The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and other stakeholders in Enugu State have lauded successive administrations in Nigeria for sustaining democracy in the country since 1999.
They spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Enugu on the backdrop of the 2023 Democracy Day celebration.
The State Chairman of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Fabian Nwigbo, said that Nigeria as a nation had made tremendous progress since 1999.
“The level of participation in the 2023 General Elections showed there is progress and that we are moving forward as a country,” he said.
Nwigbo, however, appealed for improved workers’ welfare, adding that Nigerian workers were not well renumerated.
He regretted that a little minimum wage of N30, 000 was yet to be paid to workers by 18 states in Nigeria.
“What is N30,000 for a Nigerian worker who has family and pays rent, school fees and buys other necessities of life?
“I am appealing to the Federal Government and state governments to have mercy on Nigerian workers and improve their working conditions,” Nwigbo said.
Olu Omotayo, Enugu based civil rights lawyer, noted that development in a democracy was a gradual process and called for strengthening of the various institutions in the country.
He said that security and economy should be strengthened and looked into by the new government, saying that “we cannot have economic and social developments without adequate security.
“Our democracy is gradually developing as we are not the same as we were in 1999.
“The present government should go back to the drawing board and see that the issue of security and economy is addressed to alleviate the plight of Nigerians,” Omotayo advised.
Also contributing, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, National Publicity Secretary of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, said the most important thing was that Nigeria had moved from dictatorship and imperialism to entirely paradigm of democracy.
He added that Nigeria was able to manage its diversity that was so unique.
Ogbonnia said that since 1999, political elites struggled among themselves to get power and corner the nation’s resources.
He noted that the objectives of many politicians was not for the people’s interest but on how to aggrandise themselves and their cronies with wealth.
“It is no longer government of the people but government of the few, by the few and for the few,” he said.
He called for true independence of the Independent National Electoral Commision (INEC) and the Judiciary for effective discharge of their duties without any form of bias and favour.
He explained that where the president and state governors appointed electoral and judicial officers, they would no longer be independent and it hindered the doctrine of the separation of power.
“Our judiciary is a cobweb where small flies are always caught and big ones are allowed to break it and pass.
“There is no way an electoral body appointed by the president can conduct credible elections,” Ogbonnia said.
In the same vein, a medical Doctor with the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu, Dr. Eric Odo, appealed to the new President to match his words with action
Odo said that President Bola Tinubu had a good grasp of the democratic history especially as it relates to the annulled June 12, 1993, election widely believed to have been won by M.K.O Abiola.
The medical practitioner said that the solution to the current problems facing the country needs to be addressed.
He said Nigeria as a country had passed through a lot of hardship especially during military dictatorship and also since the return of democracy in 1999.
Odo said that Nigerians have no choice than to continue to believe in the country hoping that “tomorrow would be better than today.”
He advocated for rapid industrialisation of the country so as to be a producing economy rather than a consuming economy.
“This can be done through creating financial and non financial enablers for the youthful population at medium scale levels.
“Strengthening the judicial and local government system by making them completely autonomous administratively and financially, ” he said.
An industrialist, Mr Stanley Onah, advised the current government to begin the process of total restructuring as promised.
Onah said this would ensure economic freedom and true federalism.
He said that the solid mineral sector should be developed as a matter of urgency and be made to take its prime position as an alternate source of revenue.
“The unity of the country should be cemented back by enthroning justice, equity and fairness, ” he said. (NAN)
