The United Kingdom and United States are Nigeria’s role models in democratic governance. At the end of colonial rule, the UK bequeathed Nigeria with its parliamentary form of democracy. But after some tumultuous years, a civil war and long stretches of military rule, Nigeria opted for the American presidential format. Now democracy is in crisis in the UK and US, the UK in particular. Might the student have to go to the rescue of the mentors?
Yea sure, you say, either snickering or bemused. Well suspend all thoughts of Nigeria’s own turmoil and give this case a chance. It is not without merit — not entirely anyway. There are precedents of sorts.
Take the matter of religion, it was European missionaries who brought Christianity to Africa. But quite a few Christians in the West now see Africa as the bedrock of their faith. In 2003, the General Convention of the US Episcopal Church affirmed the election of the first openly gay bishop in the denomination. This set off a schism. The dissenting congregations subsequently sought affiliation with Nigerian and other African Anglicans. In effect, they were recognising the African version of the faith as the authentic Christianity.
Then there is the matter of mastery of the English language. Many US universities require prospective Nigerian students to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language. So, though English is Nigeria’s official language, it is still deemed foreign in the land. Yet when some Hollywood stars wanted to impress elite US universities to admit their children, they turned to Nigerians — in Nigeria — to write the essays. Who would have thought?
So, if Nigerians can come to the rescue on matters of religion and university admission, why not governance? Are you even in the minutest more persuaded now? Whether yes or no, just read on anyway.
Brexit headache
To help the UK with its problems, here’s the political conundrum that Nigeria will help to unravel. It began with a referendum in June 2016 on whether the UK should exit or remain in the European Union. Brexit, as it is called, carried the vote narrowly.
As with most such choices, few voters bothered to study the implications. The Brexiters complained about the influx of Eastern Europeans, fearing the loss of British identity. And they resented the imperial hands of the European Parliament in Brussels.
Well, it’s become evident now that the UK was gaining a whole lot more than it was giving up. With the EU’s terms of divorce so stringent, the UK will find itself commercially isolated. And there’s the “Irish problem.” The Republic of Ireland will remain a part of EU, while Northern Ireland—which is a part of UK—will exit. That will result in a “hard border” between kins that have had fluid interactions.
Theresa May, who led the Brexit campaign and became prime minister after her quest succeeded, had a most frustrating tenure. Every proposal she put forth was either rejected by the EU, the UK parliament or both. In the end, she offered to resign if parliament approved her last proposal. Parliament didn’t and she resigned anyway, bitter and tearful.
Her successor, Boris Johnson, took a combative and uncompromising approach. Brexit would be implemented by the end of October with or without an agreement with the EU, he vowed. Yet leaving without an agreement — crashing out, as it is called — would have severe consequences on the UK economy, economists have predicted.
But Johnson apparently doesn’t care. His tunnel-vision and abrasiveness have alienated even members of his Conservative Party. Some, including his younger brother, have resigned their cabinet positions or defected from the party.
In desperation, Johnson sought to wield the kind of power that is characteristic of Third World politics. With the deadline for Brexit about two months away, he suspended Parliament. He needed to focus on his Brexit proposal, he said. But no one was fooled. The maneuver was obviously intended to sideline Parliament at the critical hour.
But to his chagrin, the UK Supreme Court ruled unanimously that his suspension of parliament was unconstitutional. And now the UK is back to square one on Brexit. I can hear the parliamentarians crying out, “Help, Nigeria, help.”
Trump: dilemma of impeachment
The situation in the US is not nearly as dire, but here too the trajectory is toward an uneasy territory.
President Donald Trump came into office with considerable political baggage. There were questions about conflict of interest in his worldwide business dealings. Then whether he cheated on his tax obligations. Then whether he colluded with the Russians to seek to affect the outcome of the 2016 elections. Then whether he obstructed justice in the course of the related investigations.
So, from Day 1, there have been calls for his impeachment. And the calls kept gaining momentum. But Nancy Pelosi, the sagely Democrat and Speaker of the House, stridently resisted it all and cautioned patience. Now, even she has reached her threshold.
That came when a whistle-blower filed an official complaint stating that Trump pressured Ukraine’s president to investigate former US vice president Joseph Biden and his son in connection with their business dealings in that country. By law, the complaint is supposed to be forwarded to Congress, but the president is reportedly barring that. That’s it for Pelosi. On Tuesday, she declared the formal commencement of an impeachment investigation. The dice is cast.
Even then, impeaching Trump poses considerable dilemma for the Democrats. With their control of the House of Representatives, they shouldn’t have problem getting enough votes to impeach. However, the actual trial takes place in the upper chamber, the Senate. There, the Republicans are in control and two-thirds majority votes are required to convict. The bet is that Republicans won’t vote to impeach a president who has proven that he can cost them re-election.
Even if the Senate votes to convict and get Trump out of office, the Democrats will face stiffer odds in the presidential election that will follow soon after in 2020. Trump’s replacement will be vice president Mike Pence, who subscribes to much of Trump’s conservative policies but without his baggage. So, Pence might be an even more formidable opponent than Trump.
For Democrats then, it is be damned if you impeach and be damned if you don’t. Might they too cry out, “Help, Nigeria, help”?
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