Democracy Day: Nigeria's democracy shall survive, thrive - 'Patriotic Stake-holders'

On this memorable occasion of our De­mocracy Day 2016, we the National Cordinating Committee of Pan-Nigerian Coalition of Patriotic Stakeholders (Pan-NCPS), a broad coalition of strongly patriotic and com­mitted variegated ethno-social and political groups, registered civil society and Non-Govern­ment Organizations (CSOs and NGOs), Faith, Commu­nity and Gender based groups (FBOs and CBOs), as well as Youths, Professional Asso­ciations and Artisan working class groups and grassroots organizations nationwide, celebrate All Nigerians for giving our democracy a new noble brand full of life, vivac­ity, resilience, sustainability, triumphantly and vigorously marching forward on the path of greatness, with vibrancy into reckoning and distinction as a fast maturing democracy.

Democracy Day 2016 is critical and hallowed in Nige­ria’s life as a democratic na­tion, being the first year that our plural democratic system of government took real roots and truly demonstrated and proved to the world and our­selves that we could attain our political apotheosis by effec­tively managing the alterna­tion of political power from one political party to another, which is the quintessence of democracy. Thus, our democ­racy has been tested and tried like gold in fire. Today Nige­rians verily deserve kudos and resounding congratulations for attaining this political feat cum democratic milestone.

In our tortuous movement towards democratic civility and the given political inertia and naivety, nobody expected it was going to be very easy or a piece of cake, but given our pedigree as quick-learners and brilliant people, every evidence points to our willing­ness and preparedness to navi­gate the process and make and correct our shortfalls and mis­takes and learn from them as we progress. This has become necessary for us, in order to savour the goodness and full gamut of benefits (dividends) of successful democracy in our national life, devoid of corrup­tion, crass impunity, and also enhance our position in the elite league of democratic na­tions. LONG LIVE NIGERIA! LONG LIVE OUR DEMOC­RACY!!

In appreciation of this Spe­cial Democracy Day 2016, we member organizations under the aegis of Pan-NCPS hereby announce our maiden list of Pan-NIGERIAN DEMOC­RACY HONOURS 2016. The distinguished Nigerians who made the maiden honours list, none of whom has been contacted, overly impressed us with their sturdiness and achievements in deepening and furthering our democra­cy; penchant for strict adher­ence to rule of law, democratic tenets and norms prevalent in most advanced democra­cies; insistence on the objec­tive middle devoid of extrem­ism; commitment for activities which verge on amity, harmo­ny, inclusiveness and further­ance of the cause of one united democratic Nigeria, the warts notwithstanding.

 

Pan-Nigerian Democracy Honours List 2016

(A Non-Partisan Private Ini­tiative)

-Right Honourable Justice Mahmud Mohammed, Chief Justice of the Federal Republic of Nigeria ( CJN)

-His Excellency Matthew Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President of the Fed­eral Republic of Nigeria

-Distinguished Senator Da­vid Mark , former Senate Pres­ident of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

-His Excellency Dist. Sena­tor Jagaba, Asiwaju Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, National Leader, All Progressive Con­gress (APC)

-His Excellency Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, former Vice Presi­dent of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

-Her Excellency Hajiya Aisha Muhammadu Buhari ,Wife of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria

-Distinguished Senator Chief Godswil Akpabio , Sen­ate Minority Leader, Federal Republic of Nigeria

-Right Honourable Yakubu Dogara , Hon Speaker of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

-His Excellency Distin­guished Senator Bukola Abubakar Saraki, President of the Senate of the Federal Re­public of Nigeria

-Chief John Odigie- Oye­gun , National Chairman, All Progressive Congress (APC)

-His Excellency Chief Bar­rister Nyesom Wike, Execu­tive Governor of Rivers State

-His Excellency Owelle Rochas Okorocha, Executive Governor of Imo State

-Engineer Babachir David Lawal, Secretary to the Gov­ernment of the Federal Re­public of Nigeria

-Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, Managing Director Capital Oil and Gas Industries Lim­ited and Publisher Authority Newspapers

-Distinguished Senator Chief Mrs Rose Oko, Cross Rivers State

-His Excellency Chief If­eanyi Okowa, Executive Gov­ernor of Delta State of Nigeria

-General Gabriel Abayomi Olonisakin, Chief of Defense Staff of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria

-His Excellency Alhaji Ibra­him Hassan Dankwambo, Executive Governor Gombe State

-Distinguished Senator Binta Masi Garba, Adamawa North Senatorial District

-His Excellency Alhaji Um­maru Ganduje, Executive Governor of Kano State

-Chief Mrs Folorunsho Al­akija, Group Managing Direc­tor Rose of Sharon Group and Executive Vice – - Chairman of the Famfa Oil Group

-Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Ex­ecutive Chairman of the Dan­gote Group

-His Excellency Chief Willy Obiano, Executive Governor Anambra State

¬-Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, Chairman First Bank Plc

-His Excellency Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwwal, Executive Governor Sokoto State Nigeria

(Please Note well that the Names are in no particular order!!)

It is fair to assume that most of the distinguished Ni­gerians on our Honours List above need no introduction as regards their democratic credentials which are etched in gold and in public domain. However, we present a snap­shot of the stellar and out­standing contributions made by some eminent Nigerians on our Honours List in deep­ening democracy and the democratic ethos in Nigeria.

Chief Dr. Willy Obiano – Executive Governor, Anam­bra State

This scholar and bank­er-turned politician who emerged as the Chief Helms­man of Anambra State in 2013 is a quintessential peace maker and nation builder. Understanding that democ­racy and development can­not exist in a violent and turbulent environment, he honed his skills through deft, sequenced moves and made peace between the fra­ternal communities of Kogi State and Anambra State who engaged in avoidable bloodletting as a result of the discovery of oil. As a true statesman, he emphasized and reiterated the superior­ity of peaceful dialogue over the language of arms and he has been vindicated. Back home in his Umuleri-Aguleri axis, his equal handedness in resolving the lingering fratricidal Umuleri-Aguleri inter-communal crisis has won him national and in­ternational acclaim. He has fortified our democracy and democratic practice by letting loose a participation dynamic which has mainstreamed all the tendencies in Anambra political spectrum. His great diplomatic skills and nuances have eventuated in a reor­dered and re-engineered in­clusive polity and democracy.

Right Hon Mahmud Mo­hammed - For suffi cing as a veritable guardian of our our maturing democracy , in the affirmation of the com­posite independence of the third coordinate coequal arm of government, This has greatly engendered the con­fidence of all Nigerians and concomitantly positioned the Judicature as the hope of the common man.Perus­ing the conduct of the Justice Mamud Mohammed court , it has become abundantly clear to all and sundry that the twin progressive concepts of Judicial activism and Man­date protection has been tak­en to the next level under his watch and given the dimen­sion of duration.