Sen. George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), says Nigeria is powering forward in democratic rule at a period when many African countries are sliding back into military rule and dictatorship.
Akume made the remark in his welcome address at the Public Lecture of Nigeria’s 26th Democracy Day celebration on Thursday in Abuja.
The lecture is entitled, “Consolidating the Gains of Nigeria’s Democracy: Necessity of Enduring Reforms- brings home the reality of our time.”
He said that though the country had not attained the democratic heights envisioned, Nigerians were confident that the country’s path was straight and would lead to the desired destination.
He said the June 12 celebration would not have been possible were it not for the commitment and determination of the ordinary Nigerian citizens who stood strong in the face of military oppression, brutality and rights denial.
“The June 12 struggle is a watershed as millions of our men and women poured out on the streets from Lagos to Ilorin, Kaduna to Kano, Ibadan to Makurdi, Bauchi to Jos, Port Harcourt to Enugu.
“From the towns and villages, the cry for democracy and just coalesced into a movement, the June 12 movement. That movement birthed Nigeria’s new democratic journey.
“We are here today because many fought; many died, many were brutalised, many disappeared, many lost limbs, many were imprisoned. Many gave up all their resources and many never recovered. To all of them we owe a debt of gratitude,” said Akume.
He said the government could only immortalise them to guide and guard democracy; work to bring development to Nigeria, because democracy without development was bound to fail.
“Nigeria’s continuing journey of democracy is now firmly in the hands of someone, a leader who knows and is a foot soldier of democracy as well as a patriot to the core.
“As a key figure in Nigeria’s struggle for democracy, Bola Tinubu, indeed, faced challenges and made sacrifices in his pursuit of democratic governance.
“His efforts contributed to the country’s transition to democracy and his commitment to democratic principles have been notable.
“He has embarked on an unprecedented journey to re-engineer Nigeria and put it on the right footing,” said the SGF.
According to him, Tinubu is tackling challenges with respect to the economy and development of nationhood as well as building the needed infrastructure for rapid development.
“He has also instituted relevant reforms where needed. In two years, the impact of these reforms are quite visible. Strong indicators abound to show Nigeria is on the right track,” Akume stated.
