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Experts have warned that bad governance and development crisis rooted in decades of policy missteps, weak democratic practice, and the growing influence of disinformation, could make the people begin to seek other alternatives to democracy in West Africa.

The experts gave the warning at the unveiling of the Democratic ‘Strategic Plan” 2026-2031 for West African nations by Centre for Democracy and Development, (CDD West Africa).

Delivering the keynote address, a frontline political economist, Professor Jibrin Ibrahim traced Nigeria’s stalled development trajectory to abandoned state-led economic planning and a shift toward market-driven policies that failed to deliver inclusive growth.

He recalled that Nigeria’s early post-independence development plans, beginning with the 1962–1968 national development framework under the Tafawa Balewa administration, prioritized infrastructure and industrialization.

According to him, the country’s ambition to build a strong industrial base including the Ajaokuta Steel Complex was undermined by external resistance and policy inconsistency.

“Over 90 percent of that project was completed, yet it was stalled. That represents nearly 50 years of lost industrial development,” Ibrahim said.

He argued that Nigeria’s persistent poverty crisis stems from its inability to sustain people-centered development, warning that without deliberate state intervention, economic inequality and instability will continue to worsen.

“Today, Nigeria has more poor people proportionately than it did 20, 30, or even 50 years ago,” he noted, stressing that the constitutional mandate for state-led economic direction has been largely ignored.

He added, “I think if we really want democracy to develop, to deepen and blossom in Nigeria, it can only be on the basis that we don’t depend on the democrats, but that we create conditions under which every citizen can fight, can struggle to sustain democracy in our countries, in our societies.

“This issue of placing the responsibility of sustaining democracy on these so-called democrats has never worked. Because these Democrats can always betray the mission that they mouth but the people have a stake in democracy.”

He said the failure of the country to have a progressive leadership is majorly because the democracy has been left in the hands of the socalled democrats.

“I think if we really want democracy to develop, to deepen and blossom in in Nigeria, it can only be on the basis that we don’t depend on the Democrats, but that we create conditions under which every citizen can fight, can struggle to sustain democracy in our countries, in our societies.

Speaking to journalists, CDD West Africa Director Dr. Dauda Garuba pointed to the growing role of disinformation in destabilizing democratic systems and legitimizing military takeovers in countries such as Mali, Niger, and Bokina Faso.

“In the last few years, we have seen how misinformation and disinformation often amplified through social media and AI-generated content are being used to promote military populism,” Garuba said.

He explained that viral narratives portraying military regimes as transformative have gained traction online, despite evidence on the ground suggesting otherwise.

“Thousands of manipulated videos and posts, especially on platforms like TikTok, are creating a false reality that these countries have suddenly become prosperous. But much of that is simply not true,” he added.

Garuba further noted that while social media has democratized information sharing through citizen journalism, it has also weakened traditional gatekeeping, enabling the rapid spread of false and misleading content.

On the state of democracy in Nigeria, he maintained that the challenge lies less in democratic principles and more in how political actors exploit the system.

“A system is only as good as those who operate it. What we see in Nigeria is the abuse of democratic structures, driven largely by the struggle for access to state resources,” he said.

Also weighing in, policy expert Egghead Odewole challenged the popular notion of the “dividends of democracy,” arguing that infrastructure alone does not define democratic success.

“Democracy should guarantee fundamental rights freedom of expression, security, and participation in governance. These are the true dividends, and many Nigerians would argue that these are still lacking,” he said.

Odewole warned that declining security and limited citizen participation between election cycles have weakened democratic accountability, creating conditions where some populations in the Sahel now perceive military rule as a viable alternative.

He emphasized that democracy must go beyond periodic elections, calling for sustained citizen engagement and institutional reforms that ensure inclusivity and responsiveness.

The event also featured a panel discussion themed “Democracy Failing or the People Failing?”, where participants examined the complex interplay between leadership failures, citizen responsibility, and systemic weaknesses.

Experts give reasons for rising support for military rule in West Africa