Barrister ifeanyi bags Democracy Icon award, charges Leaders on quality service
Those honoured at the occasion include the late President Umaru Ya’Adua; former President Olusegun Obasanjo; presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, and Femi Falana, SAN, Barr.
Others include Bishop Mathew Kukah; the late minister of information, Prof. Dora Akunyili; the Yoruba leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo; the late Dele Giwa; the late Gani Fawehinmi; Senator Shehu Sani and Oby Ezekwesili, among others
Newsway Media learnt that, Barrister ifeanyi Democracy Iconic award is in lieu of his great passion for more heights in leadership and professionalism as a man of high repute and hard working, goal oriented individual, who places a great value on his integrity with achievements in leadership dexterity par excellence”
In his response, while addressing the journalists , Barr. Ifeanyi said it was humbling to be recognised “for the work that we do across cities and communities in our dear country. He expressed satisfaction as everything was done based on verifiable performance and professionalism as a defender of Democracy.
Nrialike who advised leaders to prioritise the rights and humanity of the citizens also noted that the welfare of citizens should guide national aspirations and development initiatives
Ifeanyi, who bemoaned the hardship faced by the middle class and poor Nigerians, appealed to the president to consider the interest of the masses in whatever policy he’s implementing in the country.
"He also urged the administration to implement policies beneficial to Nigerians and not just act busy churning out papers at the National Assembly without any action on ground.
"He stressed that as a government freely elected by the people, democratic governments in Nigeria must always show that they have the interest of the people at heart by creating a conducive atmosphere in their favour.
Speaking further, Barrister ifeanyi emphasized that the duty of leaders is to run their countries properly and efficiently, and “not to dehumanize human beings and make their lives difficult.”
The Coalition for the Protection of Democracy, COPDEM, has urged the Federal Government to reconsider some of its policies that are capable of putting huge financial strain on the citizenry.
The Non-Governmental Organization said there was need for FG to always tailor it policies towards the betterment of the interest and welfare of citizens, describing it as a major objective of every government.
The National Chairman of the organization, Prince Rwang Pam Jr, spoke during the National Convention of the body, held in Abuja.
He maintained that governance should be about making the lives of the common man better, rather than wearing them out with levies and taxes, which according to him, have direct negative effects on the people.
He said: “For me, there is a lot of work to be done by the present government; we have heard of policies and for me to be okay with the performance of this government, the ordinary Nigerians must be able to say it, people in the street. I want to see people in them feel better.
“If you consider the level of taxes and levies that people are inflicted with almost weekly, what has the government done about it? When are they going to stop all these taxes and try to create a safety net for the masses? I feel they can do more.”
Prince Rwang further queried the rationale behind the cyber security levy that was recently placed on bank transactions, insisting that the policy was ill-timed
“Why must you bring the tax at this time?It should be out of profit. You cannot tax anyone yet to make profit. So, all these are inflicting on the psych of the poor people. It doesn’t make sense,” he added
He advised citizens to always hold their leaders as well as government institutions accountable, saying it would help to reduce the rate of corruption and nepotism among the political class.
Meanwhile, he said the organization deemed it fit to confer honourary awards on Nigerians, both dead and alive, whose contribution helped to entrench democracy in the country.
Meatime, in his speech, Chairman of the event and Secretary General of Big Tent, Austin Kemie, said current Nigerian politicians are not living by the principles of democracy, unlike what it was in the past.
He said the current political parties in the country were yet to define their purpose, saying the country was still in need of politicians who will drive democracy for the benefit of every citizen.
“Looking at Nigerian politicians, do you think that they are living by that principle of democracy? Certainly not! When you talk about the Second Republic, we see politicians with conscience.
“For the political parties at the time, you can easily identify what each of those different political parties stood for; like the NPN, the PRP, the UPN and so on, from the late 70s up to the early 80s.
“But in this current dispensation, I am sorry that we do not have the kind of politicians that can actually drive democracy as it were in Nigeria back then,” Kemie added.
The event also featured the presentation of scholarship awards to three undergraduates as winners of the COPDEM scholarship project
