June 12: Adeleke calls for solution to economic hardship, strengthening of democratic practice

Blessing Akorowosi, Osogbo

Governor of Osun, Ademola Adeleke has said resolving national economic challenges is a condition for strengthening democratic culture and enhancing productive participation of the citizenry.

He posited that an economically satisfied citizenry is a strong insurance for thriving democracy and good governance.

Adeleke, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Hon Teslim Igbalaye made the assertion at the 2023 Democracy Day Lecture organized by Coalition of Civil Society in the State on Monday.

“A foundation we cannot leave out is the economic platform of the society practicing democracy. A hungry citizenry is likely to pose a serious threat to a credible electoral democratic process.

“Efforts to stabilize the economic life of the nation are also strong preconditions for an empowered citizenry. Addressing poverty and catering to citizens’ economic requirements will go a long way to enhance the potency of the population”, he said.

Other issues the Governor identified as important for strengthening democratic culture include a fair electoral umpire and security agencies committed to the rule of law.

“Conditionalities such as a truly fair electoral umpire and impartial security agencies are strong complements to an active citizenry. We must add that voters must also eschew vote-selling to ensure the manifestation of there will not only at the ballot but during the governance process.

“In the last elections, we saw a hyper level of citizen mobilization across the electoral cycle. Even when low turnout is still a nagging question, we must accept that citizens’ electoral militancy was the hottest in Nigeria’s political history. We can then arguably posit that the citizenry has woken up from their slumber and are prepared to enforce a functional, people-based electoral process”, the Governor noted.

Adeleke said Nigeria must uphold certain basic democratic norms for citizens’ participation to yield needed results, adding that “the democratic culture grows and flourishes when all the electoral and governance sub-sectors play their parts within the context of due process and rule of law.

He however cautioned Nigerians on any expectation of perfection in democratic practice, adding that “no democracy is perfect. From Europe to North America, democracy is still a work in progress. In Africa, we are in a state of convulsion within the democratic space

“We, however, have no option than to continue the experimentation until we reach close to perfection”, the Governor stated.