decades.
He stated that oil-producing communities in the state and the Niger Delta still lacked commensurate development more than 60 years after oil exploration began, despite generating substantial revenue for the country.
The Bayelsa helmsman also faulted a situation in which the state, with only eight local government areas, had revenue from its resources shared in Abuja among states that do not produce oil but have more local government areas.
According to him, there was also a relationship between resource exploitation and insecurity in the country, noting that the mining of gold in some northern states had been followed by heightened insecurity in those areas.
He commended former President Goodluck Jonathan and his foundation for organising and sustaining the annual dialogue, saying the country needed such platforms to “jaw-jaw” in order to develop a truly democratic culture.
Diri said: “We are gathered here again today because of this annual discourse, which I recall had also been held in Bayelsa State when our leader started moving it to the states.
“The topic is about democracy and I like to bring it home to Bayelsa State. Democracy has been well-defined by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and it is about the rule of law.
“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 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, had 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 had no access to its headquarters until recently, when my administration constructed a 630-metre 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 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 practise federalism, we will have some pseudo-democratic, pseudo-autocratic, and sometimes even a tyrannical government in this country.
“However, I congratulate my elder brother and our former president, who has made this dialogue possible, and we must continue to jaw-jaw, so that at the end of the day the country will be better for us all.”
The event, themed “Beyond Elections: Can Political Parties and the Judiciary Save African Democracy?”, was held in collaboration with the Bauchi State Government and chaired by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
In attendance were Dr. Goodluck Jonathan; his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan; former Vice President Namadi Sambo; Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed; former Senate President and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim; as well as presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, among other dignitaries.
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