Nigerians love to talk, and whether the government allows them to or not, they will. They will sing 'yabis' against bad rulers like afrobeat maestro Fela, they will debate on the pages of newspapers,and they will talk in their offices, on the bus, at football matches or at the mama-put restaurant on their local street corner. They will spend countless hours on their mobile phones talking about everything and nothing. The phone companies smile to the bank. In Nigeria, talk is cheap. And telecoms is very good business.
Governments that want good ideas glean them from the market place of public opinion. Even smart businesses do the same to remain in competition. We dont know who Gallup is, but all of us use his poll to reflect the importance of public opinion.
Public opinion is fundamental to good government. Which is why the Romans said 'vox populi, vox Deo...the voice of the people is the voice of God'. Every regime that has resisted public opinion has collapsed. Witness former USSR, nazi Germany to old East/West Germany, and here in Nigeria, recent military dictatorships. In contrast, regimes that have respected public opinion have flourished: the typical example is the USA, but it is true for most Western democracies. Even China is moving away from its traditional conservative communist ideology in tandem with its emerging dominance in the capitalist economy. Here in Nigeria, a government that was controversial at the polls is thriving today because it has assumed a reputation for 'respect for the rule of law' and public opinion.In contrast, Kenya, where public opinion about election results is being brutally suppresed, is sinking into despair.
Therefore public opinion is fundamental to freedom and progress. It is a tenet of true democracy.