President Buhari assures continued promotion of rule of law, democracy tendencies
Agency report
President Muhammadu Buhari has assured that his administration will continue to promote the rule of law and protect the country’s democracy.
He said this on Thursday in Abuja at the public presentation of a book titlled: “Standing Strong” written by Sen. Ken Nnamani, a former President of the 5th Senate.
President Buhari was represented by Dr Ogbonayan Onu, Minister of Science and Technology at the event.
He said his administration was determined to eradicate poverty in the country.
While admitting that the country was facing security challenges, Buhari said his administration would not rest: “until Nigerians leave in safety and are secured.
“We are consequently reviewing our strategies to continously degrade the capabilities of all criminal elements in the country,”he said.
He said the Federal Government was creating strategic cooperation between the country’s military and para military formations to work together to fight crimes and all criminal activities in the country.
Buhari said adequate resources was currently being deployed to strengthen the capacity and capabilities of the country’s military.
He, however commended the country’s armed forces and other security agencies fighting crime and criminality in the country.
He stressed that the fight against insecurity, was one that must be won, saying that Nigeria must be peaceful and that Nigerians must live in safety and be secured.
The President thanked Nnamani for writing the book, saying it was a delight that he put down the experience he acquired as President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly for others to benefit from.
According to Buhari, the book will be very useful to those who will like to study the problems the country had at that period of its history.
He, however noted that there was no nation on earth without a problem, adding that Nigeria’s challenges was not insurmountable.
He said that unlike in the past, his administration had completed projects abandoned by past governments and was embarking on infrastructural development across the country, including rail and road construction.
The Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, while speaking at the event, said that Nnamani’s lack of desperation stood him out among most politicians in the country.
He noted that Nnamani had the desire to serve, but was not desperate for power, adding that the launch of his book just marked the beginning of yet another life for him.
Earlier, Nnamani said: “today is about truth and a book borne from it.”
He said that he was presenting to Nigerians and leaders of African continent the simple truth that for democracy, political stability, and economic development to flourish in Africa, we must strive to maintain due process.
The former President of the Senate, said due process was the heart of the rule of law and democracy.
“In 2007, this principle prevented a possible truncation of democracy. Because we stood strong on due process, the bid to extend for President Olusegun Obasanjo’s presidency beyond the constitutional limit failed.
“It has been said that every generation must discover its mission either fulfilled or betrayed it.
“Let me suggest to us that at this point in our history, our mission in Nigeria is to strengthen the institutions of democracy and ensure that the democratic gains aren’t lost in an ugly power struggle,”he said.
He added that eternal vigilance was the price of democracy and liberty, stressing that our vigilance for democracy required that we learnt from our history of success and failure.
He said this was the reason he wrote the book, to remind us of the dangerous path we could have taken but for the vigilance and courage of some legislators.
Nnamani said the book was also to challenge politicians never to abandon the responsibility of protecting due process for democracy to survive.
“Our democracy was tested in 2006, it passed. It was tested again in 2015 and passed. This has culminated in the President Muhammadu Buhari presidency.
“The crucial 2015 test would not have been, if we failed the 2006 test. The 2006 test was a test of whether leaders will rise above fear and the politics of strongman to strengthen democracy by upholding due process,”he said.