Tuesday, 29 May 2012

Nigeria’s democracy, 13 years of hardship —Opposition, Labour, lawyers


Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, NLC-President-Mr-Abdulwaheed-Omar and Mr. Rotimi Fashakin

Political parties and eminent Nigerians on Sunday assessed 13 years of democracy in Nigeria. They came up with the verdict that it was full of failures and hardships.
But the ruling Peoples Democratic Party disagreed, saying democracy was on course in the country.
The groups and personalities, who scored the country’s 13 years of democracy low, included the All Nigeria Peoples Party, the Congress for Progressive Change and the Nigeria Labour Congress.
Others are a foremost scholar, Prof. Itse Sagay, SAN, and lawyer, Mr. Fred Agbaje.


The Acting General Secretary of the NLC, Mr. Owei Lakemfa, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said the government had no regard for people’s opinions.
According to him, democracy is not merely the casting of ballots or the conduct of elections every four years; it includes the participation of the populace in the process of governance.
Lakemfa said, “What we have done is a transfer of power in 1999, from military to civilian rule, not a democracy. In that sense, marking May 29 as Democracy Day in Nigeria is a misnomer. It is not about celebrating Democracy Day, it is about the commemoration of the day, May, 29 1999, when military rule was succeeded by civilian rule.”

PUNCH NEWSPAPER

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