May
29, 2015, shall be recorded in our history as the moment when democracy finally
was allowed to participate in Democracy Day. The reason for this is the legion
of average Nigerians who voted to make this happen. Should any of you wish to
see a true hero of democracy, don’t fret. Just look in the nearest mirror.
The
celebrations prior to this were false showings; they were the commemoration of
wrong. The path we have taken to come to this august moment has not been one of
easy victory or swift progress.
Instead,
it has been a path hewed by the triumph of resilience over broken promises and
fraudulent avowals of representative governance. Reaching this fine moment has
been a story told in the cadence of the victory of common good over arrogant
power.
The
voice of the solitary poor man, no one hears. But the votes of the poor became
a potent army capable of toppling the very citadel of high privilege in order
to bring forth national awakening no less historic and important than the very
birth of this nation.
On
this day, we shall witness the inauguration of Muhammadu Buhari, a great,
honorable and dedicated public servant as our president. This is indeed an
inspiring moment, a turning point in our national direction, and the
reclamation of our best destiny.
We
shall celebrate this achievement but not in mindless, care-free fashion. The
road ahead is still choked with the debris of problems left too long
unattended.
We
are well aware of the challenges pitted against our wellbeing. Insecurity,
economic decline and corruption, we must fight and fight as if we are going to
war not a carnival.
Most
of all, we must fight the temptation of hopelessness, the sense that little
good will come out of even the greatest efforts.
This
is where I want to thank and commend all those who voted in the past election. It
is you who turned this day into the true celebration of true democracy it was
intended to be.
With
no guarantee save your faith and armed solely with the hope and promise of a
better tomorrow through better governance, you fought the mounting tide of
power and money. That tide tried to induce you to sell your democratic rights
and your chance for a greater future on the cheap.
In
the eyes of those who were self-exalted, you had been debased and brought low
by visible circumstance of poverty and lack. You seemed to them ripe for
purchase. Yet, inside, you retained a greatness of character and a loyalty to
the democratic ideal incomprehensible to those who believed that everything can
be purchased.
You
showed them that your self-definition as human beings and as Nigerians was not
for sale or tender. As a result, he who had been given so much, so easily by so
many was humbled. You who have been ridiculed, reduced and written off were
lifted up. The will of the people hath reclaimed its sovereignty.
This
has been a blossoming of justice and the illumination of the power of human
decency. So often, Nigeria has been portrayed negatively before the world. Not
this time. The world is proud of what you have done and how you have advanced
the cause of fairness and right.
What
you have done has lent solace to those still struggling to establish democracy
and responsive governance in their homelands.
They
now see Nigeria as an inspiring example. They seek to be like you, to travel
the road you just trod.
Today,
the old Nigeria is no longer in chains as we move into a new era and take hold
of our new selves. From President Buhari to the state governors inaugurated
this day, I wish them well and pray they govern in an open, democratic way that
assures your optimal wellbeing.
I
ask that you, the people, maintain your diligence and help guide those you have
just elected. The issues that confront us are deep and complex. They are not
susceptible to facile solution or inattention. Wise and sound policy is within
our capacity. But, we must have the will to accomplish it. If both the governed
and government work in league, there is nothing our beloved nation cannot
overcome.
Let
it be said that on this day, the nation consecrate itself to the ideal that
governance is the sacred instrument of the people and never again shall it be
the exclusive recreation of a select few. No longer shall Democracy day be a
shallow ritual. Henceforth, it is a living truth.
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