President Muhammadu Buhari has enjoined leaders at all levels to provide good leadership and ensure active citizens’ participation in governance.
Represented by the President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, Buhari made the call at 62 Independence Day Special Jumma’at Prayer and Public Lecture with the theme,” Shura: The Islamic Foundation of true Democracy,” held at the National Mosque in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
“As leaders, we owe it a duty to provide good leadership and going by the topic today of Shura, good leadership can be better achieved with consultation, collaboration and partnership between leaders among themselves and between leaders and those that are made.
“Because in a democracy, the type that we practice it is necessary for those that are led to participate in governance and that participation is for citizens to be consulted and even where they are not consulted citizens to advise to make their views known.
“To show their preferences for making their lives better and leaders are under obligation to listen. Therefore, the topic, Shura: the Islamic foundation of true democracy is apt and is coming at a time when by the grace of God in February 2023, Nigerians will go to the polls to elect new set of leaders.
“But the issue that I think is central is to how we reach there. The day is a long time. They say in politics but I also think in governance between now and then those of us who are at the moment at the sadle of leadership are supposed to continue to remain focused, consult widely as to what we have been doing and make it better.
“And ensure that we end well by the grace of God,” President Buhari said.
The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Sa’ad Abubakar III, called for a total evaluation of the implementation of Nigeria’s democracy.
He observed that the system of democracy the country is practising was developed and nurtured in European settings and values.
“It is important to take a total evaluation of the implementation of democracy in our society to do a cost-benefit analysis.
“This will allow us to actually know its true value and see what aspects suit us and what doesn’t suit us since we are supposed to be a free people who have gotten our independence some 62 years ago.
” I am hereby worried about the erosion of our values that fuel the unprecedented levels of corruption in our society all associated with democracy.
” It is important not to lose sight of the points. We are in a contemporary time there are societies that do not practice western democracy, we all know China doesn’t practice western democracy but they are striving, their economy is growing and going higher and higher.”
PIAK
