The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas has assured Nigerians that the new administration in the country would prioritize political stability for economic development.
Abbas said that it was only when there was political stability that efforts to improve the economy, alleviate poverty and embark on infrastructural development would be realized.
The Speaker stated this on Thursday in Abuja at the 2023 Democracy Day Lecture series organized by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies.
Abbas who was represented at the occasion by Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu expressed delight that Nigeria’s democracy had made progress despite various challenges while urging all patriotic Nigerians to keep faith saying that democracy remained a key to nation-building.
In his remarks, the Director General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies( NILDS), Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, said that the theme for this year’s democracy day lecture was very significant, as it offered the opportunity to take stock of the nation’s democratic governance, highlight the political and socio-economic challenges, and make recommendations that would be useful for the agenda- setting mechanism of the present administration at the executive, judicial and legislative arms of government.
According to him, “While Nigeria has made steady progress with democratic transitions from the first to the fourth republic, lessons from political developments in Africa offer Nigeria an opportunity to reflect and commit to entrenching democratic processes.
“The Rwandan genocide, the civil wars in Cote d’Ivoire and Mali, the outbreak of war in Sudan, as well as the violent protest in Senegal, are some unpleasant examples.
“As such, there is a need to address the insecurity besetting our nation as it poses a threat to our democracy.
“Therefore, the new government should do something urgently to address the menace of insecurity bedevilling our country and undermining our collective resolve. It is in connection to the above that continuous appraisal of our democratic journey, in fora such as this, is vital to take stock and draw lessons for the progress of our country, Nigeria.,” Sulaiman stressed.
Also, former Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega who was a moderator at the occasion for the discussants harped on the need to always organize discussions around the nation’s democracy to sustain it and to ensure its improvement.
He stressed that it was good to recognize June 12th and move away from the assumption that May 29th was democracy day.
The NILDS 2023 Democracy Day Lecture with the theme ‘Democracy and the State of the Nation: Towards Agenda Setting’ for the new administration featured eminent scholars and senior academics, as well as policymakers who shared their perspectives on the nation’s democratic journey and proffered sustainable recommendations.
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