Democracy Day: Cause
Celebrations! How Can We Forget?
By
Paul I. Adujie
Lawcareer@msn.com
New York, United States
Many have commented on whether there is any cause for the average
Nigerian to celebrate Democracy Day, at all, as if nothing has changed
in Nigeria in the past six years of civilian government. There are
reasons for the average Nigerian at home and abroad to celebrate our
achievements, albeit, modest at they may have been.
The important focus ought to be the structures and foundations that
are being laid through reforms and new policies that are being
formulated and implemented. I feel compelled to remind Nigerians that
it took quite a while for Nigerians to find Nigeria in the funk,
national economic and political malaise that Nigerians have had to
endure, funk and malaise inherited by the current government at all
levels in Nigeria
I equally feel compelled to remind us all, that only disingenuous or
mischievous persons would expect overnight successes as we fight the
ills that ails our society, it takes about a generation to change
national habits or attitudes completely, it takes economic cycle to
re-order any economy and cause the improvement of employment and
production environments. Enhancing production capacity that had been
moribund, as it has been the case in Nigeria, it is not and will not
be magical, even though all Nigerians, including myself, wish that
things are much better, in the shortest and fastest time, for our
people in Nigeria right now or since 1999
It is of course a fact, that we have expectation fatigue, particularly
because we have had a sort of collective deprivations for decades now,
it is therefore as if, every effort, even the best efforts, made to
ameliorate the conditions, is just as if water is being poured in a
basket.
We must realize however, that Nigeria was not always like it became
before 1999, Nigeria will n ot always be in the challenging conditions
as we have them now.
I am confident that there are good, excellent policies that are being
formulated and implemented now, for which immediate or discernable
results may not be felt, but soon, these policies and measures, will
culminate in the Nigeria we need, these will lead Nigeria to
sure-footed economic and political advancements, there are indicators,
that are already apparent to keen observers, of Nigeria’s economic and
political indices. Key international institutions are also saying so.
We ought to congratulate ourselves on our new fortune of
representative government, we ought to, only ask that imperfect
democracy is improved minutely, to become more fair and equitable, we
ought not be saying there are no benefits in democracy, defined only,
by loaves of bread or mounds of garri and tubers of yams alone. We
ought to sincerely believe that our country is on the march forward
and the best days for Nigeria and Niger ians are ahead of us.
Nigerians at home and abroad, must impress it upon our government, at
national, state and local government levels, that our public resources
must hence be devoted to the service of our people we ought to demand
continuous improvements in policies formulations, implementations or
executions.
Great societies are born or made, through sustained efforts by
governments and citizens in multiple pronged approach of partnering to
make good governance second nature, our government at all levels must
do its part, the non-governmental organizations must do their part,
and of course, the citizens must fulfill their own duty,
responsibility and obligations! The government and people of Nigeria
have, together, a great stake in the outcome of Nigeria, the public
and private sector, the government and the citizens ought to make
commitment to continually work together in sustained-focused manner,
to make Nigeria into what we so much say we desire. All Nigerians mu
st become more passionate about Nigeria.
A good country is not something that drops from the sky or something
that is foisted upon a country by a president or a particular
government, it is a rather, a joint venture comprising of leaders and
the led, it is a collective endeavor for all. If Nigeria were a
corporation, we ought to see Democracy Day as an Annual General
Meeting, to take stock, compare notes on profits and loss, not just
loss. And we ought to return to our locales seeking reformations that
will lead to profits, it is not enough to continually berate the board
of directors, while we act as careless and absentee shareholders! We
ought to take daily interests, daily efforts at participating in the
building of a great Nigeria that last till the end of time!
Nigerians ought to be expansive, effusive and forward looking in
assessing the improvements, the benefits, both tangible and
intangible, bestowed on Nigeria, since the inception of democratic
governan ce in May 1999