Democracy only thrives where there is peace

By Abujah Racheal, News Agency of Nigeria(NAN)

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF),Boss Mustapha has restated that development thrives where there is peace, transparency and accountability, Justice and equity, freedom of speech and choice near absence of corruption, where nationhood thrives and the vote count.

Mustapha expressed this view, where he gave a welcome address at the 2018 Democracy Day Lecture, with its Theme: Peace Building and Good GovernAnce for sustainable development, on Monday in Abuja.

The SGF described democracy has a globally cherished and accepted practice for electing leaders, protecting it’s inalienable rights,preventing arbitrariness in governance, distributing wealth and public goods enthroning good governance and bringing development to the people.

“ In Nigeria, we have  for  almost two decades, experienced four consecutive and successful transition of power from one democratic dispensation to another.

“ Most notable is the fact that we recently witnessed a transition from an incumbent to an opposition.

“That singular feat gives assurance that our democracy has taken root, the Nigerian people can now freely decide who their leaders would be and that their votes now count,”he said.

He underscored the theme for 2018 democracy day lecture as the important role democracy and all its attributes played in bringing about sustainable development.

According to the SGF, as a member of the United Nations, signed onto Sustainable Development Goal(SDGs), commitments under the SDGs include keeping people safe.

He added that it’s also ensures fair administration of Justice in accordance with the rule of Law and genuinely building inclusive institutions that would provide the people with a voice in the decision- making processes that affect them.

Mustapha said the 2030 agenda for sustainable development emphasised that “There can be no peace without sustainable development and no sustainable development without peace”.

He said Nigeria is similarly a signatory to the open government partnership and has committed to four key thematic areas namely : promoting fiscal transparency,access to Information, anti - corruption and asset disclosure, citizen engagement and empowerment.

“All these thematic areas remain critical ingredients for good governance and sustainable development.

Delivering the lecture, Prof. Attahiru Jega, former chairman Independence National Electoral Commission  (INEC), said Nigeria had come a long way in the quest to fulfil its aspirations for democracy.

“ It could have been worse than this; it can, and should have been, better, but i am glad it is not worse than what we have today. We should just try harder to make things much better than they have been with sustained incremental positive changes .

“ This is where the theme of today’s lecture becomes pertinent, especially if posed as a question: how can Nigeria attain enduring peace, predicated on good, democratic governance and sustainable development?,” he said.

Jaga introduced the theme as  a board sweep,to explore the connections between, or the interconnection of, the concepts which were contemporarily, of paramount importance-in discussing the political economies of the countries such as Nigeria, namely Peace building,Good (democratic) governance and sustainable development.

He said the conceptualising of  peace building  is a concept often used in the context of post -civil war or post -conflict situations.

“It is about Addressing the factors that cause or exacerbate inequality, conflict and violence.

“It is also about mitigating risk of conflict and preventing a relapse of conflict dynamics.

“It is about transforming socio-economic environmental systems so that they sustain progress and equitable opportunity,” he said.

In conceptualising of good governance, he noted that social science concepts were often ambiguous and defiant of precise definition.
“ The concept of governance and most especially the popularised notion of good governance are clear examples of opaqueness and ambiguity of such concept,” he defines

Jaga said, it is ironic that we have to apply the notion/ concept of peace building to address Nigeria’s perennial conflicts, even though technically, the country is not a post-civil war or post- conflict society in the conventional definitions of there, in which the concept is normally applied .

“ The reality, however, is that the fragility of our systems, institutions and structures, circumscribed as they have been by bad governance, require a drastic restoration,” he said.

He, however said that good governance is the framework and the foundation for peace building and sustainable development.

Jega concluded by saying “ having established the interconnectedness of peace building, good democratic governance and sustainable development, and having reviewed the current state of things in Nigeria presently, with recommendations for improvements.

“Given our diversity, which has historically been complicated by mutual suspicions  and fears, and bedevilled by perennial conflicts, we must nurture and develop the infrastructure for peace and we must invest massively in peace building and in sustainable development.

“ The major challenge of our time is how to make Nigeria more peaceful, Just and inclusive, especially for those most at risk of violence, injustice and exclusion’, and how to embark on a solid pathway to sustainable development, he said

He said that only good democratic governance can provide the appropriate framework for meeting this challenge on a sustainable basis.

According to him, this is not a manna that can fall from heaven while we all “siddon look” it is a product of concerted vigorous struggles by progressives democratic forces in our country. (NAN)