Abuja: The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has identified 27 years of uninterrupted civilian governance as the most significant achievement of Nigeria’s democratic journey. This was articulated by the IPAC National Publicity Secretary, Martins Egbeola, during an interview in Abuja with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Egbeola expressed concerns that despite the longevity of democratic governance, it has not resulted in meaningful development for the nation. He highlighted that issues such as insecurity, poverty, and corruption have deteriorated compared to the era of military regimes. Egbeola pointed out that Nigerians have not experienced substantial improvement under the current democratic system.
Egbeola further elaborated on Nigeria’s standing in global indices, stating that the country remains among the worst in terms of the global terrorism index, poverty rate, corruption perception index, and the number of out-of-school children, which he cited as exceeding 18.3 million.
Reflecting on the 27 years of democratic rule, Egbeola criticized the political class, asserting that they have failed the citizens and are the sole beneficiaries of the democratic system. He argued that the nation’s progress has been stifled by the existing political structure and leadership since the inception of the Fourth Republic, calling for a restructuring of the country.
Egbeola emphasized the need for Nigeria to intensify its efforts in combating corruption, upholding civil liberties, promoting transparency, reducing governance costs, curbing nepotism, strengthening institutions, and respecting the rule of law.