Nigerian democracy endures 10 years after military rule

By Randy Fabi

ABUJA (Reuters) - A decade after Nigeria's last military ruler ordered his troops to "forever resist the seduction and temptation of political power", democracy still has a fragile hold on Africa's most populous nation.

Nigerians marked 10 straight years of civilian rule on Friday frustrated that corruption remains endemic, poverty widespread and infrastructure shambolic, but fairly confident that the military is unlikely to stage a comeback.

"We have certainly made steady progress over the past ten years in the consolidation of democratic governance in our country," President Umaru Yar'Adua said in a national address to commemorate Democracy Day.

"We have conducted three successive general elections ... Given our historical antecedents, these represent a testimony that our people have clearly shown their preference for democratic governance," he said.

Since General Abdulsalam Abubakar ceded power in May 1999, elections have been far from exemplary in a country that considers itself the biggest democracy in the black world.

The polls which brought Yar'Adua to power two years ago were so marred by intimidation and vote-rigging that international observers said they were not credible. The resulting legal wrangling still drags on.

A chaotic re-run of governorship elections in Ekiti state last month showed little sign that the electoral system has improved, suggesting the next presidential polls in 2011 could be just as shambolic as the last.

"If fair and credible elections are not possible, the democratic process could suffer a severe setback that could come in any form. Civilian regimes need to be careful," said Shehu Sani, a well-known human rights activist and author.