From IKENNA EMEWU, Abuja
As the nation celebrates 14 years of unbroken tinkering with democracy, the Federal Government may on Wednesday, during the Democracy Day deliver a mid-term report of its activities. Presidency source informed Daily Sun that the Ministries of Finance and National Planning strongly feel President Goodluck Jonathan will use the occasion "to emphasize the gains of democracy and the need to embrace a culture of consultation, negotiation and consensus as parts of good governance."
The source said: "The Federal Government's position derives from the realization that the only way to bring home the concept of a Democracy Day is to use the occasion to remind everyone of the essence of a democratic culture, assess the extent to which it is being imbibed by the institutions of state and the citizenry; and then take stock on performance, policy thrust and national development." It was also indicated that the theme of the celebrations – One Nation, Great Promise, would be a context within which this year's Democracy Day would be celebrated.
"The idea of a mid-term performance report of the administration is a way of bringing governance issues within the purview of responsible accounting to the people. This will give Nigerians a perspective on the extent to which the president has succeeded in the implementation of the policies, programmes and projects in the administration's Transformation Agenda. The review will also show that the economy has not only recorded an impressive GDP growth, with the government surpassing its annual targets in eight of the 14 broad areas of the Transformation Agenda, but that this has actually translated into measurable impact on the lives of the citizens."
It also made allusions to Nigeria's global GDP ranking from the abysmal 44th position in 2010, to the 36th recently. The presidency source said: "President Jonathan is determined to show Nigerians that we must see democracy beyond the mere form and focus on the content, which is actually a way of life that combines good governance with economic efficiency." "Some of the major gains in view are the reduction of the overall fiscal deficit-to-GDP ratio to 2.41 per cent, the growth of our fiscal reserves (ECA/SWF) to US$9.5 billion.
There is also the increase of Nigeria's external reserves to US$48.8 billion; as at the first quarter of 2013 – besides the giant strides in agriculture, aviation, social infrastructure and financial sector reforms, among others. "The mood of the presidency is that May 29 must cease to be a day filled with empty ceremonies, set aside to remember the swearing in of an elected government after many years of military rule. May 29 should celebrate democracy as an ideal and still show its material and non-material dividends, including the gains of consultation and the resulting national consensus," it noted.
Via: Sun News Online
The celebrations would definately be a memorable one. I'm very sure Nigerians won't forget it in a long while.