BY SEGUN ADEBAYO, ABUJA – After appraising the nation’s 22 years of uninterrupted democracy, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, declared that dialogue remains key in resolving all democratic bottlenecks and therefore called for more of such in our body polity and among the citizens.
Gbajabiamila while congratulating Nigerians for marking 22 years of uninterrupted democracy, noted that since the return of democratic governance in 1999, Nigeria has witnessed progress and development in terms of physical infrastructure and freedom of choice and expression, which are part of the key pillars of democracy.
He expressed delight that citizens have been giving their democratic leaders support for the past two decades, calling for more support and cooperation.
The Speaker, who noted that every democracy has its peculiarities, Nigeria inclusive, said that despite the challenges faced, there is no question about the appropriateness of democracy in every society in today’s world.
He specifically commended the APC-led government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari for redefining democracy by bringing its dividends closer to the citizens through various people-oriented programmes and policies.
These were contained in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi in which he stated that Gbajabiamila equally lauded President Buhari for declaring June 12 Nigeria’s Democracy Day.
Gbajabiamila also paid glowing tributes to Nigeria’s founding fathers, especially the country’s past democratic leaders who struggled day and night to make the country united and hailed the citizens for their resilience and belief in democracy, urging them to remain united and defend the country’s growing democracy.
