Former Lagos state governor, Babatunde Fashola has said those calling for military intervention and other forms of undemocratic alternatives are spitting on the graves of those who died fighting for democracy in Nigeria.
The former Works and Housing Minister made the remarks in a speech delivered as guesMrspeaker at the Lagos State House of Assembly Cocktail to Commemorate Silver Jubilee of Democracy in Nigeria.
While congratulating Nigerians on 25 years of uninterrupted democracy in Nigeria, Fashola said those who were not born during the June 12 1993 struggle may not fully understand why democracy is worth celebrating in the country.
He said “Mr. Speaker, honourable members of the Lagos State House of Assembly, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, congratulations to us all. We have a lot to be proud of, as we have to be thankful for”.
“Those who were not born in 1993 or were too young to be fully cognitive will probably not understand what the big deal is. We have a right to disagree with the government, to call out governors, ministers, presidents and all who occupy our public offices, and we do not lose our liberties or lives for the sake of doing only that”.
“This is what democracy has given.It has given us 93 million voters, who can choose who will lead at different levels of government. This was not there 25 years ago. Not only does it give these large number of people a voice, they represent the largest number of such people on the African continent”.
Fashola however said having a democratic government does not suggest that all will be fine in the country.
“But democracy with all its liberties does not necessarily mean that the government will work well or quickly or that it will be good. There are other institutions that I call democratic institutions which make that happen. And of course, there is debate about what type of democracy works in what part of the world. Is it a liberal democracy which is a typical model or a less liberal one”.
“Those are variants of the subjects that continue to engage practitioners and scholars on an ongoing basis. What is important is the opportunity and right to have a say in how our affairs are managed. That is huge”.
“It came at an enormous cost including the cost of life and limb. There are many who paid the ultimate price and did not even see the outcome that we gather here to commemorate. We must continue to honour their sacrifice and their memory by nurturing what took their lives more than most valued possessions”.
“Those who do not know, or those who do but are impatient with democracy and therefore urge undemocratic alternatives spit on the graves of all the martyrs of our democracy and dishonour their memory”.
