Governors, Due Process and Demolition in Nigeria
By Dr. Austin Orette
For democracy to function, the people must understand how power should work. The debate is not simply about demolitions — it is about due process. I oppose demolitions, but the truth remains that many governors across Nigeria carry them out without the legally required court orders.
Before any government destroys someone’s home or business, it must first approach a competent court, present its case, and obtain a judgement authorizing the action. Instead, several state governments behave with impunity. Unfortunately, very few citizens challenge these abuses in court.
This problem is tied to the Land Use Decree of 1978, a relic of military rule that gave governors enormous and largely unchecked powers over land. The decree has never been properly reviewed by lawmakers — largely because its opacity benefits powerful individuals who use their influence to secure prime land in Nigeria.
In today’s Nigeria, only the well-connected can confidently authenticate land titles. In a true democracy, no elected official should wield such sweeping authority. Yet, from north to south, many governors abuse these powers freely.
Some of the tension in northern Nigeria can even be traced to such abuses, where indigenous communities accuse governors of using state power to dispossess them of ancestral land. The decree handed the governors the hammer, and for decades, they have used it recklessly.
The underlying issue is clear: unchecked power has no place in a democracy. This outdated military law continues to distort Nigeria’s political culture.
Many elected officials today behave like military dictators, largely because citizens have been conditioned — through decades of military rule — to accept abuse as normal. This is a form of political disorientation produced by years of authoritarian governance.
But soldiers cannot solve a problem they created. Military coups stunt political development and breed fear, not progress. The solution to democratic problems is more democracy, not less.
For Nigeria to move forward, citizens must vote for leaders who respect institutions, court processes and the rule of law. The real issue is due process — not personalities, not politics, and certainly not Wike or any single governor.
When citizens focus on distractions, they lose sight of the road.
— Dr. Austin Orette, Houston, Texas
The Military, Subordination and the Future of Democracy in Nigeria
By Dr. Austin Orette
In a constitutional democracy governed by law and hierarchy, no serving army officer has any business commenting publicly on a dispute between Minister Nyesom Wike and Officer Ahmed Yerima.
It is disturbing that some military leaders speak as though they are a parallel government. The suggestion that the altercation poses a national security threat is inappropriate and reveals a longstanding problem within the Nigerian military: a lack of proper subordination to civilian authority.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) should never have reacted publicly to the incident. Such commentary should come only from the Minister of Defence. By weighing in, the COAS acted outside his jurisdiction and displayed a posture that is disrespectful to civilian oversight. In any functional democracy, this would be grounds for dismissal.
The message being sent — unintentionally or otherwise — is that military commanders are above the law, and that civilian officials must defer to them. This mindset must not be allowed to continue.
Nigeria’s democratic order cannot survive if soldiers treat civilian institutions with contempt. Too many senior officers still behave as if they operate under the doctrines of the 1980s military regimes.
Historically, soldiers have taken extreme actions over minor incidents, from beating civilians to destroying vehicles. Incidents such as the assault on Fela Kuti’s Kalakuta Republic or the Jaji rampage remain dark examples of impunity that went unpunished. Even today, there are cases where soldiers terrorize communities, including recent killings in Delta State — with no accountability.
The Nigerian military must understand that their constitutional duty is external defence, not policing citizens. Enlisted men should not be roaming cities unless engaged in authorized operations governed by clear rules of engagement.
Officer Yerima had no official mandate to be at the disputed site. Would he have gone there if the property didn’t belong to a retired general? Would a regular citizen have received the same courtesy? Nigeria knows the answer.
The abuse of civilians is not a coincidence — it is a systemic problem born from decades of military dictatorship and the erosion of discipline. Many soldiers still treat Nigerians as “bloody civilians,” a shameful phrase that reflects contempt rather than service.
For democracy to mature, Nigerians must insist on constitutional order. The military must return fully to the barracks and understand their place in society. If Nigeria wants to prevent coups and ensure stability, citizens must be empowered, and the monopoly of force must be checked through institutional reforms such as a reserve army and proper civilian oversight.
Democracy requires respect — and respect must be mutual.
— Dr. Austin Orette, Houston, Texas