Democracy day: Aremu hail Nigerians for nurturing democracy

Democracy day: Aremu hail Nigerians for nurturing democracy
By Mohammad Tijjani
Democracy
Kaduna, May 29, 2018 (NAN) The General Secretary, National Union of Textiles, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), Mr Issa Aremu, on Tuesday hailed Nigerians for nurturing uninterrupted democratic process for 19 years.
Aremu made the commendation in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Kaduna to mark this year’s Democracy Day.
According to him, regardless of the numerous current challenges of governance, the task is to deepen democracy not lessen it.
Aremu said it was “insufficiency in democratic practices” among the politicians that is worsening the crisis of governance in the country.
The labour leader added that security and economic challenges could only be overcome if ordinary people were involved in governance.
“We must democratise the public space and rescue the country from the total capture and dominance of few unaccountable self serving ruling elites,” he said.
Aremu also commended President Muhammad Buhari’s administration for the bailout funds released to states “to ease their fiscal challenges and other obligations including payment of salaries”.
He however flayed what he described as the silence of the President’s 2018 Democracy Day speech on new minimum wage, adding that negotiation should be concluded in earnest so as to motivate the workforce for economic recovery through enhanced productivity.
“We acknowledge the efforts of the Federal authorities with respect to public safety and security in degrading the Boko Haram insurgency.
“The efforts should be at prevention of violence through inclusive development and governance’’, saying persistent violence had compounded “the crisis of productivity, unemployment and value addiction” in the affected North East region.
Aremu also urged Buhari and governors in the crisis-ridden states to heed to the advice of Prof. Mahmoud Jega, former INEC Chairman, who at the 2018 Democracy Day Lecture, said that both the federal and states authorities should urgently develop “capacity, institutions, structures and process of peace building” as a necessary condition for democratic consolidation.
He said it was unacceptable for Nigeria that had been adjudged a peace building nation in war torn Liberia, Sierra Leone and Sudan to be afflicted with preventable crisis, adding “it is time Nigeria’s peace and charity ship berthed at home’’. (NAN)
TJ/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola