The Speaker of Akwa Ibom state House of Assembly, Hon Onofiok Luke, has urged politicians to put in place policies that would avail the electorate the much touted dividend of democracy.
The speaker in his good will massage to Nigerians as the country marks 20th anniversary of civil rule and inauguration of elected politicians urged them to see the need to ensure that the common man on the street gets fair share of the dividends of the hard fought and won democracy.
Luke, who is member-elect Etinan/Nsit Ibom/ Nsit Ubium federal constituency, said Nigeria needs leaderships that are awake to the fresh challenges in a democratic society.
“We need to collaborate across party lines, need to be more patriots than politicians. Democracy is no democracy if the citizens cannot access the dividends which democracy accrues.
“The killings and extreme insecurity across Nigeria for instance must be addressed quickly. Poverty and lack must be fought with little consideration for what is politically correct in the course of that fight.
He reiterated the need for a bi-partisan approach to addressing the myriads of challenges facing the nation at this time, while expressing the hope that political leaders will find the courage to lead with a more patriotic spirit and commitment to the overall wellbeing of the nation.
“For 20 years, our people have persistently expressed profound faith in popular governance despite the many negatives confronting us. Today, we enjoy the privileges which come with democracy but not without some hard price for them.
“What is, however, important in the journey is not the challenges which we face as we experiment representative governance, but the leadership lessons learnt, and how much these lessons will impact democracy in our country the next 20 years and beyond.”
The member-elect congratulated the Akwa Ibom state Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel, for his inauguration for a second term.
He expressed optimism that the governor will continue to deliver on his campaign promises, and honour every undertaking which rallied Akwa Ibom people round him in the last elections.
“I am positive that he will, above all, continue to protect the democratic ideals such as political inclusion which is one of the cherished hallmarks of the politics of Akwa Ibom state under his leadership”.
He envisaged a higher level of robust leadership and urge the people to transit from the momentary concerns of politics to concrete issues of governance, as this will be more beneficial to our collective estate going forward.
