Guarding and Guiding Our Democracy To Fruition is an insightful call to action, for every patriotic citizen of our republic.
In a democratic society, the military is vested with the crucial responsibility of protecting the nation, ensuring safety, and protection of territorial integrity.
However, when the military becomes politically involved, it messes up the core doctrines of democracy, which is gradually leading to far-reaching consequences.
In Nigeria, where a history of military coups (overthrow of government) and political intervention is well renowned, the importance of keeping the military apolitical cannot be overstated.
This crucially explores how military involvement in governance undermines democratic values, freedom of expression, and the rule of law while emphasising the need for the military to maintain, an apolitical stance.
The Military’s Constitutional Obligation:
According to the Nigerian Constitution, the military’s role is primarily to defend the country from external antagonism, protect lives and property and ensure peace and order during emergencies.
However, any deviation from this role threatens to disrupt democratic governance and national progression.
The military’s willing venture into governance leads to a distortion of their primary role, which is to protect the citizens rather than exert political influence or make governance decisions and influence governmental orders.
A military that engages in political activities, whether by endorsing political candidates or directly interfering in governance, violates its mandate and creates a conflict of interest.
When the military becomes a political player or takes site, it opens the door to bias sensation and the institution that should remain the protector of all citizens becomes aligned with specific political interests.
This undermines the trust and respect that the public places in the military and disrupts democratic systems built on impartial governance.
Guarding and Guiding Our Democracy To Fruition
The Need for an Apolitical Military
For democracy to function well, the military must adopt an apolitical stance, thereby distancing itself from civilian politics and governance.
A professional and neutral military serves as a stabilizing force for the nation, ensuring that political processes are conducted fairly and without Interference.
When the military intervenes in governance, it not only weakens the government but also perpetuates a precedent for future interference, which can create a cycle of political instability and chaos.
In many countries, particularly Nigeria, military intervention has led to authoritarian rule, where power is concentrated in the hands of a few, and the democratic rights of citizens are curtailed, the local government autonomy crisis can justify my correlation.
This concentration of power undermines the separation of powers that exists in democratic governance.
The military, being hierarchical, authoritarian as well command driven, lacks the democratic processes of accountability as well as transparency, making it totally incompatible with the renowned civilian rule.
The function of the military in society should be totally strictly confined to its constitutional duties.
Any involvement in political matters dilutes its professionalism and compromises its capacity to act as an impartial guard of the state.
Remaining neutral allows the military to focus on its primary assignment of safeguarding the nation, without unnecessary distractions or consequences of political entanglement.
Military Involvement in Governance:
A Threat to Democratic Values: Nigeria’s experience with military coups and influenced governance has greatly shown how damaging it can be to the democratic well-being of our nation.
During periods of military rule, civilian governments were frequently overthrown, political institutions were sidelined and fundamental rights, including freedom of expression, were restricted.
While military regimes often justified their actions by claiming to restore order or correct political failures, their involvement in governance destroyed democratic orientation and values.
One of the most dangerous effects of military involvement in governance is the gradual decadence of democratic arms of government.
These institutions such as the legislature, judiciary, executives and independent media organizations/outlets, are aimed to provide checks and balances and ensure that power is not concentrated in the hands of a single entity.
When the military intervenes, these institutions are bypassed or manipulated to serve the interests of those in power.
This leads to a breakdown in the rule of law and creates an environment where human rights abuses can occur with impunity.
Furthermore, military involvement often asphyxiates political participation by creating a climate of fear, intimidation, harassment and military chaos.
Citizens are less likely to engage in political discourse or exercise their right to vote when they perceive the military as those controlling the political landscape.
This undermines the democratic principle that power should derive from the people and that citizens should have the right to freely choose their leaders and representatives.
Guarding and Guiding Our Democracy To Fruition
The Significance and “Saga” Of Freedom of Expression
A key aspect of democratic governance is the ability of citizens to express their views, critique government actions, and hold leaders accountable.
The media hold a dominant role in this process by providing accurate information and facilitating public discourse.
However, when the military interferes in governance, freedom of expression is often one of the first casualties.
Military regimes or military-influenced governments, tend to impose strict controls on the media, censoring reports that are critical of their actions.
Journalists and activists (comrades) who speak out against military involvement in governance are frequently targeted for harassment, detention, or even violence.
This creates a consistory effect, in the sense that individuals and media outlets engage in self-censorship out of fear or retaliation.
In a democratic society like Nigeria, where freedom of expression is constitutionally guaranteed, the military must respect and protect this right.
An apolitical military would not interfere in the activities of the media, ensuring that journalists can carry out their work without fear of harassment.
This is crucial for the survival of democracy, as it allows citizens to stay informed and engaged in the political process.
The Role of Military in Safeguarding Democracy, Not Undermining It
The Nigerian military has a pivotal role to play in protecting the country from external intimidations and ensuring internal peace, but this role must not in any way extend into civilian governance.
By maintaining an apolitical stance, the military strengthens its trustworthiness as a nonpartisan institution, trained, disciplined and committed to the security and stability of the nation.
This can ensure that democratic activities are allowed to function without interference and that the rule of law is respected.
The legislative arm of government must ensure that the military remains within its constitutional bounds.
Lawmakers have the responsibility to oversee the military and ensure that it does not overstep its role.
This includes creating and enforcing laws that clearly define and state the limits of military involvement in civilian affairs and guarding accountability for any fissures.
Civil society as well, has a dominant role to play in advocating for a professional and apolitical military.
Through public awareness campaigns and advocacy, civil society organizations can highlight the importance of keeping the military out of politics and encourage citizens to support democratic values.
Conclusion:
The military’s central concern duty should always be to protect the nation, not to govern it.
In order for Nigeria to maintain its democratic values and trajectory, the military must remain apolitical and neutral, ensuring that it does not become engaged in the political processes.
A military that focuses solely on its role, as protector of the nation’s security is essential for the preservation of democratic governance, the rule of law and the fundamental rights of the Nigerians.
It is imperative that the legislative arm, take decisive action to limit military influence in governance, while the military itself, should strictly adhere to its constitutional mandate.
This will not only ensure the stability of the nation but also protect the democratic freedoms that are essential for its prosperity.
Guarding and Guiding Our Democracy To Fruition