By Stella Obi
Anambra
State Governor, Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo, has espoused that the
sustainability of democracy in Nigeria would require extraordinary efforts by
all to attain.
Speaking
on Wednesday, at the Platform programme organised by Covenant Nation with the
theme, “Democracy and the Free Market Economy to mark 2024 Democracy Day in
Lagos, Prof Soludo noted that there is no sustainable future without addressing
the Nigerian political structure.
He stated
that the challenges Nigeria face are too enormous to be left for politicians
alone, saying we all have to take responsibility for the economy to move
forward.
Prof
Soludo opined that the road to a new and sustainable Nigeria begins with bold
and historic actions on building a competitive and compassionate federal system
.
The
Governor called for the rebuilding of a sense of nationalism and patriotism and
to reinvent the old slogan of " black and proud".
He
emphasised that democracy and the market economy are dynamics and
work-in-progress, requiring constant contestation among interest groups in the
struggle towards a more perfect economy.
Prof
Soludo argued that democracy and a free market economy are needed as two sides
of a vehicle for maximizing liberty, security, prosperity and the happiness of
citizens.
“Neither
democracy nor a free market economy will endure if they don't deliver these
objectives. Our democracy faces the existential threat of a potentially
unstable economy and we all must brace up to save and sustain it", the
Governor maintained.
In his
speech the former Governor of Lagos State and ex Minister of Power, Works and
Housing, Babatunde Fashola, SAN, said that there are no totally free market
economies in the world, adding that the idea is "illusionary".
The
former Governor stressed that the thought of allowing market forces to
determine the economy have consequential effects which would eventually lead to
government stepping in.
Contributing,
former Speaker, Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, noted
that weak institutions deprive poor citizens of political voices and prevent
them from holding their governments accountable.
Hon.
Dogara opined that putting pressures on governments would help set clear
targets and monitor progress.
Also
speaking the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah,
underscored the importance of democracy, saying that it should be participatory
and Nigerians should be clear about what they want.
In her
remarks the Special Adviser on Climate Change and Circular Economy to the
Governor of Lagos State, Mrs Titi Oshodi, said that the interplay between
democracy and free market is circled within the space of sustainability.
In his
remarks the convener of the Platform programme, Pastor Poju Oyemade, opined
that democracy goes beyond elections.
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