By BONIFACE AKARAH

As Nigeria marks 27 years of uninterrupted democratic governance, the Network Against Corruption and Trafficking (NACAT) has warned that the country's democracy is approaching a dangerous crossroads, citing worsening poverty, insecurity, corruption, shrinking civic space and weakening institutions.

In a Democracy Day statement issued on Thursday by its Operations Manager, Stanley Ugagbe, NACAT said that while Nigerians deserve commendation for sustaining democratic rule since 1999 despite numerous challenges, the gains of democracy risk being undermined by what it described as "data-verified systemic failures" that require urgent intervention by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration.

The anti-corruption group noted that Nigeria's uninterrupted 27-year democratic journey reflected the resilience of citizens who had consistently chosen "the ballot box over bullets, and co-existence over fragmentation."

However, it cautioned that "unity without equity, accountability, and economic security is an unsustainable facade."

According to NACAT, democracy extends beyond the absence of military rule.

"Democracy is not merely the absence of military rule; it is the presence of the rule of law, economic stability, and institutional integrity," the organisation stated.

It argued that Nigeria's economic realities paint a disturbing picture, warning that rising poverty levels could erode citizens' faith in democratic governance.

Citing recent World Bank figures, NACAT said Nigeria's poverty rate had climbed to 63 per cent, with more than 140 million citizens now trapped in multidimensional poverty.

"While macro-level figures show a technical deceleration in headline inflation to roughly 15%, the reality on the streets tells a story of extreme survival. Real incomes have failed to match historical spikes, leaving everyday families unable to afford basic food items, transport, and healthcare. A hungry populace cannot effectively defend democratic ideals," the statement said.

The organisation also expressed concern over corruption, referencing Nigeria's performance on Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index.

According to NACAT, "Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index ranks Nigeria 142nd out of 182 countries, scoring a dismal 26 out of 100," adding that persistent allegations of revenue leakages and unaccounted public funds continue to undermine public trust.

"When the commonwealth is systematically plundered by an untamed political class, the moral legitimacy of democracy is fundamentally destroyed," it said.

On insecurity, NACAT described the situation across parts of the country as a "bleeding wound," citing continued banditry, school kidnappings and terrorist attacks by Boko Haram and ISWAP.

It warned that the inability to secure lives and property could further weaken national cohesion and encourage citizens to resort to self-help.

"If unaddressed, they will not only undermine economic reforms but also invite a dangerous cycle where citizens lose faith in the state's monopoly on violence, potentially legitimizing self-help and vigilante justice," the group stated.

The organisation further expressed concerns about what it described as growing threats to judicial independence and electoral credibility ahead of the 2027 general elections.

"When citizens lose faith in the judiciary to act as an impartial arbiter, and when opposition parties are systematically weakened by state-backed interference, the ballot box becomes obsolete. A democracy without credible alternative choices is nothing but a civilian autocracy in disguise," NACAT said.

It also condemned attacks on journalists and restrictions on civic freedoms, citing reports by Media Rights Agenda documenting numerous assaults on media practitioners.

"A democracy that silences its watchdogs is actively engineering its own blindness, shielding corrupt actors from the accountability required to sustain public trust," it added.

NACAT linked worsening economic hardship to increased vulnerability of Nigerian youths to human trafficking, warning that criminal networks were exploiting desperation among those seeking opportunities abroad.

The group warned that failure to address these challenges could trigger widespread public disillusionment.

"History has proven that when citizens find no distinction between the economic hardships of democracy and the oppression of dictatorship, they become indifferent to democratic survival," it stated.

It further cautioned that continued revenue leakages and mounting debt obligations could push Nigeria towards insolvency.

"When a democratic state spends over 80% of its revenue merely servicing debts while public infrastructure rots, it ceases to function as a sovereign entity and becomes a vassal state to international creditors," NACAT warned.

The organisation urged President Tinubu to pursue aggressive structural reforms, including the digitisation of public procurement processes, stricter financial transparency among revenue-generating agencies, and stronger protection for journalists and civic freedoms.

"President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must understand that history will not judge his administration by the grandiloquence of Democracy Day speeches, but by deliberate, aggressive structural reforms," the statement added.

NACAT concluded by calling for a paradigm shift in governance, insisting that decisive action was needed to rescue Nigeria's democracy from what it described as the twin threats of corruption and systemic neglect.

"President Tinubu must act decisively to rescue Nigeria's democracy from the clutches of corruption and systemic neglect, or prepare to face the wrath of an unravelling nation," it said.