Senate Appeals For Unity As Nigeria Marks Democracy Day

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►As Nigeria celebrates 15 years of uninterrupted democracy, the Senate has appealed for unity in the fight against terrorism and political instability.

►Reflecting on the last 15 years of democracy at plenary on Wednesday, the senate acknowledged that Nigeria had made progress in different sectors of the economy.

The Federal lawmakers also said the greatest gain of democracy for over a decade now was the freedom of expression.

It is a remarkable day for Nigeria, as this democratic rule is the longest Nigeria has had without military interruption.

To some Nigerians, it has been 15 years of the bad, the good and the ugly. From flawed elections, high unemployment rates, debilitating poverty, ethnic and religious crises and now terrorism and insurgency alongside a rising GDP, economic growth and giant strides in the telecoms industry.

‘Hope Is Not Lost’

For the lawmakers, this year’s Democracy Day is a time for stock taking and evaluation.

This year’s democracy day is coming at a time when Nigeria is facing one of the worst security crises the country has seen since the civil war.

Lawmakers say this is a time to fashion out new ways of dealing with these crises.

For the lawmakers ‘all hope is not lost’, as they called on all Nigerians to unite in the fight against terrorism and political instability.

‘Peace Will Come’

In a Democracy Day message, the Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, said that he had ordered a low-key commemoration in deference to the current mood of the nation.

“There can be no doubt that the past 15 years, the longest period of sustained democratic governance in our country, have been a blessing to us, as a people.

“As we commemorate 15 years of our Fourth Republic today therefore, I believe that it is fitting that we pay tribute once again to all those who played a part in restoring our nation to the true path of democratic governance, built on the foundations of rule of law and freedom of expression,” President Jonathan said.

He reassured Nigerians of the government’s commitment to ending the insurgency, saying “the war against terror may be difficult, but the days of peace will come again. Terror is evil; nowhere in history has evil endured forever. The menace of Boko Haram will surely come to an end. I believe that because of your prayers, your courage, hard work, faith and sacrifice, we will ultimately prevail over the terrorists and all other evil forces”.