Former Vice-President
Atiku Abubakar says civil servants now lose their jobs for criticising
politicians in position of power.
Abubakar
said this in a statement to mark the 25th anniversary of June 12.
He
was apparently citing the case of Bolouere Opukiri, an official of the media
unit of the Presidential amnesty office who lost her job after criticising
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and the wife of the president.
She
had described then acting president as “a novice” for travelling out of the
country at a time President Muhammadu Buhari was receiving medical treatment in
London, and criticised Aisha Buhari for saying “hyenas and jackals” had taken
over her husband’s government.
She
was fired seven days later.
Abubakar
said the foundation of a democratic society is the guarantee of fundamental
human rights that gives the citizenry the freedom of speech.
He
noted that it is the exclusive responsibility of the state through the various
security organisations to see to the protection of these fundamental rights of
the people.
He
added that there is a growing culture of arbitrariness in some of the
institutions of government at all levels that is “contradictory to the notion
of inclusiveness and fairness that a democratic society guarantees”.
“Today,
across our major cities and even in the hinterlands, citizens, especially the
youth, can hardly walk freely in open avenues without the police stopping them
to search through the content of their mobile handsets,” he said.
“Civil
servants now lose their jobs just because they choose to criticize politicians
in government positions; there are even suggestions in some quarters that civil
servants should be barred from signing to social media networks.
“Opposition
politicians are regularly being hounded on wanton criminal and civil
prosecutions.
“All
of these narratives have become a consistent pattern of behavior that is
antithetical to an open and democratic society.
“In
many of the states across the country, there is a reign of fascism with
governors who have suddenly become overlords dealing ruthlessly with anyone who
dares to challenge their ruthless foothold of intimidation and oppression.
“Perhaps
at this point, we need to remind ourselves that the democracy which we enjoy
today did not come cheap price; It came at the cost of supreme price paid by
persons that included Chief MKO Abiola, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, Maj-Gen Shehu
Yar’Adua, Chief Alfred Rewane and Bagauda Kaltho, among thousands of other
patriots.”
Abubakar
reminded the people that democracy is not merely a mechanism of appointing a
government, saying “its beauty is in the inherent safeguard to the citizenry to
live and prosper as free people under the law”.
He
called on all political actors to let June 12 and all that it embodies, inspire
them to promote democratic principles, especially as Nigeria is about to go to
the polls again.
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