Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigeria must be peaceful and Nigerians will live in safety.
He said this in Abuja at the public presentation of a book titled: “Standing Strong” written by a former Senate President, Ken Nnamani.
President Buhari who was represented at the event by Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonayan Onu promised that his administration will continue to promote the rule of law and protect the country’s democracy.
He added that the government was reviewing its strategies to continuously degrade all criminal elements in the country.
“We are creating strategic cooperation amongst our various military and sister agencies for them to work together to fight crime in the country. Nigeria must be peaceful and Nigerians will live in safety.
“We thank Ken Nnamani for writing this important book. I’m happy that he has put down his experience acquired when he served the nation as the Senate President. This is very useful for all who would like to study all the problems that the nation had at that period in our history. It is important that we all recognise that there is no nation on earth without problems,” he said.
In his remarks, the author of the book, Senator Ken Nnamani pointed out the need for leaders to be competent enough to strengthen democratic institutions to ensure sustainable development.
He further noted that the Third Term Agenda of former President Olusegun Obasanjo failed due to the combination of good institutions and good leadership.
“It is often said that the heart of constitutional democracy is representation. Where the legislature is strong and truly representative, the people are protected against authoritarian impulses that often characterize public leadership. Where the legislature is weak and captured by special interests, the bulwark against autocracy is easily dismantled.
“My overriding message today is that institution matters. But leadership matters most. We need to focus on building the strongest and most resilient institutions of democracy and development. We need to have the best-in-class institutions since economic and social development turns mostly on the quality of institutions.
“However, recent political experience teaches us that crafty autocrats can rob these institutions of meaning and use them against democracy and development. The Third Term Bid was almost a disaster, but for the vigilance and courage of the National Assembly leaders who supported the due process and opposed an invasion of self-serving politicians.
“We have imperfect institutions. But as long as we are willing to uphold the basic tenets of democracy which primarily requires that the citizens choose their leaders and leaders while in power should not extend their mandate, we can cure these imperfections. The work of building a prosperous and stable society will task national and local leaders,” he added.
Also Speaking at the event, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo commended Senator Nnamani for his ethics and values as a politician and leader.
The Vice President added that the author presented to Nigerians and leaders of African continent the simple truth that for democracy, political stability, and economic development to flourish, the people must strive to maintain due process.
