Former Cross River State Governor and Peoples Redemption Party presidential candidate Donald Duke has argued that Nigerians were better off under military rule, criticising 27 years of civilian governance for failing to deliver significant improvements in citizens’ welfare.

Duke made the remarks during an interview over the weekend, questioning whether the country had made meaningful progress since returning to democratic rule in 1999.

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“The people were better off under the military. At least governance was not that expensive,” he said.

The former governor said the performance of democracy should ultimately be measured by its impact on ordinary citizens and the quality of services they receive.

According to Duke, several challenges that confronted Nigeria before 1999 remain unresolved, with some becoming more severe.

“We’re still having the same problems we had 27 years ago. It’s getting worse. The number of children out of school has not improved; it’s deteriorating. The healthcare system is not improving; it’s deteriorating,” he said.

Duke cited unemployment, inadequate electricity and poor infrastructure among the persistent problems undermining the country’s development.

“The problems that existed before 1999, electrification, unemployment, those things are still there. And I don’t see a structured approach towards dealing with these issues,” he said.

The former governor also took aim at Nigeria’s political opposition, describing it as weak and driven by self-interest.

He argued that declining confidence in elections had further weakened democratic accountability, with some citizens believing that their votes do not accurately determine electoral outcomes.

“The opposition is terribly weakened and self-centred. Democracy is also in danger. The results you get from the polls often don’t reflect the views of the people,” Duke said.

He contended that the erosion of public confidence in the electoral process had made it easier for elected officials to avoid accountability for their performance.

Duke further questioned the effectiveness of Nigeria’s democratic institutions, particularly their ability to provide meaningful checks and balances on government.

He cited lawmakers’ approval of the return to Nigeria’s former national anthem as an example, arguing that the decision was not subjected to sufficient scrutiny.

Duke also blamed Nigeria’s political and economic elite for failing to provide the leadership needed to address the country’s longstanding problems.

“It’s a failure of the elite more than anything else. We’re elites; we’re enlightened people but we abdicated our leadership to those whom we should be leading,” he said.

He warned that the widening gap between wealthy Nigerians and those living in poverty could eventually pose a serious threat to social stability.

The former governor said the country’s worsening inequality should concern those at the top, recalling a prediction that there could come a time when the wealthy would struggle to sleep because of widespread poverty around them.

Despite his criticism of the country’s political trajectory, Duke said he remained convinced that Nigeria had the resources and human capacity to overcome its challenges.