The 12th annual democracy lecture was held today at the Lagos Airport hotel Ikeja, Lagos.
The lecture which had the title, “Democratization of Africa: Progress or Erosion,” looked into successive democratic governments in Nigeria from the beginning of the current dispensation in 1999.
Gabrielle Lynch, lecturer in the department of politics and international studies, University of Warwick, United Kingdom who was the guest speaker said that obsession to election is one of the factors affecting democratization.
It was discussed that one of the problems facing democracy in the country is the constitution.
The speaker traced how it was after the military put in their chosen leader that they wrote down the constitution. The guest speaker said without a strong written constitution to govern democracy, the country will not move forward.
Sylvester Odion- Akhaine, chief host and chairman of board of trustees of the Centre for Constitutionalism and Demilitarization, CENCOD organisers of the lecture, said elections have not been free and fair.
He explained that one of the ways of solving this challenge is through lectures and debates like the one his group decided to hold in Lagos today.
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