President Muhammadu Buhari and state governors have ruled out elaborate celebrations to mark this year’s Democracy Day and their one year in office.
Investigations revealed that this decision was not unconnected with the current downturn in the nation’s economic fortunes.
Before now, past administrations usually marked May 29, Nigeria’s Democracy Day, with fanfare. This year’s event is particularly special as it is also doubling as the first year in office of President Buhari and many state governors.
But it was learnt that tomorrow’s event would be without any fanfare.
Buhari was inaugurated on May 29, 2015 to succeed former President Goodluck Jonathan, having won the March 28, 2015 presidential election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.
Since the return of democracy on May 29, 1999 with the inauguration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, May 29 of every year has been observed as the nation’s Democracy Day.
One week-long activities are usually lined up every year to commemorate the day.
It was learnt on Thursday that such programmes would not hold this year due to the economic crisis facing the country.
President Buhari had recently explained the shabby economic situation in the country at the second National Executive meeting of the All Progressives Congress in Abuja.
Buhari had said that the fall of oil price was a disaster and as a result, 27 of the 36 states of the federation were finding it difficult to pay salaries.
It was further learnt that to commemorate the day, the President would only make a nationwide anniversary broadcast on Sunday.
The President is expected to use the opportunity of the broadcast to list the achievements of his administration in the last one year and solicit further support from Nigerians.
He had earlier promised to disclose the amount so far recovered by his administration from looters in the speech.
The second programme for the day, it was further learnt, would be an interdenominational anniversary church service that is slated for the National Ecumenical Centre, Abuja.
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo is expected to lead top government officials and friends of the nation to the service being organised by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
“It is a low-key celebration. The major item on the agenda is the President’s broadcast to the nation,” a Presidency source said.
The government had on Wednesday declared Monday, May 30, a public holiday to commemorate the Democracy Day, which falls on Sunday.
Also, many governors have said there will be no elaborate celebrations to mar their one year in office.
It was also learnt that the governors shunned elaborate celebrations because of the huge amount of money required to fund the activities that might be lined up for the anniversary.
It was learnt that logistics, which is key to the celebrations, would likely gulp about 40 per cent of the money if the governors chose to make the celebrations elaborate.
According to findings, the governors’ decision came as a result of the decline in the federal allocations to the states following the fall in the international price of crude oil. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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