Our Democracy Still Evolving, We Have A Lot To Learn – Fashola

Former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has described Nigeria’s democratic governance as still undergoing an evolution to eventually reach maturity.

Mr Fashola who was speaking on TVC News Beyond The Headlines programme with Nifemi Oguntoye said the nation still has a long way to go.

According to him ” Nigerians want to feel the impact of their representatives especially lawmakers” who are basically elected to make laws.

He added that it is impossible for a lawmaker to go before his constituents and say ” I have initiated and passed 3 and also resolutions for you”.
He described this as something most Nigerians will feel is a failure of representation.

Most Nigeria and according to him will tell such lawmaker that “We are not feeling you” .

This he said distracts lawmakers from their core duties of lawmaking.

He expressed hope that the nation’s democratic culture will mature to the point that ideas will rule the space and not conflicting personalities without anything to share with the people.

He made a pointed example of the pronouncements by the New British Prine. Minister, Andy Burnham, on the direction his government wants to take especially in addressing the cost of living crisis which affects all nations of the world.

He added that his pronouncements as to direction of Economic policies has galvanised the opposition which has now contributed to the development of public discourse and government policies.

He also disclosed that the Judiciary has a very important role to play in the development and evolution of the nation’s democratic culture.

While calling for the adoption of sportsmanship by the Political class Fashola said not all cases should go to court.

“In one of the off cycle elections that we participated in, we had a poll and it told us we will lose and when the result came out we lost, I said we should not go to court and we did not”

“Something can’t be good only when it favours you we have to be gracious in defeat”