The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said the democracy Nigeria requires must go beyond electoral rituals to manifest in everyday accountability, transparency, and active citizen participation.

Wike called for purposeful political leadership, saying is a critical link between democracy and infrastructure development in Nigeria.

He warned that democratic governance must move beyond elections to deliver tangible improvements in citizens’ lives.

Delivering a Distinguished Personality Lecture at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Abuja, Wike argued that infrastructure remains the most visible and honest measure of governance, stressing that roads, schools, hospitals and power supply are the real “dividends of democracy.”

The lecture, titled “The Impact of Political Leadership on Infrastructural Development in Nigeria: Between Dividends of Democracy and Good Governance,” examined Nigeria’s democratic journey since 1999 and questioned whether political freedom has consistently translated into improved living standards.

Wike maintained that democracy must not be reduced to periodic elections but should function as a social contract measured by accountability, transparency and quality of life.

“For the ordinary citizen, democracy must mean roads that work, hospitals that heal, water that runs, and security that reassures,” he said, noting that where infrastructure fails, public trust in governance erodes.

He said: “The democracy Nigeria requires, therefore, must go beyond electoral rituals to manifest in everyday accountability, transparency, and active citizen participation.

“It must be a system that treats public office not as a privilege to be exploited, but as a sacred trust to be honoured; not as an avenue for personal enrichment, but as a platform for collective transformation.

“Good governance is the engine that drives this aspiration, ensuring that institutions function efficiently and equitably, and that government remains responsive to the needs, dignity, and legitimate expectations of the people.”