Atiku, Fayemi Urge Citizens To Defend Democracy

Former Vice President Atiku  Abubakar and Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State yesterday called on Nigerians to be vigilant and defend the nation’s democracy .
They made the call at the National Dialogue and Public Presentation of a book titled: “Remaking Nigeria: Sixty Years, Sixty Voices “ in Abuja.
Abubakar, who was the chairman of the occasion, said that fixing or restructuring Nigeria would help in nation-building, adding that such would help to foster a sense of nationhood.
He added that nationhood has to be forged through what people do as a country, and leadership is critical in the process of nation-building.
“Leaders give direction and the example they set determines the extent to which their followers will trust them.
“Without trust, there’s no leadership. Without leadership, a country drifts and becomes more difficult to forge into a nation.
“When we start developing with what we have, more of our people will want to identify with the country, love the country and commit their lives to the country.
“ When that happens, especially with fairness and justice, nation-building accelerates, however imperfectly; development and nation-building do not happen by themselves.
“They are guided by people, especially leaders, thoughtful, insightful, and visionary leaders who are willing to make sacrifices and reach compromises, ‘he said
Abubakar said that when people see their leaders making those efforts genuinely, and experience improvements in their lives, they were likely to follow.
“One lesson for all of us is the need to always be vigilant and be prepared to defend our democracy for it is through the democratic process that we can more easily promote the unity of our country.
“Strongly believe that Nigeria can and will remain one strong and united nation with significant strides in economic development to improve the lives of our peoples,” he said
Abubakar, however, said that citizens needed to work hard and make necessary compromise to accommodate one another.
He said that Nigeria should be restructured in a manner that allows various segments to develop at their own pace and not be held back by the centre or other segments.
He added that developed segments would spur development in other segments because what they do well would attract the attention of others therefore making Nigerian union more attractive and nation-building easier.