Reaffirms Commitment To Fight Corruption, Grow Economy
Declaring June 12 Democracy Day Not Enough, Says Atiku.
By Aaron Ukodie
President Muhammadu Buahrai said in his speech at the first June 12 Democracy day celebration that he would in the next four years consolidate on the gains achieved in his term.
The areas of focus, according to him would be, like in the past four years, security, corruption, the economy and improvement of the lives of Nigerians.
He also called on the private sector and state governments to join in the task ahead, as his government alone would not be able to achieve the daunting task. He asked the state governments to do their bits and reduce ease of doing business to attract investment.
His speech was concluded with his announcement that the Abuja International Stadium would now be known as Moshood Abiola Stadium to further honour the acclaimed winner of the 1993 presidential election.
The president had earlier recognize Abiola and his Vice Presidential candidate, Babagana Kingibe with an award of the highest honor of the land.
Buhari said Nigeria can achieve economic growth like India, China, Indonesia, etc and this he said would be done by modernizing Nigerian roads, bridges and accelerate productivity, de-congest roads leading to sea ports.
He also spoke about his government desire to improve on medical care, education, food security and make good investment in the rural areas.
The president said he would assemble a strong team that would help him achieve the set goals.
Nigerians, he said need to put their acts together in order to harness the vast resources that are available in the country.
As, in the past, the president who said his government had achieve great strides in tackling corruption and insecurity in the blamed the occurrences of violence, killings and terrorism across the line to religious, political and communal incitements. He however recognized that climate change has also played a role.
He affirmed his commitment to keep Nigeria as one country, noting that the country deserves that from him because he had benefited from its oneness and had fought in the past to keep it one.
Buhari also warned that his government would crack down on any one who incite violence across the land and attack “ our ways of life’.
His speech was for about 40 minutes, one of the few times the president would speak for that long and touch virtually every area where there are issues plaguing the country.
The June 12 celebration was marked by military parades, traditional dances. Some African heads of states witnessed the event that took place ate Eagle’s Square, Abuja.
Declaring June 12 Democracy Day Not Enough, Says Atiku.
The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party ( PDP) Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has said that it is not enough to declare June 12 a Democracy Day when the government of the day is disrespectful of the rule of law and wantonly disregards court orders.
Atikuin a statement made available on Wednesday said June 12 is not merely to be declared a Democracy Day, but that the idea behind the event of June 12, 1993 “demands Nigerians as democrats to do a soul searching and ask the salient question of all time: how better off are Nigerians?
“June 12 is at the soul of our democratic struggle; a threshold in our national life.
“The significance of the celebration of June 12, 1993, Presidential Election is a reminder of our history to becoming a democratic country. On this day twenty-six years ago, Nigeria voted for democracy against the jackboot notion of oppressive totalitarianism.
“The collective decision by Nigerians to elect democracy on that day was not to aggrandize the political elite or to replace the military dictatorship with civilian autocracy. No! The choice of democracy was to restore power to the people.
“Suffice it to state that the idea of June 12 is not merely to declare it as a Democracy Day – much as celebratory and commendable it might seem.
“The idea behind the event of June 12, 1993, embodies something much bigger than that. It was a threshold moment in our national life that demands of us as democrats to do a soul searching and ask the salient question of all time: how better off are Nigerians?
“It is not enough to declare June 12 a Democracy Day when the government of the day is disrespectful of the rule of law and wantonly disregards court orders on issues that border on fundamental human rights. “ It is not enough to declare June 12 a work-free day when the ordinary people of Nigeria still don’t have the freedom to find a better life from the suffocating grip of poverty, when Nigeria is now the global headquarters of extreme poverty.
“It is not enough to declare June 12 a work-free day when a disproportionate number of citizens are not sure of where their next meal will come from and when the sanctity of their lives is not guaranteed. “It is not enough to declare June 12 a work-free day when freedom of the press, and of speech, fundamentals of democracy is being assailed.
“As a compatriot who stood shoulder to shoulder with the icon of the June 12 struggle, Chief MKO Abiola of blessed memory, I know first-hand that the choice of HOPE as his campaign slogan wasn’t merely a populist tokenism.
“ He didn’t mean to deceive Nigerians with a hope he could not deliver upon. And, today, the minimum requirement for any June 12 convert is to demand of them wherever they may be – either in government or in private lives – to deliver on the promises they made to the people.
Malam Sheu Sani has also said tha June 12 should not be celebrated to gain political popularity alone. Popular lawyers, Femi Falana was of the view that others who fought for June 12 should also be recognized.
Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka, who said he would not be part of June 12 celebration noted that June 12 celebration is a south-west project. He called for a broad-based government.
