Democracy Day: Past military rulers responsible for Nigeria’s underdevelopment – NLC

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has declared that past military rulers who forcefully imposed themselves over Nigeria through the barrel of the gun were responsible for the underdevelopment of the country.

In its May Day Message with title: “Democracy Day and Rumours of Coup,” the NLC said the damage done by their forceful incursion into Nigeria’s political arena over the decades as military rulers is largely responsible for the underdevelopment of the nation’s political culture.

The NLC, who declared its opposition to any further military intervention in Nigeria’s political space, said it was evident by their riches without evidence of additional sources of income that the former dictators diverted the commonwealth of Nigerians to their private pockets.

In a statement signed by the NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, the congress stated that the fact that many of the past military rulers are “stupendously rich” was an indication that they indeed appropriated the commonwealth for their individual pockets at the expense of the vast majority of our people.

The congress said: “The Nigeria Labour Congress wishes to state in the strongest possible tone that it is categorically opposed to any further military adventurism in the body politics of our nation.

“The damage military incursion into Nigeria’s political arena did over the decades it imposed itself on the people is largely responsible for the underdevelopment of our political culture almost six decades after attaining political independence.

“The damage military rule caused our nation is not only in the realm of our political culture, it deepened and virtually institutionalised corruption in all segments of our national life.

“As some commentators have pointed to the fact that a number of our past military rulers are stupendously rich is a testimony that they indeed appropriated our commonwealth for their individual pockets at the expense of the vast majority of our people.

“The ongoing revelations in the various probes of the military top brass again rubbishes any talk about the illusion of the incorruptibility of the military.

“We call on the Chief of Army Staff to go beyond just informing Nigerians and cautioning those trying to derail our democracy to desist from it.

“Rather, the armed forces should at the appropriate time after concluding its investigation, identify the individuals involved, prosecute them in the relevant courts, and if found guilty given the appropriate punishments as deterrent to potentially ambitious adventurers.”

The NLC, who pointed out that it has refrained itself from issuing statements whenever May 29 is being celebrated as Democracy Day probably because of its conviction that the day the military handed over government on May 29, 1999 shouldn’t be accorded such significant, said it broke the tradition because of the recent revelation by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Tukur Burutai.

Comrade Wabba said: “This year, we have decided to break from the tradition and address an issue which came to light recently.  The Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Tukur Burutai, recently told Nigerians that he had gotten ‘information that individuals have been approaching some officers and soldiers for undisclosed political reasons.’

“This thinly veiled statement has been decoded in plain language to mean that some politicians and non-military persons have been approaching military officers to organize a military coup to truncate the current democratic dispensation.”

He called on all elected official at all levels to rededicate themselves and work to for the benefit of democracy.

The NLC president said: “We call on elected public office holders at all levels of our governance architecture: from local government, to state and Federal Governments to rededicate themselves and work to make the benefits of our democracy, what we in Nigeria call the dividends of democracy, to reach the masses of our population.”