Sunday Okobi
As the 2027 general election approaches, a pro-democracy group, Citizens Advancement and Development Initiative (CADI), and its Founder and author, Dr. Bolaji Akinyemi, yesterday initiated moves to save Nigerian democracy, educate voters, and hold political leaders to account’
He stated that only ‘performance democracy’ can sustain Nigerian democracy and usher in good governance in Nigeria through participation, accountability and attention to what the government actually delivers.
He disclosed that performance democracy is central to the group’s philosophy, adding that democracy cannot just end with voting.
The group disclosed these at its official inauguration and the launching of a book: ‘2027 and Beyond: Own the Process, Vote for Value, Activate Performance Democracy’, written by Dr Bolaji Akinyemi and forwarded by Bishop Mathew Kukah, in Ikeja, Lagos.
“An election allows citizens to choose representatives and leaders. But after the votes are counted, democracy must continue through participation, accountability and attention to what government actually delivers. This is the heart of Performance Democracy,” the group said.
In his speech at the event, the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of CADI, Dr. Ehizogie Otoibhi, said performance democracy enables Nigerians as well as the country to move from democracy as an event to democracy as an experience.
He stated that it challenges the people to pay attention not only to who occupies public office, but to what public office produces: the quality of public services, the effectiveness of institutions, the development of communities, the responsible use of public resources and the measurable improvement in the lives of citizens.
According to him, “And importantly, performance democracy is not the responsibility of government alone. Every citizen has a role. The voter has a role in choosing based on values. The citizen has a role to understand public policy.
“The community has a role in identifying its needs and engaging government. The media has a role in informing the public and holding institutions to account. Civil society has a role in civic education and public engagement. Professionals have a role in bringing knowledge and expertise into public conversations. And government has a responsibility to translate public resources and mandates into results. Performance democracy, therefore, requires an active citizenry.
Otoibhi stressed that in a democracy like Nigeria’s, citizens do not disappear from the democratic process after casting their ballots.
“We want leadership development to produce not only people seeking positions, but people prepared to serve. We want community service to remind us that national development begins with the willingness to contribute where we are,” he stated.
While highlighting the objectives and philosophy of the pro-democracy organisation, the BoT chairman said CADI was born from a simple but fundamental conviction that the quality of a nation is shaped not only by the leaders it produces, but also by the quality of its citizens and the level of their participation in the affairs of their nation.
“For too long, conversations about national development have often centred almost entirely on government and political leadership. While government has an important responsibility, nation-building is a shared responsibility. Citizens are not merely spectators in a democracy. They are participants, stakeholders and, ultimately, co-builders of the society they desire. This is the space CADI seeks to occupy.
“Our vision is to build a Nigeria where informed, responsible, and patriotic citizens help shape accountable government and lasting national development.
“We believe that an informed citizen is better positioned to understand public issues. A responsible citizen understands that citizenship comes with duties as well as rights. And a patriotic citizen recognises that the interest of the nation must remain an important consideration in our choices and actions. But vision must be translated into action,” he stated.
He disclosed that CADI’s mission is to educate, inspire, and mobilise Nigerians through civic education, leadership training, community service, public policy discussions, and partnerships that help build a better nation.
Otoibhi said: “CADI will, therefore, seek to create platforms where citizens can learn, engage, contribute, and take responsibility. We want civic education to move beyond classrooms and occasional political conversations.
“We want citizens to understand how government works, how public decisions affect their lives, how to engage their representatives, how to ask informed questions, and how to participate constructively in the development of their communities.”
In his remarks, CADI’s founder and author of the book, Akinyemi, said he observed that the young generation of Nigeria is more passionate about the country they want.
“So, I want them to drive the Nigerian vision that they want. And that’s what led to the formation of CADI. What I’m trusting God for is to be able to impact the next generation, so that we can see good days in the future of our country,” he said.
While analysing his book, Akinyemi noted that the book is on four pillars: Own the Process; Vote for Value; Defend Your Vote; and Activate Performance Democracy.
“It’s a process, but the ultimate expectation is that we’ll be able to activate what I call performance democracy. What we are practicing presently is nothing but a campaign democracy – a democracy that spends all the resources on posters, billboards, handbills, and then after the ballot is counted and the government comes into power, all that you see thereafter is nothing but silence until the next election cycle.
“That has been the trend; so, the desire now is that we will be able to own the process. INEC is an umpire; INEC doesn’t own the process. Politicians don’t own the process; the government doesn’t own the process. The process belongs to the people. INEC is just there on behalf of the Nigerian people to ensure that things are done right. So, even the people have rights over INEC. But if we don’t know, we keep leaving things to INEC. Once we know, we’ll be able to own the process and supervise it. And when the time to vote comes, you vote for value –not for a political party, not for a candidate, but vote for value; because politics, as they say, is a game of interest.
“So, what is our interest as citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria? Let’s pool it and let it inform how we vote. And when we have voted, we defend our vote.
And defending your vote doesn’t mean you have to come with a cutlass and gun. Defending your vote is coming to the polling centre, exercise your franchise, ensure that every other person also exercises their franchise. And when the ballots are pooled together, your eyes are open to ensure that while you are saying your candidate will not be disenfranchised, you are equally ensuring that the candidates of the other persons do not lose because you want your candidate to win.”
Akinyemi, who preferred to be called Citizen Bolaji Akinyemi, said performance democracy is the kind of democracy that brings dividends; that brings results. “But it’s not just abstract; the result you’re expecting is not abstract. The result you are expecting is measurable. This person says he is going to do this: how long will it take him? What resources does he have? So, as a matter of social contract, we have an expectation, and we expect to know when that will be delivered. And when that is done, there is performance,” he concluded.