Ex-Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi has identified corruption, insecurity of lives and property, and economic hardship stood as the greatest threats to Nigeria’s democracy.
He made this assertion following the recently concluded celebration of International Democracy day.
In his message delivered on the occasion, the Vice Presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in 2019 general elections explicated that Nigeria’s democracy is seriously threatened by the high level of corruption among political leaders at all levels of government. In addition to this, he said that Nigeria’s democratic existence has had to contend with economic hardship and the worsening levels of poverty.
He opined that the nation’s democracy would continue to stagger under the heavy weight of corruption, unless Nigerians, especially political leaders, including himself, imbibed the virtues of accountability, political responsibility and financial prudence.
Furthermore, he noted that people must now begin to hold political office holders accountable and demand transparency in the execution of public projects, so that we can stamp out the cankerworm of corruption eating deep into our private and public institutions.
Mr. Peter Obi frowned upon the horrible spate of insecurity in the country which he ascribed to the economic woes ubiquitous in the country. He stressed that there would be lesser security threats in the country, if the economic conditions in the country are improved; thus strengthening the nation’s democracy.
His words: “The International Democracy Day provides another opportunity to soberly reflect on our democracy as a nation. We must now begin to critically look at those factors that honour democratic ideals”.
The International Day of Democracy provides an opportunity to review the state of democracy in the world. Democracy is as much a process as a goal, and only with the full participation of and support by the international community, national governing bodies, civil society and individuals, can the ideal of democracy be made into a reality to be enjoyed by everyone, everywhere.
InlandTown! 2020
