Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani has said the lessons of the June 12 incident should be used to build and renew people’s trust in government.
Sani, who recalled the late MKO Abiola’s huge sacrifices to ensure that democracy thrives in Nigeria, said the country has come a long way in its practice of democracy which has been a mixed bag of successes, failures, unmet expectations and rising expectations.
He said Nigeria’s founding fathers, labour leaders, civil society and pro-democracy activists have made remarkable contributions to the growth and development of democracy and the nation owes them a debt of gratitude for their labours of love.
Uba Sani lamented the way policies are designed and implemented in Nigeria without adequate consultations and scrutiny have tended to alienate the people while corruption has worsened the trust deficit.
In his address marking Democracy Day, Uba Sani said he is making conscious and deliberate efforts to spread development by focusing on the rural areas and his government is determined to reinvent and re-energise the rural economies through massive infrastructural development.
He said, “It is also a story of heroes and villains.
“The last few years of our practice of democracy have been full of challenges. Our peoples’ trust in democracy and government waned considerably due to the economic, social and political crisis, with their debilitating consequences.”
The governor added, “Many of our people feel the country and its leaders do not care about them. The youths feel the country does not care about their future. Many parts of the country feel they have not been given a sense of belonging. These sentiments and anxieties threaten our country’s economic prospects and our desire for national unity.”
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