By ABUBAKAR YUSUF.
The Director General, National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, NILDS, Professor Olarenwaju Abubakar Sulaiman has stressed the need for Nigeria and Ghana to sustain the success of the democratic rules over the decades.
Professor Sulaiman made this submission during the visit of Ghana Parliament Speaker, Rt Honorable Alban Sunmanu kensfort Gbagbin and members of the Ghana parliamentary service board in his office on Wednesday in Abuja.
Sulaiman says the similarities and success stories of democratic practices in the two countries must be a model to other sister African countries.
The Director General maintained that those efforts to keep afloat people’s representation had emboldened the act establishing the institute to a more responsible and responsive agency of government, charged with legislative re-orientation and democratic practices/ norms.
He recalled the inglorious days of the military interventions and interregnum in the two countries, stating that the return to democratic rule by both countries in 1992 and 1999, had opened a new chapter of sane leadership devoid of forceful actions and reactions.
He commended the Ghanian delegation on the visit, stating that despite the leading position of Ghana attaining the current democratic feat before Nigeria, the zeal to learn more democratic practices without hesitation was encouraging, giving the dynamics of Nigeria’s democracy.
He impressed on the Ghanian parliament that Nigerian democracy was at it’s full course, saying the country had experienced many democratic gallops with visible solutions over the decades.
He assured the Ghana parliament that the doors of the institute was opened to all forms of collaborations, partnerships that will continue to flourish the democratic disposition in the two countries and other African nations.
The Director General of NILDS stated that aside sustaining the current democratic successes in Nigeria, efforts are being made through research to acquire and acquaint more knowledge on the best way to continue to achieve more democratic feat in the years ahead, saying the doors of the institute will be open to all consultations through bilateral and multilateral engagements at any point in time.
He described Ghana as an age long sister country, that was distanced through mere boundary demarcation for easy administrative convenience, saying the country is looking forward to continue to engage each other at any giving fora or opportunity.
