The theme of this book is a very important one. All over the world, democracy seems to be facing an existential crisis. In his latest book, Ill Winds: Saving Democracy from Russian Rage, Chinese Ambition, and American Complacency, Larry Diamond captures the essence of this crisis. He writes:

There is no Nigerian exceptionalism to the picture painted by Diamond, but the Nigerian picture exemplifies why democracy is a journey full of potholes, hills, valleys, and undulating lands rather than a destination with a clear roadmap.

In the period preceding Nigeria's transition to democracy in 1999, especially since the annulment of the 12 June 1993 election, I spent my time literally at the barricades, seeking to democratize and humanize power in Nigeria. In the last decade, I have become one of many placed in positions of power, holding power in trust, and seeking to deploy power in the service of public good. Therefore, in addressing the question of successes and failures of Nigerian democracy in the last two decades, my reflections really centre around understanding the relationship between fighting against and fighting for. While much of what we did during the years of the democracy struggle was constructed as a struggle against unaccountable power, it was also a struggle for accountable power, a struggle for life, for liberty and for the pursuit of happiness – as the American credo would have it. Our resistance at the barricades was consequently not only to stop power from violating the commonwealth and the people's will, but also one geared towards putting it in the service of the common good to create a life more abundant.

The context and process of that journey to democratization is, however, as important as the eventual outcome.