Former Cross River State governor and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate Donald Duke has claimed that Nigerians were better off during military rule than in the 27 years since the return to civilian governance. He made the remarks in an interview in Abuja on Sunday, arguing that the cost of governance under democracy has been high without delivering tangible improvements in citizens' lives. Duke questioned whether democratic dividends have materialised, pointing to persistent challenges in education, healthcare and infrastructure.
He stated that the number of out-of-school children has worsened, the healthcare system is deteriorating, and infrastructure deficits remain unresolved. Electricity, unemployment and poor road networks, he noted, were problems before 1999 and continue under successive civilian administrations. "The people today, I would tell you, were better off under the military," Duke said. "At least governance was not that expensive." He stressed that democracy should be judged by its impact on welfare, not just the existence of institutions.
Duke also raised concerns about the value of the Nigerian vote, suggesting that citizens feel powerless to influence governance. This, he said, encourages politicians to ignore public needs. "Because your vote doesn't matter, there's a tendency to take people for a ride and disregard what is required by the people," he added. He observed that many issues present before 1999 remain, with little structured effort to resolve them.
Donald Duke claims life was better under military rule despite acknowledging no democratic dividends, yet offers no evidence from that era to support improved welfare. His critique of current governance rests on visible failures, but without measurable comparisons, the assertion risks becoming political rhetoric rather than a useful benchmark.
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