Kogi state Governor Idris Wada has admonished his people to embrace dialogue as a means of resolving grievances.He said this is preferred to anarchy or the rule of force.Wada made this remark in his Democracy Day statement issued by Jacob Edi, special Adviser media and strategy in Lokoja, the state capital.
According to Wada , “here in Kogi state the government will continue to toe the path of dialogue, due process, accountability, good governance, justice and fairness as well as the fear of God Almighty in running the affairs of the state. Our guiding principle shall remain, what we can do for Kogi state and not what Kogi state can do for us. Together as a united people despite our grievances and misgivings we can continue to sustain the rule of freedom over anarchy or rule of force if we avail ourselves with the numerous machineries for redress and self correction provided in a democracy. Once again I say Happy Democracy Day to all Nigerians.”
Read the full text of Wada’s statement below:
DEMOCRACY DAY COMMENTS FROM LUGARD HOUSE.
I wish to on behalf of the government and the good people of Kogi State congratulate the entire nation on this 13th anniversary of our hard won democracy . 13 years of uninterrupted popular governance is indeed worth celebrating, more so when the most enduring period of democracy we had enjoyed in our history as a nation is a period of six years: 1960 – 1966. A period of 13 years which is more than double our previous record is therefore a reason for celebration.
But as we celebrate this commendable journey today, we are equally imposed with a duty to reflect on our successes and pitfalls in the course of this enterprise. No matter the yardstick of assessment our story has been indeed a superlative success. We have successfully conducted democratic elections a record four times and in many other spheres of democratic practices we have recorded resounding successes. Of course this successes come with their imperfections and contradictions but we have survived the odds this time.
Just like the contradictions in our first attempt exploded in a civil war, the experiences of many other countries of the world too numerous to mention, including the USA which is today seen as the model of democracy, had come to an early grief,with some countries permanently disintegrating. But ours has endured for this long and will continue to endure because of or desire as a people to sustain our freedom.
This freedom can however not be sustained in an atmosphere devoid of peace and security. Thus as we celebrate our successes today we must individually and collectively resolve to reject whatever will expose this happy nation to the vagaries of violent conflicts. No cause or grievance howsoever justifiable can be validated by the resort to terrorism and genocide. This anniversary therefore provides a rare opportunity for compatriots who are up in arms against other compatriots or the state to reconsider their strategy and embrace dialogue in the
interest of the peace, progress and development our country.
Here in Kogi state the government will continue to toe the path of dialogue, due process, accountability, good governance, justice and fairness as well as the fear of God Almighty in running the affairs of the state. Our guiding principle shall remain, what we can do for Kogi state and not what Kogi state can do for us. Together as a united people despite our grievances and misgivings we can continue to sustain the rule of freedom over anarchy or rule of force if we avail ourselves with the numerous machineries for redress and self correction provided in a democracy. Once again I say Happy Democracy Day to all
Nigerians.
SIGNED.
JACOB EDI,
SPECIAL ADVISER,
MEDIA AND STRATEGY TO GOV. IDRIS WADA OF KOGI STATE.
