Politics
IN joining the rest of the world to mark 2020 International Day of Democracy, UN Ambassador of Peace, Amb. Vincent Ike Oligbo, has called for a new constitution to replace the current ill-functioning 1999 constitution forced on Nigerians by the military.
Oligbo, while reflecting on the state of Nigerian democracy, disclosed that the current constitution in the country promotes “corruption, insecurity and poverty and therefore ought to be changed if ever Nigeria as a country will move forward”.
Oligbo, a stalwart of People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and Anambra 2021 Gubernatorial hopeful, emphasized that the upward trend in corruption, poverty and insecurity in the country is as a result of the clumsy, awkward and obscure 1999 constitution where almost every strategic institutions are domiciled in the exclusive list making institutional growth and responsiveness to challenging issues abysmally difficult and slow.
He urged the National Assembly to not only speedy up the amendment of the 1999 constitution, but rather activate a process for holistic change of the constitution to ensure that democracy in the country is stabilized.
The security expert advised politicians in the country to be agents of deepening democracy rather than agents of democratic denudation. Citing Mali as an example of the latest country in Africa where democracy was dethroned as a result of the failure of politicians, the Anambra born politician challenged fellow politicians to uphold the tenets of democracy such as Rule of Law, transparency and accountability to help deepen democracy in Nigeria and Africa at large.
Amb Oligbo also advised Nigerians irrespective of class or gender to always protect democracy because democracy provides the natural environment for security, prosperity, protection and effective realization of human rights.
The International Day of Democracy was established in 2007 by the General Assembly of the United Nations and 15th September of every year was set aside as the International Day of Democracy with the purpose of promoting and upholding the Principles of Democracy.
– Sept. 16, 2020 @ 10:19 GMT |
Tags: 2020 International Day of Democracy: Oligbo advocates for new Constitution to deepen democracy
