By Giwa SHILE
Mr Nagabhushana Reddy, Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, says Nigeria has in the last two decades emerged as a shining example in the democratic processes across contents.
Reddy made the remark stated this on Tuesday in Abuja at the Leadership Effectiveness and Accountability Dialogue (LEAD) organised by the Savanna Centre for Diplomacy and leadership Development (SCDDD) for registered political parties in the country.
“What I can say as an outsider from Indian, is that Nigeria has emerged as a shining example of democratic processes.
“Nigeria is a lead example, it is followed across the continents anywhere there is democracy and they are trying to find their feet on the ground.
“The importance of Nigeria as a shining example of democracy and democratic processes is well known, it is in this light that the contribution that everyone makes in making it stronger will go a long way.
“It is my humble submission that in the last two decades, Nigeria has really emerged as a very successfull democratic country, “ he said.
He said that though Nigeria`s democracy had been presented with some challenges, the success story behind its democratic journey was great.
The Indian envoy, however, said that democracy was a work in progress all the time everywhere, including his country India, adding that there were always challenges.
He said some of the challenges faced in every democracy were the greater and larger “aspirational demands” that citizens placed on a particular process that was in place at a given time.
“The challenges we face in my country are very different from the challenges you face in your country.
“The most important thing is commitment to remain democratic at the end of the day,” he said.
Reddy noted that Nigeria had strong media, Judicial institutions and Civil Society Organisations that could play binding roles in ensuring that there was better accountability and transparency in the democratic processes.
He said his country would be happy to continue to support Nigeria to succeed in every way in its democratic processes.
SCDDD Executive Secretary, Amb. Abdullahi Omaki, while speaking at the event, however, said that institutionalisation and sustenance of democratic culture of conducting peaceful, free, fair and credible elections were critical for effective governance and sustainable development.
Omaki said the aim of the dialogue among others, was to reappraise and underscore political parties’ unique roles and strategic importance in leadership scheme, their membership and the people’s ownership.
He said it was also to discuss the strategies for the institutionalisation and sustenance of democratic and peaceful processes by which political parties conduct and guide the selection, grooming and the emergence of knowledgeable, credible, patriotic and visionary candidates.
He said the centre would use the opportunity of the meeting to advocate and seek the cooperation and collaboration of all registered political parties to institutionalise internal party democracy.
Omaki added that it would also be used to create structures and platforms that would throw up credible and worthy candidates, irrespective of their gender, ethnicity or religious leaders who were willing and ready to serve the country with dedication and selflessness.
He said the LEAD project was to be driven over a period of four to five years, in the first instance, by the centre’s Council of the Wise.
According to him, the council will be made up of seven notable, knowledgeable, experienced and widely respected men and women carefully selected from the country’s six geopolitical zones and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“Since the commencement of the fourth Republic in 1999, four successive elections have been held and powers transferred, commendably, from one democratically elected government to the other without interruptions.
“However, because the processes have not been satisfactorily democratic, results are always controversial and often marred by violence and loss of credibility, “ the executive secretary said.
He said the LEAD project was therefore, part of the centre’s way of contributing and advocating for collective efforts toward the transformation, institutionalisation and sustenance of the democratic culture of conducting peaceful, free, fair and credible elections in the country.
He also that the desire of the centre was to get relevant institutions and stakeholders involved in the processes of choosing credible men and women for public offices to understand and to collectively commit to ensuring that the 2019 general elections and subsequent ones were conducted in accordance with democratic dictates.
Omaki said the centre shared in the belief that poor leadership and leadership deficit, with their causative and consequential impacts of corruption had been among the major causes of Nigeria’s discredited elections and underdevelopment since independence.
The centre he said, also strongly shares the belief that there were many Nigerians with excellent leadership qualities, adding that part of the way out, was the institutionalisation of the processes through which such Nigerians emerged as leaders at party and other levels of governance.
He noted that debate around leadership selection processes for effective governance in Nigeria today, was one of the burning issues in the minds of the electorate.
Omaki said in the world over, it was servant leaders that had made the positive difference in the lives of their people over time through vigorous and committed pursuit of positive changes with great respect for the people and societal values.
The India is the biggest democracy in the world.
Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD), is a Non-Governmental and Non-Profit Think-Tank founded by Prof. Ibrahim Gambari.
The Centre is committed to research, advocacy, training and public policy analysis in the areas of conflict prevention, management, democracy and sustainable development in Nigeria and Africa
