The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu has vowed to preserve the nation’s democracy as a system of government.
This is even as he vowed to protect the rights, freedom and liberty of Nigerians.
The President made the vow on Wednesday while addressing Nigerians in a National Broadcast to mark 25 years democratic governance in the country.
He said: “as a president of this nation, I am morally and constitutionally bound to preserve this precious form of governance.
“I vow to do my utmost best to protect your rights, freedom and liberty”, he said.
President Tinubu stated that the nation’s economy is unbalanced because it was built on flawed foundations and over reliance on revenue from exploitation of oil, and that explains the difficulty the country is facing currently.
Nevertheless, he assured that the ongoing reforms his administration has initiated were intended to create a stronger, and better condition for future growth.
While acknowledging that the reforms came with hardship and pains, President Tinubu noted that there are necessary repairs required to fix the economy over the long run so that everyone has access to economic opportunity, fair pay and compensation for his endeavour and labour.
He promised not to turn his back on Nigerians, but listen to them even as the administration continues to reform the economy.
“As we continue to reform the economy, I shall always listen to the people and will never turn my back on you. In this spirit, we have negotiated in good faith and with open arms”, he said.
On the new minimum wage being negotiated with the organised labour,
President Tinubu disclosed that an Executive Bill would soon be sent to the National Assembly to enshrine what has been agreed upon as part of the nation’s law.
He noted that the present administration refused to be dictatorial during the national strike because it believes that reasoned discussions and principled compromise are hallmarks of democracy.
“In the face of Labour’s call for national strike, we did not seek to oppress or crack down on the workers as a dictatorial government of the past would have done. We chose the path of cooperation over conflict. Nobody was arrested or frightened.
“Instead, the Labour leadership was invited to break bread and negotiate towards good faith resolution. Reasoned discussions and principled compromise are hallmarks of democracy.
“These themselves shall continue to animate my policies and interaction with the constituent part of our political economy. I take on this vital task without fear and I commit myself to this work until we are built in a way where no man is oppressed”, he said.
President Tinubu mentioned that no matter how complicated democracy may be, it is the best form of governance in the long run.
“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 the challenges to undermine, if not destroy, this democracy for which so much has already been given.
“This is the great virtue of our day and the major reason we specially celebrate this day as Democracy Day”, he said.
