Faduyile says Democracy is yielding dividends for Nigerians.
By Steve Ovirih.
All Progressives Congress stalwart in Ondo State, Prof. Dayo Faduyile, OON has said Democracy is by far better than the best of military government, noting that Democracy as practiced in Nigeria without military intervention for two decades and half has yielded better dividends.
Prof. Faduyile made this known in the course of an exclusive chat with thepolity.net while giving his opinion on The Democracy Day Celebration in Nigeria.
It will be recalled that President Bola Tinubu on acquiring the Presidency in 2023 announced that the Democracy Day hitherto celebrated on May 29th will now be shifted to June 12 effective from 2024 to commemorate the martyrdom of those whose life were lost after the annulment of the June 12, 1993 General election won by Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, which was annulled by Gen. Ibrahim Babangida under a suspiciously antidemocratic circumstances. Gen. Sani Abacha who sacked the Earnest Sonekan led interim government which Gen. Ibrahim Babangida handed power over to as he claimed he was ‘ stepping aside’, had arrested Chief MKO Abiola for treasonable felony after his then famous Epetedo declaration in which Abiola had announced himself as President of Nigeria. Abiola was to eventually die in Abacha’s gulag creating a lacuna in his bid to claim his June 12 mandate. The toxic polity that was created after the death of Abiola and subsequently the death of the junta’s head, Gen. Abacha had led to the hurriedly put together military intervention of Gen. Abubakar Abdulsallami who returned Nigeria to Democracy.
Prof. Faduyile avered that the best of military interventions cannot be compared to the freedom of speech, association, right to life , choice of political association and many other rights that Democratic governance offers. He noted that the June 12 phenomenon is significant in the sense that it gives Nigerians opportunity to reflect on the journey prior to 1999, the journey after 1999 till date and a prospect into the future with the need to guide our democratic credentials jealously because eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.
Prof Faduyile saluted President Bola Tinubu for keeping the June 12 spirit alive in the consciousness of Nigerians recalling that as the Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu stood out as the only Governor of example who announced June 12 as a statewide holiday thus he was not surprised that at the National level, Nigerian President has canonized June 12 bringing back the resilience of the spirit of June 12 and martyrdom of Chief MKO Abiola, the winner of the freest and fairest non tribal election Nigeria ever had.
The former National President of Nigeria Medical Association, NMA and APC Gubernatorial aspirant said Democracy stands tall among the different systems of government and it is refreshing that Nigeria has taken her position in the comity of state as an African country that is thriving in Democratic governance, adding that it is unfortunate that some African countries are beginning to slide into military autocracy.
Faduyile called on Nigerians to guide Democracy jealously and to be watchful while calling to order politicians whose attitude and utterances tend to undermine Democracy. ” We cannot continue to disparage our democracy, discredit our political leaders, discredit the entire process while claiming we are Democrats.
” Rome they say was not built in a day; so we have to continue to consolidate on the process while hoping that things can always get better. When we have a government that works based on the functionality of the constitution that we all as Nigerians have subscribed to, then we just have to continue to have unalloyed faith in the system we have all subscribed to,” Prof. Faduyile stated.
He charged Nigerians to continue to support the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, stressing that his policies have prospects of improving the welfare of Nigerians in the long run.
