THE PURPOSE FOR #BORNOTAFIJAMIYYA
By
Abdulhamid Ibrahim Biu
#BORNOTAFIJAMIYYA is a movement initiated on the 01/10/2015 by some concerns citizens of Borno State as a result of mismanagement of public funds, lack of transparency, accountability and monopolizing the State democratic system, thereby creating a weak opposition by the incumbent Government (party). With this brief introduction, let me go straight to the purpose of my article.
          In a democracy, the will of the people should form the basis to govern. Elections are one important mechanism through which this will is expressed in a democracy but only with presence of a viable and effective opposition. A democracy without an effective opposition is a weak democracy. A free and independent press must be part and parcel of any democracy. Otherwise the checks and balances necessary within such a system will be lacking and where they are lacking, corruption becomes the order of the day, and human rights abuses get trampled upon. The above criteria or elements constitute the minimum of what has to be in place for a society to qualify as democratic. A question could arise: How could alterations to democracy improve the life of the poor? When people are able to elect the best and trusted leaders among them and reject those who fail in their promises to improve people's welfare, people have a direct opportunity to improve the community's economic and social condition. They have a greater opportunity to speak on and participate in the process of development. Democracy is therefore not only procedural but also substantial. In fact, the process of designing and implementing public policies, including those aimed at poverty alleviation, are democratic when they involve the people at every stage. Democracy leads to people expressing their concerns about and gaining greater awareness of the process of development in ways that are not imposing or dictatorial but more egalitarian and collaborative. People gain a share in the power to guide and direct the future fate of their own condition. The participation of the people can also prevent the failure of the programs as people directly monitor and therefore give feedback on what has happened. With participation, development is in accord with the local need, interest and conditions. Thus, people rarely reject the planning as they participate in the process of making the decisions. Participation, by minimizing local problems and opposition, can effectively and efficiently succeed poverty alleviation efforts.

In reality, democracy transforms the people from passive recipients of elite decision-making to active participants in the process of development that is in touch with their everyday life experiences. It can also reduce income disparities and provide equality of opportunities by protecting the rights of minorities from the “tyranny of the majority”. In the end,  quality democracy ensures that the rulers are accountable to the people, or, in the words of a famous new Iraqi saying popularized by one new civil society organization in the post-Saddam era,  “the person sitting behind the desk is the servant of the person in front of him, and not the other way around.” Even though democracy is not a “cure all” for human development and poverty alleviation, it holds more potential for achieving these goals than any other system of government. Democracy creates opportunities and enhances capabilities of the poor and underprivileged. As such, it has an intrinsic human development value. Moreover, most stable democracies tend to have lower levels of poverty, and, on the flip side, democracies that let their citizens remain in protracted poverty tend to be short-lived. I think there is a danger for developing societies, especially Borno State. But if democracy is to be effective in delivering development, this element of popular control, however deep and vigorous, is not enough. It must be wedded with good governance which together constitute a fuller architecture of a high-quality, liberal democracy. In fact, the importance of good governance should now become an article of faith to us.
Political parties are just mere way for identification but not a RELIGION, competency of a candidature matters.

Thank you.