A former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, has declared that Nigeria’s unity is sacrosanct and could be likened to a catholic marriage, noting that though not necessarily a perfect union, the marriage of different ethnic groups in the country is one that will last “till death do us part.”
He, therefore, called on Nigerians to “strive to do anything humanly possible to find accommodation and live peacefully, and to prevent” the “annulment” of the Nigeria marriage.
The former INEC chairman stated this yesterday while delivering a lecture entitled: “Broadcasting Democracy and the Challenge of the New Nigeria”, when he featured as guest speaker at the 2nd annual lecture organized by the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, in Abuja.
He observed that Nigeria has survived enormous challenges which would have divided any other African country, stressing that in spite of the unfair and inefficient conduct of the affairs of the country, Nigeria has remained intact
While calling for a more concerted effort to sustain Nigeria’s democracy in order to reposition her among other countries and address her challenges, Jega noted that the major challenge facing the country was that of accelerating democratization, institutionalizing good, democratic governance and consolidating democratic development.
He recalled that during electioneering campaign, public broadcasters, incumbent governments and parties mostly secured undue advantage, unfair and disproportionate coverage of their activities.
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