BY Idris Shehu
President Bola Tinubu says some people are attempting “to exploit current challenges” of the country to “undermine” its democracy.
The president spoke during a live broadcast on Wednesday to mark the nation’s 25th anniversary of uninterrupted democracy.
Tinubu said democracy “is the best form of governance”, adding that it “shines its light into the daily lives of the people who live under its nurturing wings”.
He said democracy embraces diverse opinions and demands that “we do not resolve differences through force and repression”.
The president said the “people” who are trying to undermine Nigeria’s democracy aim to “subject all other people and things to their control and dominance”.
“Democracy does not assume some false or forced unity of opinion. In fact, democracy assumes that conflicting ideas and differing opinions shall be the order of the day. Given the diversity and variety of the human experience, there must be diverse perspectives and viewpoints,” Tinubu said.
“What democracy demands is that we do not resolve differences through force and repression. But we make allowance for the legitimacy of views that differ from our own.
“As Nigerians, we must remind ourselves that no matter how complicated democracy may be, it is the best form of governance in the long run. We must also be aware that there are those among us who will try to exploit current challenges to undermine, if not destroy, this democracy for which so much has already been given.
“These people do this not to make things better but to subject all other people and things to their control and dominance until the point that, if you are not counted among their elite, then your life will be small and no longer owned by you.”
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