Layi Olanrewaju, Ilorin
As Nigerians mark 19th anniversary of uninterrupted democracy in the country, the Speaker, Kwara State House of Assembly, Dr. Ali Ahmad, on Monday, said that irrespective of the challenges encountered over the years, democratic culture is evolving steadily in the country.
Ahmad, in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Shuaib Abdulkadir, to commemorate Nigeria’s 19 years of uninterrupted democratic governance, stressed that it could only get better.
He noted that one of the problems threatening the nation’s democracy is the inability of the three arms of government to function independently.
The Speaker maintained that though every arm of government must find means to accommodate one another for the good of the citizens, it was expedient that they work collectively but independently as enshrined in the 1999 constitution.
Ahmad who further noted that though the achievements recorded might be short of the citizens’ expectations in all ramifications, there were signs that as a nation, we have continued to learn from the past mistakes.
He challenged governments at all level to work assiduously towards ensuring that the dividends of democracy reach all the nooks and crannies of the country.
“Nigeria is blessed with both human and capital resources, if harmonised successfully the nation stands to benefit immensely”, he said.
Ahmad appreciated various roles played by individuals, group of people and social groups towards the attainment of the ‘hard earn democracy’.