Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), on Thursday advised nation’s separatists to support Nigeria’s unity and democracy for the good of all citizens as the nation marks her independence.
A statement by the Director, Ms Idayat Hassan on Thursday said that the country in unity would overcome the challenges of nation building and congratulated fellow citizens on the milestone as an independent nation.
She said that in spite of the myriad of challenges, which had hobbled the realisation of Nigeria’s very lofty potential, the CDD had a message of hope.
“The Nigeria of our dreams is possible, notwithstanding the problems, which have delayed the nation’s quest to take our rightful place in the comity of nations.
“It may be true that the realities have dashed expectations and led citizens to question the very basis of Nigeria’s existence as a country.
“It is also true that if citizens unite together to speak and act with a common voice, the challenges will be much easier to overcome.
“CDD believes that the energy being expended by separatist groups for the purpose of the breakup of the country would be better applied to uniting the country and making it work for the good of all.”
Hassan said that CDD remained optimistic that the diversity of Nigeria could be built on to become a source of strength.
This, she said, was in spite of the current situation in which the country’s diversity was being depicted as the source of unending sectarian conflicts and instability.
According to her, CDD fervently believes in this possibility because there are many commonalities when the challenges facing the different ethnic nationalities in the country are closely studied.
“This is because the same problems of hunger, poverty, malnutrition, maternal mortality, lack of infrastructure and human rights abuse, which are the realities for many ordinary Nigerians of Kanuri extraction, are the same confronting other ordinary Nigerians of Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, and Ijaw extractions.
“The same consequences of lack of transparency and accountability in governance that are affecting the ordinary Nigerian in Kaduna, are the same as what the people in Kogi State are facing.”
Hassan said that CDD, therefore, was of the view that Nigeria’s diversity, and its attempt to be a melting pot of various histories, cultures and identities, was not the problem.
She said that the problem was the lack of leadership and the right framework for governance to harness the vast resources inherent in those diversities.
She said that CDD believed that the right leadership could harness the diversity, creativity and boundless energies of the Nigerian population.
She added that the right leadership would make the attributes the basis of a strong, stable and efficient federation anchored around the rule of law and popular participation.
The director said that CDD was of the view that this generation of Nigerians should work to fulfill the mission of realising the manifest destiny of the country.
She said that CDD strongly believed that Nigeria’s democracy, if properly nurtured, would become the instrument for the realisation of the long sought after national goals and aspirations.
Hassan said that specifically, the electoral process, which is the system which produces leadership at all levels of the country, should begin producing credible outcomes at all levels.
She added that the democratic process should not be reduced to the ritual of periodic elections.
The CDD chief called on Nigerians to participate and get their voices heard in order to ensure democracy delivered on governance.
“Sixty years after the attainment of independence, Nigeria’s democracy should begin to head in the direction of delivering quality, efficient and effective social goods and services to the long suffering citizens of our country.”
