Nwodo Advises FG On Democracy

Former National Chairman of the defunct Progressive Action Congress, Chief Charles Nwodo, has called on the Federal Government to strengthen the nation’s democracy for rapid socio-political and economic development.

Nwodo told newsmen recently in Abuja that good governance was an essential ingredient in democracy.

According to him, the beginning of free and fair elections is the hallmark of good governance.

He noted that without free, fair and transparent elections, everything about governance would be a mirage.

He warned politicians to desist from using thugs during elections because they always constituted security threats at the end of the day to the country and democracy itself.

He said that to have good governance, there must be strong institutions, especially the judicial system where punishments for those who broke the law would serve as deterrent to others.

“This is a country where we have up to 90 per cent inmates awaiting trial and only insignificant numbers have been tried.

“Some have been forgotten, some have spent years nobody talks about them and they are not taken to court or tried.

“This idea of stock-piling cases is not healthy enough where democracy is practiced because it portends danger in future.

Nwodo said that some people did not commit offences to warrant them to be kept in prison for too long while others who committed serious offences were allowed to go free.

He also advocated a review of the country’s justice system to make them more effective and efficient. “We believe that through political will the government can revisit the strengthening of the institutions, review our laws and make punishment quicker and direct.

Nwodo called on the Federal Government to ensure regular training of judicial workers and to partner foreign bodies that had succeeded in strengthening their nation’s laws.

He expressed optimism that if corruption was tackled head-long, it would go a long way in making the nation’s democracy work.

The former chairman called on government to carry out massive campaign on value re-orientation to re-orientate people on the importance of values to humanity.

He also called on the government to pay priority attention to maternal mortality to reduce the scourge.

Nwodo urged the Federal Government to empower women and create more job opportunities for the teeming population, especially youths to avoid restiveness.

He urged leaders to see themselves as servants of the people and not to be served and to make sure that whatever they did was in tandem with the laws of the land.