27th May, 2017
Sen. Shehu Sani, representing Kaduna Central, has advocated for the re-orientation of democratic values among Nigerians, to ensure the effective practice of the governance system in the country.
Sani, who is also an author, playwright and human rights activist, made the call in his address at the foundation-laying ceremony of Writers’ Village on Friday in Abuja.
According to him, Nigeria is currently under the civil rule but not democratic governance.
“This is because people in the positions of power are finding it difficult to accept criticisms; they do no agree that they were democratically elected and not crowned as kings, queens or emperors.
“We find bloggers arrested; they go after journalists; they demolish radio stations for one reason or the other and they use hate speeches as excuses to trample on freedom of speech.
“I think this must be resisted; a democratic country must give each and every person the right to speak.”
He also observed that in some states, members of the Assembly lacked the courage to engage governors who are not delivering good governance.
According to him, only lawmakers in the National Assembly can criticise the government and its policies.
He underscored the fact that legislators at the three levels of government are vital democratic institutions that need to provide checks and balances.
“We live in a society and system whereby we wait for the government to be changed before we know the truth.
“Most former governors, ministers, and senators facing trial today were recipients of so many awards when they were in power.
“We live in a country that we believe so much in praising people when they are in power and criticising and stoning them when they leave power.
“It is not new; this is what has been happening since 1999.”
Sani commended the legal team of the Association of Nigerian Authors(ANA) for fighting resiliently and ensuring that the land was retained.
He also commended the current leadership of ANA under Malam Abdullahi Denja for kick-starting the construction of the Writers’ Village by organising the foundation-laying ceremony.
The senator donated N500,000 toward the construction of the e-project.