ALMAKURA: NIGERIAN LEADERS MUST RECOMMIT TO VALUES OF INCLUSIVITY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY:

The former Governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Umar Tanko Almakura says now is time to build a nation where every voice is heard and citizens are empowered.

Senator Almakura charged Nigerian leaders to recommit to the values of inclusivity, accountability and transparency in the bid to guarantee a democracy that flourishes and endures for generations yet unborn.

According to him, after 25 years of uninterrupted democracy, it is time for all Nigerians to partake “in building a nation where every voice is heard, where every potential is realised, and where every citizen is empowered to contribute to the collective good”.

The Senator noted that at this point of the nation’s democratic journey, every Nigerian, irrespective of background, must be given a chance to contribute to the nation’s shared destiny. He said the lessons learnt after 25 years is that democracy is a journey that must be constantly nurtured and watched closely.

According to him: “Our progress has been marked by both triumphs and trials, each serving as a reminder of the preciousness of our democratic principles. As we move forward, let us recommit to the values of inclusivity, accountability, and transparency, ensuring that our democracy not only endures but flourishes for generations to come.

“The future of Nigeria lies in our hands, in our ability to dream, innovate, and act with courage and conviction. Let us embrace this moment with a renewed sense of purpose, knowing that the path we tread today will shape the Nigeria of tomorrow. This is an invitation for each of us to participate in building a nation where every voice is heard, where every potential is realised, and where every citizen is empowered to contribute to the collective good.”

He said, “Our democratic experience, despite the lows and the highs, is a telling referendum on our aspiration to build a nation that serves the interests of all, a federation that has not conspired against any benign group.

“We are here because the alternative is a descent into dystopia. Today is a moment to reflect on our journey so far. The tragedies Nigeria survived to settle for this democracy, the fourth of such experiments, must inspire each of us to play our part to honour the labour of our founding fathers and mothers and remind ourselves of the principles that drove their resolve to build for us a diverse nation that has defied the pessimism of detached agents of anarchy,” he added.

It is a call to action, even as he said young and competent Nigerians, including the patriotic and innovative, must all be engaged in crafting a succession plan that secures the desired future.

“It is through their energy, creativity, and commitment that we will build a Nigeria that stands resilient against the challenges of tomorrow. Let us therefore pledge to create an environment where every Nigerian, regardless of background, has the opportunity to contribute to our shared destiny,” Senator Almakura further noted.

Almakura’s efforts in providing political alternatives and support for marginalized politicians despite being “politically ostracized and demonized”.

“It came with a crescendo, again robustly funded and supported. In those days, a tendency emerged within the ruling party, some of the dramatis personae are alive today, one of them is Right Honourable Aminu Bello Masari.

“As a group we were driven by a forest of ideas, but what separated and defined us from other political groupings at that epoch was our realisation that what this country needs is a unifying leader, who ponders neither ethnic nor religious agenda, who’s now bound by any toxic regional solidarity and yet known for outstanding leadership.

“We searched the political horizon and on our search, only one person, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Martin Luther King said the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in times of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy.

“The road, the path, that led us to Bola Tinubu did not happen by chance, this is a man who has shown ferocious penchant, who has shown a commitment to sacrificing his comfort, a propensity for sacrificing his own wellbeing for the enthroment of democracy.

“During the darkest hour of military dictatorship, when the nation was enveloped in darkness, when there were hues and cries of marginalisation and even impending breakup of the Nation.

“Tinubu sacrificed his life, his time and resources for the enthroment of democracy in this country. This political enigma had been caricatured, but our younger compatriots must be in the know of Tinubu’s memories from two decades past, when he was the fulcrum of opposition to the enthroment of one party dictatorship in this country. When his comptemporaries were trading their principles for a place on the dinner table in Abuja and in the process throwing their allies under the bus, he provided courageously a political alternative to the ruling party.

“He was fiercely ostracised, politically ostracised and antagonised by the ruling PDP. By virtue of his commitment, his zeal and his resources and his belief in the rule of law, one by one, he retrieved the stolen mandates of Mimiko in Ondo, Rauf Aregnesola in Osun, Adams Oshiomhole in Edo and he has remained a veritable sanctuary for the victims of political witch hunt over the years.

“When former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, was harrased, intimidated, dehumanised and chased out of the PDP, it was to Bourdillion that he ran to and it was the Lion of Bourdillion that gave him the political structure to contest for the Presidency under the platform of the Action Congress. His choices of Northerners to fly the flag of his party underlined his pan-Nigerian credentials.

“Four years later, the same Bola Ahmed Tinubu provided the same political structure for for another Northerner, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to contest for the Presidency of this country.

“The likes of Baba Akande are still alive to tell the story of the emergence of former President Muhammadu Buhari as flag bearer of the APC and his subsequent success at the 2015 polls. He was one of the most demonized politicians in Nigerian history, he was caricatured, but the Bola Tinubu political machine took charge.

“They even change the frame of the President’s glasses, they demonized him by getting him to dance in Ibadan, they made him to wear a suit and made him to go to church and without the political support of the Southwest, the story could have been different.

“This is the unsung hero of the Nigerian democratic journey and in the fullness of time, I believe that posterity will be kind to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu”.

According to Almakura: “Let me say that we need to come up with a model of democratic practice that will be more inclusive and reinforce social cohesion. The zero-sum kind of politics where a winner takes it all has not helped to foster unity and political justice.

“A political party that scores up to 30 per cent of the votes in an election at federal or states should not lose everything.

“We need to come up with innovative solutions that will address the challenge of political exclusion that usually comes up after elections. “Zero-sum politics has over the years promoted desperation, agitations and disunity. We need to work out a model that guarantees political inclusion and promotes unity and tolerance in the polity.

“I’m not clearly recommending proportional representation but different governments come up with models of democracy that suits them.

“After all, the presidency we’re talking about, all presidents of the world don’t emerge through the same process. In Nigeria, we elect our president directly. In a number of countries, presidents are elected indirectly.

“The powers of the presidents are defined by different constitutions and so on and so forth.

“So our national assembly can also look at models that will suit us. The zero sum where a party that even sometimes get 40% of votes especially at the state levels will have nothing, gives rise to this do or die politics.

“That zero sum approach, I think is inimical to consolidating and strengthening our democracy.

“Let me conclude by saying that together, we can forge a Nigeria where every citizen has a voice, where opportunities abound, where the promise of a better tomorrow is not just a dream but a tangible reality.

“Let us therefore celebrate this milestone with pride and renewed determination.”

“For democracy to yield its desired dividends, the political class and elite must lead by example and work with unity of purpose to guarantee peace and social justice to the citizens.

“We must work together despite our political differences, accommodate our diversity and prioritise policies that will impact the lives of our citizens.

“My considered opinion is that we should redefine the functions and structure of local Governments and remove the confusion enshrined in the constitution on their status. This doesn’t mean that we are going to abolish the local government areas.

*Garkuwan Giza*