Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said Nigeria’s democracy is sluggish and moving slowly.
Jonathan made the declaration in Benin, shortly after meeting with the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II in his palace.
He said, “Democracy takes a gradual process, some countries may move faster than others. We may be moving slowly, we may be a bit sluggish, we may even wobble sometimes but the key thing is that democratic governance is what everybody wants”.
The former president argued that democracy has granted Nigeria freedom of the media today because of democracy, noting “It was not like this before.”
“But the journey is on. I believe we will get there,” he added.
According to him, democracy takes time to develop, saying it is a gradual process and countries must be able to know and appreciate that because of its inherent benefits.
“Tomorrow (Wednesday) is the public holiday that we are celebrating the Democracy Day and looking at the faces, some of you were not born in 1998, 1999 that this present republic came to stay because we will be 25 years old in democracy,” he stated.
He told the Oba that he has come to seek his royal blessing for the forthcoming programme of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF) Democracy Dialogue, in Benin.
Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, praised Jonathan for bringing the event to Benin, saying this has shown the value and respect the former president has for the Benin Kingdom.
He praised Jonathan for always visiting him at the palace, and assured him of reciprocating such gesture.
