Embrace Democracy: Presidency Tells Coalition Of Northern Groups
BY AMOS DUNIA, ABUJA – The Presidency on Tuesday said that the Coalition of Northern Groups should thank their stars that Nigeria is operating a truly democratic government where the rights of free speech are guaranteed and protected.
This government has done more than any other – elected or not elected – to curtail and beat back the terrorists.
This is just as it said that no government has done more to foster democracy and freedom of speech in Nigeria than the President Muhmmadu Buhari-led administration.
The Presidency also said that the fact that Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) is freely able to transmit garbage to the media in the hope they will be widely reported is a testament to the freedom of expression and media liberty that exists in the country today.
These were contained in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu in which he also said that it would amount to a grave mistake, for the Coalition of Northern Youth Groups to dissociate themselves from Democracy Day and, in effect de-cognizing democracy as a chosen system of government.
The Presidency said for as many times as he met youth leaders, President Buhari has said to them again and again that “we are fixing the ailing state to hand it over to you. The future, it is often said, belongs to the youth”.
It also said that Nigeria recognises Democracy Day because for many decades since independence, the fight for the right for Nigerians to choose their own government in their own name was not complete.
Shehu explained that a prominent citizen of the country, Chief MKO Abiola died trying to do just this.
Shehu said that when independence was won, and then swiftly replaced by unelected government, it was not much of a change.
He further said; “For the challenges Nigeria faces today, lack of universal suffrage or lack of elected politicians is not one of them.
“We are facing severe hardships because of the coronavirus pandemic. And we continue to face the challenges posed by the terrorists Boko Haram.
“Yet when groups such as the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) put out statements claiming that Democracy Day holds no purpose and the government somehow wishes for the northern states to be struggling, is embarrassing not for the government but for the group, its members and their sponsors.
“For a start, if the group dared to issue such a comment under non-democratic method they would have met a swift and harsh retribution from a dictatorial government.
“Equally, the fact that the government is issuing this statement, in response to the puerile message is a testament that today Nigeria is a country where disagreements can be aired publicly through the press, not through less gentlemanly methods used in the past.
“We hope that CNG will consider the facts and reconsider the unhelpful and inaccurate message their statements contain when issuing them in the future,” Shehu said.
