Ekiti State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has said it is impossible to sustain a country whose people are unsure of their future, and future of their children.
Fayemi who made the statement through Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi, during a public presentation of a book: “Nigeria Democracy without Development: How to fix it,” written by Omano Edigheji, Special Adviser to Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, called on the Federal Government to tackle poverty, illiteracy and insurgency, which he said are hindering development in the country.
The governor said “democracy can only be sustained by people who are happy, who can foresee a future for themselves and their children’s future.
“And because of the current stability they enjoy, they want to use the instrument of democracy to sustain that.”
According to him, in an environment where there is poverty and lack, it is difficult to have democracy, noting that majority of Nigerians are unable to put food on their table.
“I hold the view that to have a democratic state, we first and foremost must succeed as developmental state because it is when we letget rid of poverty, illiteracy and insurgency that you can talk of democracy.
“It is only when this human calamities are taken away from a polity of a geographical location, that is the only time you can say that democracy can work.
“Unfortunately, we are believing that democracy in our country will lead to development, and that has been the state of Nigeria since independence.
“That is why I believe that any government, including the current government needs to invest more time, more thinking and will bring all hands on deck so that we can solve the problem of developmental deficits,” he added.