Nigerian Government says it will continue to deepen its democratic culture by engaging in partnerships with platforms that promote the ideals and principles of the rule of law and good governance as espoused by the community of democracies.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama said this in Abuja at a meeting with the Secretary-General of the Community of Democracies, Thomas Garrett.
Onyeama described Garrett’s visit as timely, not only because Nigeria is seeking to renew its membership of the governing council, but for the fact that Africa’s most populous nation is going into another round of elections.
The Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister who said democracy has endured in the country for over 20 years uninterrupted since 1999, notes that the country plays an important role in the advancement of participatory governance in the West African sub-region and indeed the entire continent.
Onyeama also told the visiting Secretary-General of the Community of Democracies that under President Buhari, Nigeria has taken a number of very important initiatives to further entrench democratic culture in the country.
He said the Nigerian Government is working hard to ensure free and fair elections by promoting the use of technology to ensure that every vote counts, adding that several other measures have been taken to support the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to perform its mandate more effectively and efficiently.
On his part, Garrett said the organisation does not rate the practice of democracy in countries because democracy is never a finished product, saying this universally acceptable system of government is one that always recreates for the growth and progress of societies.
According to him, the organisation is more concerned about what each country does to constantly deepen its democratic culture to ensure equity, justice and fairness.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
