Muhammadu Buhari, the president of Nigeria, stressed the necessity of strengthening democracy in the West African area on Tuesday in Liberia.
He also emphasized the need for African leaders to improve democracy and sound governance if there is to be peace and security on the continent.
InsightnaijaTV reports These were said by President Buhari in a message of friendship to the Liberian government and people on the occasion of the country’s 175th anniversary of independence.
According to the details made available in a statement on Tuesday by his senior special adviser on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, the Nigerian leader “called on leaders in West Africa to do all within their powers to ensure that elections are conducted in their countries in an atmosphere of trust, freedom and transparency as this is the only way the sub-region can be insulated from the scourge of unconstitutional take overs that reared its head in three countries recently.”
He added in the statement titled ‘FREE, TRANSPARENT AND CREDIBLE ELECTIONS INDISPENSABLE TO PEACE AND STABILITY IN WEST AFRICA,’ that “democracy and good governance must take its roots on the African continent to sustain peace, stability and development while leaders must redouble their efforts to guarantee the irreversibility of democracy.”
The statement quoted Buhari to have told the gathering which included other world leaders that unconstitutional change of power must be avoided.
“I would like to use the opportunity of this event to address an important issue affecting three countries in the ECOWAS region; Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
“All the three nations have National Elections in 2023. In Nigeria, we are working towards a free, fair, transparent, credible and acceptable outcome of elections and their results, it is important and necessary for all our countries to key into these resolves as they are indispensable to peace and stability in our countries and sub-region.
“The deepening of democracy and good governance are essential antidotes to check-mate unconstitutional change of governments as we sadly witnessed within the last three years in three countries within our sub-region. We must strengthen our efforts to guarantee the irreversibility of democracy in our sub-region and Africa,” he said according to the statement.
Further speaking, President Buhari took use of the occasion to commemorate Nigeria’s pivotal responsibilities during Liberia’s struggles, particularly in the 1990s.
He said: “Nigeria’s contributions to the survival and safety of Liberia are well known. The dark period of your country’s civil war from 1989 to 1997, was a period that Nigeria invested hugely for peace in Liberia and indeed stability in the rest of the ECOWAS sub-region. May those dark days never re-surface in our countries and sub-region.”
The Nigerian leader praised his Liberian counterpart, Dr. George Manneh Weah, for his love of the nation and pursuit of peace, unity, and progress, as seen by people-oriented projects carried out with the only intention of advancing the nation within the constraints of the available resources.
He told him that Nigeria would continue to support them in this.
“Your Excellency’s policy of development launched in 2018 as well as the recently launched youth empowerment program, targeted at comprehensively addressing the problems of youth restiveness in Liberia and equally aimed at rescuing the disadvantaged youths (ZOGOS in local parlance) from drug addictions and other forms of social vices and transforming them into useful members of the Liberian society, are clearly very appropriate policies to lift up the most vulnerable.
“Permit me to assure you and all Liberians that Nigeria, as a good partner and a dependable ally, would continue to support you in these efforts, within the limit of our resources.
“This brings to the fore, the need for strengthening and broadening the levels of collaboration and cooperation between our two countries, both bilaterally and multilaterally, within the ECOWAS, AU and the UN, in order to adequately tackle the common national, sub-regional and global challenges.”
President Buhari and other West African leaders were praised for attending by President of Liberia.
Weah told Buhari: “Thank you Mr. President and the good people of Nigeria. I especially appreciate you bringing peace to my land. We would not have had peace if it weren’t for your assistance.
