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African leaders and elder statesmen person warned astir the impending illness of ideology successful the continent if urgent and strategical actions are not taken by each stakeholders.
The leaders, including incumbent and erstwhile presidents, made the stark reflection during the Democracy Dialogue of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation successful Accra, Ghana.
The elder statesmen see Nigeria’s erstwhile president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, erstwhile president Goodluck Jonathan and President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama.
The dialog was besides attended by the president of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto diocese of Catholic connected Wednesday.
The interest of the elder statesmen followed rising planetary sermon implicit threats to antiauthoritarian values and weakened institutions successful the look the authoritarian tendencies.
Leading the conversation, Obasanjo warned that ideology would illness if important reforms are not done to its existent form.
Obasanjo, who was president of the occasion, said ideology arsenic practiced, had drifted from its archetypal mentation of authorities of the people, by the people, and for the people.
“Democracy dies due to the fact that ideology has refused to beryllium reformed,” helium declared, “There are 3 aspects of ideology that cannot proceed to beryllium the mode it was arsenic defined by the American president; authorities of the people, by the radical and for the people.
“In that definition, ideology is meant to beryllium each people’s action, and if ideology volition not dice and beryllium buried, ideology indispensable beryllium reformed successful context, successful content, and successful practice.”
He lamented that ideology was being destroyed from wrong owed to the mode it is presently practiced.
“The happening sidesplitting ideology and volition termination it is the signifier of democracy,” helium warned, adding, “All the essentials that should beryllium portion and parcel of ideology are being ignored oregon bastardised successful specified a mode that ideology has failed to deliver.”
He continued, “And ideology cannot present unless it is reformed. If it is not reformed, it volition not lone fail, it volition dice and beryllium buried.”
However, Obasanjo maintained that determination is nary perfect substitute to democracy, successful its existent form, successful spite of its flaws.
He further flawed the mentation of ideology arsenic simply “government of the majority,” noting that it marginalises minorities and undermines inclusivity.
“And they speech of authorities of ideology arsenic authorities of the majority. If you speech of authorities of the majority, what bash you bash with the minority? Then number is not portion of the people?” Obasanjo queried.
On his part, erstwhile president Jonathan declared that immoderate person who fails to execute should beryllium voted retired if due elections were conducted.
He further identified predetermination manipulation arsenic 1 of the biggest threats to ideology successful Africa, stressing besides that unless reforms are done ideology would illness successful Africa.
In a connection yesterday, the communications serviceman astatine Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, Mr Wealth Dickson Ominabo, quoted the erstwhile president arsenic saying that wherever ideology fails to conscionable expectations, desperation could unfastened the doorway to authoritarianism.
He added that leaders indispensable perpetrate to the benignant of ideology that guarantees a large aboriginal for the children wherever their voices matter.
He said: “Democracy successful Africa continent is going done a play of strain and hazard illness unless stakeholders travel unneurotic to rethink and betterment it. Electoral manipulation remains 1 of the biggest threats successful Africa.
“We successful Africa indispensable statesman to look astatine our ideology and rethink it successful a mode that works good for america and our people. One of the problems is our electoral system. People manipulate the process to stay successful powerfulness by each means.
“If we had due elections, a person who fails to execute would beryllium voted out. But successful our case, radical usage the strategy to perpetuate themselves adjacent erstwhile the radical don’t privation them.
“Our radical privation to bask their freedoms. They privation their votes to number during elections. They privation equitable practice and inclusivity. They privation bully education. Our radical privation security. They privation entree to bully healthcare. They privation jobs. They privation dignity. When leaders neglect to conscionable these basal needs, the radical go disillusioned.”
He besides spoke connected younker information successful governance, describing it arsenic precise encouraging, but emphasisied that for the younker to win successful governance, they request the contented and acquisition of older radical to usher them.
Also speaking, President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, said ideology would not past unless Africans actively worked to support and fortify it.
“Democracy volition not past if we don’t enactment for it. We request ...
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