Osita Chidoka blames Nigeria’s democratic decline on ‘conversion crisis’, urges culture shift
A former Minister of Aviation and Chancellor of the Athena Centre, Osita Chidoka, has said Nigeria’s democratic challenges are driven not by voter apathy but by what he described as a “conversion crisis”.
He made the assertion while delivering a lecture at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) on the theme “Beyond Participation: Rebuilding Nigeria’s Political Culture for a New Generation”.
Citing data from Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Chidoka noted that 68 million of 93.4 million registered voters did not participate in the 2023 presidential election, reflecting a turnout of 26.7 per cent, down from 53.7 per cent in 2011.
“Nigeria does not have an intention crisis. Nigeria has a conversion crisis. Nigerians intend to vote, but when the day comes, they begin to calculate the cost of transport, loss of income and uncertainty of the process,” he said.
He argued that the challenge extends beyond citizens to governance structures, citing research showing low digital transparency in state assemblies across the country.
According to him, only 39 per cent of Nigeria’s 36 state houses of assembly have verified websites, 11 per cent operate YouTube channels, and none publishes official legislative records online. He contrasted this with practices in countries such as South Africa and India, where legislative transparency is stronger.
Chidoka also described Nigeria’s governance challenge as a struggle between “Alibi Culture” and “Agency Culture”, calling for a shift from excuses to responsibility-driven leadership. He introduced “Mekaria”, an Igbo concept meaning “to do more, to do better”, as a framework combining discipline, measurement and accountability to drive institutional reform.
In his remarks, Professor Aloysius-Michaels Okolie commended the lecture, noting that the ESUT Distinguished Personality Lecture Series is designed to bridge the gap between academia and public policy discourse.
