As long as the current structure of government in Nigeria persists, Nigerians would not be able to enjoy democratic values, Wale Oshun, a former chief whip of the House of Representatives and guest lecturer at the 18th commemoration of the annulled June 12 ,1993 elections in Lagos State said.
Mr Oshun, who spoke on ‘Sustainability of democratic values: the Nigeria experience,' said until an appropriate structure of government is adopted, the country cannot attain the lofty status of being a democratic nation.
Listing democratic values to include unity, liberty, right to justice, right to life, separation of powers, and federalism, he submitted that Nigeria is not yet truly democratic, especially because these fundamental principles of democracy are "eroding daily on an astonishing scale, often without state institutions being able to stop the erosion".
He also said Nigeria cannot yet be called a truly sovereign nation because, rather than being governed according to a sovereign constitution, the country is still subject to unfair application of the rule of law.
"If our collective experience as a country since 1966 is anything to go by, one lesson that stands out clearly is that the sustenance of democratic values cannot occur where popular sovereignty is routinely subverted," Mr Oshun said, adding that apart from federalism as practiced before military incursion into governance, "no other type of arrangement has a chance of success under a civilian setting".
All of the participants at the occasion, including Balarabe Musa, who was the guest of honour, and Ndubuisi Kanu, agreed to the fact that Nigeria needs a constitution subjected to national referendum.
Mr Kanu said there is no need to further put forward any other solution to Nigeria's problem other than what has been generally agreed.
"When will these things be done is the question we should be asking, since events unfolding in the country present such urgency and leave us with limited time if we seek to salvage the ship of (the) state," he said.
Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola said June 12 "is a day to remind those of us who hold public office that we are trustees of legacies of hope created by the sacrifices of others".
"This day calls us to remember Bashorun M. K. O. Abiola, Kudirat Abiola, Alfred Rewane, Abraham Adesanya, Chima Ubani, Gani Fawehinmi and many others who have left us but without whose sacrifice we may still be in the trenches," Mr Fashola said.
He said the 2011 general elections provide ample evidence that there is yet more work to be done in the pursuit of a democratic nation.
"Those elections exacted a price that was too much for our country. They claimed the lives of 10 (ten) known young persons, who were serving their country; and many others who have not been so prominently identified," he said.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayAdvertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com