How Nigeria’s Democracy Drifting Towards Dictatorship – Jonathan

By Oladosu Olwagbenga

Goodluck Jonathan, Former President, has stated that all hands must be on deck to keep Nigeria’s democracy from slipping into a dictatorship.

Jonathan gave a speech in Abuja at the celebration of Matthew Kukah, the Catholic bishop of the Sokoto Diocese, turning 70.

He said, “The task before all of us is not to lower our guard, lest the democracy we cherish today succumbs to threats and recedes into fascism tomorrow, and there are signs already.

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“Looking at the states and so on, we are derailing towards quasi-fascist form of government, but democracy is not only about winning elections alone, it is about accommodation. We, as leaders at the centre and at the state levels, especially at this time when elections are coming, must accommodate different views.

“Towards this goal, we are again faced with a good opportunity of choosing our leaders as the nation prepares to go to the polls next year. Let us choose those that will take us to the desired destination and the promised land.”He said, “The task before all of us is not to lower our guard, lest the democracy we cherish today succumbs to threats and recedes into fascism tomorrow, and there are signs already.

“Looking at the states and so on, we are derailing towards quasi-fascist form of government, but democracy is not only about winning elections alone, it is about accommodation. We, as leaders at the centre and at the state levels, especially at this time when elections are coming, must accommodate different views.

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“Towards this goal, we are again faced with a good opportunity of choosing our leaders as the nation prepares to go to the polls next year. Let us choose those that will take us to the desired destination and the promised land.”

The former Nigerian leader described Nigeria as a work in progress, adding that until that work was done, people like Kukah, who serve as the conscience of the nation, will continue to be around to constantly hold the mirror of the nation’s progression to its face.

“Nigeria may not be where we want it to and should be, but we should not give up or lose hope by focusing on only the negative.

“Judging from where we are coming from since independence in 1960, we may have been moving slowly in our journey of nationhood, but it is a journey of progress, all the same,” he added.

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Jonathan recalled how, while he was in office, the Academic Staff Union of Universities members similarly went on a protracted strike, but he was able to stop it. Kukah was lauded by Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State as a man who had an unflinching love to his country.

Tambuwal, who served as the event’s chairman, echoed the Catholic bishop’s optimism regarding the prospects of a new Nigeria.

He asserted that Kukah still believed Nigeria could and would rise from the shadow of failing political leadership notwithstanding the uproar surrounding his critique of the nation’s weak governance.

The governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, asserts that for there to be peace and advancement, national authorities must provide equality and fairness.