OWERRI – The Vice-Presidential candidate of the PDP, Mr. Peter Obi has thanked God for sustaining democracy for 20 years in Nigeria.
Obi spoke on Tuesday in Owerri during the Inaugural Lecture in honour of the in-coming Governor of Imo State, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, at the Ahajioku Convention Centre, Owerri, where he was the Special Guest of honour.
Obi, who advised Ihedioha on the need to cut the cost of governance and concentrate in advancement of education and other infrastructure, said that the fact that democracy had stayed uninterrupted in spite many lapses was a proof that it had come to stay.
While thanking all those who were part of the growth of democracy in the country, he reminded Nigerian leaders that democracy is more than just a name.
“The beauty of democracy is not in the name, but in what our people now commonly call ‘democracy dividend’, which we are yet to experience fully in Nigeria,” he said.
The former Anambra State Governor pointed out to inability to achieve free and fair election and enthronement of the rule of law as Nigeria’s greatest failing.