The leading Osun State governorship aspirant on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), ‘Kunle Rasheed Adegoke (K-Rad) has congratulated Nigerians home and abroad on the 19th anniversary of the country’s return to civil rule.
This was contained in a statement he issued and signed in Osogbo to commemorate this year’s Democracy Day. It would be recalled that the military government of General Abdulsalami Abubakar conducted the general elections that ushered in a democratically elected governments across the length and breadth of Nigeria which culminated in their assumption of power on the 29th of May, 1999.
The country has since then stuck to democracy, in spite of many pitfalls.
According to K-Rad, “Nigeria is an extremely favoured country. Even though we are poles away from our Promised Land, yet nineteen years of unbroken democratic experience is no mean feat. Notwithstanding our wobbles, the literal sense of freedom cannot be compared to what obtained under the jackbooted reign of the military.”
“While I congratulate the governments and the good people of Nigeria on this occasion, I cannot but admit that very many aspects of our national life still leave a sour taste in the mouth.”
The renowned lawyer, pro-democracy activist and gubernatorial aspirant particularly deplored the vices that perennially characterise political activities in Nigeria as, according to him, “Freedom from military rule is never an end in itself, but a stepping stone to the citizens’ true freedom from a neo-state-of-nature. Civil rule is not just a rule by civilians but a manifestation of human civilization by both the rulers and the ruled. Sadly however, what we do witness in our democratic experience is a do-or-die elective aspiration.”
“Unless we eschew violence, greed, favouritism, enthronement of mediocrity,
elective aspiration without blueprint, governance without planning, commercialisation of votes, suppression of the electors’ free will etc, we may remain undeveloped for a long time.” K-Rad admonished.
