A former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, on Sunday urged Nigerians not to take the nation’s democracy for granted, but keep and nurture it for the progress and growth of the country.
Mr. Tinubu, an All Progressives Congress national stalwart, made the call in his message on this year’s Democracy Day and second year of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant, and by doing so, ensure a better future and better Nigeria for all.
“Democracy Day and our commemoration of it must be more than an empty ritual. It must add up to more than another reason to have another holiday.
“We, as a people, choose democracy as our preferred form of governance not because it would be easy to achieve or to hold even once we have it.
“We choose democracy because history has taught us that the welfare of the people is best and perhaps only secured by government responsive and accountable to the people. This can only be democracy.
“Many Nigerians have fought and sacrificed to enshrine democracy as our way of governance. We mark this day in honour of these people, many of whom laboured in obscurity and without proper thanks, to achieve this precious thing for the nation.
“We mark this day to keep in remembrance that we must not take this good form of government for granted. We must keep and nurture it, not for democracy’s sake, but for our own sake.
“We must remember that should we fall asleep, there are those who would like nothing better than to take our democracy from us,” he said.
Mr. Tinubu congratulated President Buhari on his second anniversary in office and urged him to continue to protect and improve the country’s democracy.
“I congratulate Nigerians on this day. I congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari and urge him and his administration to continue to do all it can to protect and improve our democratic way of life.
“I wish all Nigerians a happy Democracy Day,” Mr. Tinubu said.
(NAN)
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