EU recommits to Nigeria’s democracy

From Fred Ezeh, Abuja

The European Union (EU) has restated its commitment to supporting the consolidation of Nigeria’s democracy, ensuring that it serves everyone regardless of their social strata.

The EU, through its Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) Programme, supports the strengthening of democratic institutions and groups, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), National Assembly, Judiciary, political parties, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), media, and women, youths, and persons with disabilities.

Furthermore, through its 16 implementing partners under the EU-SDGN programme, the EU continues to drive interventions in ways that show commitment to fostering inclusion, participation, and democratic consolidation in Nigeria.

Speaking at a five-day retreat for implementing partners under the EU-SDGN programme in Lagos state, the Head of Governance, Peace, and Migration Section, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ruben Alba Aguilera, explained that the retreat was important to enable the programme take stock of progress made, review challenges, and generate recommendations moving forward.

He said, “We cannot take democracy for granted in Nigeria and anywhere in the world. We have seen so many countries in the region that are actually struggling to preserve the space for people to participate and to be able to express their voice.

“That is why it is important to come together to take stock of all of the progress that we have made with the huge number of stakeholders, which is a reflection of the vibrant civil society here in Nigeria, and to really discuss the progress made, challenges, and what we are going to be doing for the next couple of years in the run up to the 2027 General Election.

“A number of recommendations have been made to the National Assembly and INEC. I think that is very important, moving forward. Civil society can drive that process and continue to ensure that those key reforms are actually implemented.”

Highlighting the need to increase participation in elections and minimise the possibility for conflicts in upcoming elections, Aguilera said, “We need to explain to the people, especially the youth, the importance of participating in elections and engaging politically, because that is a way to raise their concerns and their voices.

“We want to see that, ultimately, the choices and needs of the people are taken care of. That is what a well-functioning democracy should be about; making sure that political parties, the National Assembly, and other decision makers are listening to the needs of the people and are also making the right decisions for the country to move forward. We want to make sure that we have a legal framework that allows for all of that to happen.”

In her remarks, Governance Adviser for Democracy, Rule of Law, and Gender, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Laolu Olawumi, noted that the programme works to make sure that interventions across the country work in ways that fulfil the needs of the average Nigerian.

“It is very important to recognise that the whole objective of this intervention is to ensure that democracy serves everyone. By that, I mean, regardless of social strata, we make sure that democracy is responsive in a way that people feel adequately catered for.”

Olawumi explained that while the retreat provides an opportunity for implementing partners to step back and reflect on their interventions, as the country moves forward into the second half of the electoral cycle, it is critically important that people are aware and realise that their votes really matter.

She said: “It will be a very huge task, in the next two years, for the programme and similar programmes working in this area to mobilise voters, and to make sure that, come 2027, people are able to embrace the process and make sure that they engage in a way that moves us in the direction that we want to go.”

Lauding the EU for supporting the strengthening of governance and electoral processes at the national and subnational levels, Executive Director, The Kukah Centre, and Head of Secretariat, National Peace Committee, Rev. Fr. Atta Barkindo, said, “We want to show gratitude to the EU because those of us that are intimately involved with the entire process, to be honest, at one point, we experienced a lot of frustrations. But what the EU has done is to give us the opportunity and platform to withdraw and reflect on our achievements and challenges going forward.

“This platform is very important, and we are very appreciative of the EU for this. The programme helps us to understand what democratic governance means to the political class and ordinary people. This helps us to consolidate on our achievements and interventions.”

The EU-SDGN is the EU’s flagship democracy support programme in Nigeria. The programme is designed to complement the efforts of the Nigerian government to improve and strengthen democracy.