As Nigeria marks this year’s June 12 Democracy Day, Rt. Hon. Ndudi Elumelu OON, a Nigerian lawmaker, has called on Nigerians to embrace the culture and democratic tenets of equity, justice, fairness to all, mutual respect, tolerance, adherence to the rule of law, and respect for the will of the people.
Elumelu emphasized that these values are crucial for a united, stable, peaceful, secure, and economically prosperous nation.
He noted that June 12 embodies a national resistance to injustice, oppression, and divisive tendencies, to impunity, violation of set rules, abuse of the rights of citizens, and high-handedness by those in authority, which Chief MKO Abiola fought against and died for.
Elumelu stressed the need to use the occasion of the Democracy Day to reawaken a national consciousness towards the entrenchment of true democratic practice that guarantees unity, peace, mutual understanding, and harmonious living in Nigeria.
He called on leaders, government officials, and agencies to rededicate themselves towards serving the people to whom sovereignty truly belongs by adhering to rules, engendering more participation by the people, and ensuring that their expressed will prevailed at all times.
On a final note, he urged Nigerians to remain peaceful, united, and law-abiding as they work together towards a better nation.
June 12 is a significant day in Nigeria’s history, as it marks the commemoration of the 1993 presidential election, which was widely considered as free and fair but was annulled by the military government of the time. The day has since been recognized as Democracy Day in Nigeria.
