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Men of the Lagos State Police Command on Saturday morning fired tear gas canisters at the protesters gathered at the Gani Fawehinmi Park in Lagos, venue of the June 12 Democracy Day protest, The PUNCH reports.
The protesters were demanding an end to bad governance when they were tear-gassed by the security operatives.
Many do not care about Nigeria’s democracy – Tinubu
The National Leader of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has said some Nigerians do not care about the country’s path to democracy.
The former Lagos State governor said this in a statement he signed on Friday titled, ‘June 12, 2021: Democracy Day Statement’ – amid secessionist agitations from the South-East and South-West.
He urged Nigerians to stand against insurrectionists and killers destroying the country’s democratic institutions.
The statement read, “On this memorable day, we mark, with respect, and honour the sacrifices that have allowed democracy to come to pass.
We also celebrate in anticipation of a future in which our democratic institutions, concepts and practices take firmer root; transforming this society from what it is to what it can be.
“Through it all, our gaze has remained fixed as if it were focused on a star in the firmament. Our road has remained certain for it is the only road we can reasonably tread. We have moved toward a better Nigeria and greater democracy.”
However, the APC chieftain, who is rumoured to be eye tje 2023 presidency, decried that Nigeria’s path to democracy had not been without peril.
“They embark on a different trek for they hold to a different concept of governance and of the relationship of government to the people,” he said.
“They do not believe in a nation where every person therein has substantive rights, freedoms and liberties as God intended for all of his human creations regardless of the place of birth, ethnic origin, social station or religious creed.
These people hate democracy and despise you for choosing democracy over them and their oppressive ways.
“They are violent and cold-hearted. They love nothing, save the destruction of the happiness and peace of others. They will not go away quietly or in consideration of the compelling logic of democratic governance.
“Instead, they set us up in hopes of laying waste to the good society we seek to build.
They levy terror against us in vain, hoping that their violent impositions might cause us to lose our way. They raze villages, destroy homes assault and kill innocent people.
“They even attack important symbols of a just society including religious institutions, schools of learning and INEC [Independent National Electoral Commission] offices as if they can snuff out, through violence, mankind’s will to worship God, seek knowledge or engage in participatory governance.
“However, with all that they do, they will not succeed. In trying to pluck a democratic and just society from our hands, they are as mistaken as they are evil.”
Tinubu added, “Despite the troubles we face, and those troubles are serious, we must stand up for democracy lest we shall find ourselves falling to oblivion. Democratic good governance offers the only reasonable solution to the challenges confronting Nigeria.
“Thus, we must stand for democracy today. We must stand for it even more tomorrow. Ask this question 10, 20, 100 years from now, the answer must remain the same: the people of Nigeria stand for democracy and stand against that which would chase democracy from our land.
“Thus, we stand against those who traffic in insurrection and violence. We stand against those whose commerce is bigotry and hatred. We contend against those who would render the people ignorant and poor.”
