Page 215 - Blooms Schools Yearbook 2019

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DEMOCRACY AS A TOOL FOR PROMOTING
NATIONAL UNITY, PEACE AND STABILITY

NAME: DAMILOLA ADEMOKOYA
CLASS: JS1
SCHOOL: BLOOMS COLLEGE, KARU.

It was Abraham Lincoln, the 16th US president who in 1776, defined democracy as “a government of
the people, by the people and for the people”. Simply put, democracy can be said to be a
government which the minority have their say but the majority have their way. Owing to its socio-
cultural diversity, the Nigerian nation needs democracy as a tool for national unity, peace and
stability.

The nation's history as a country dates back to the scramble for African territory by Europe. Having
agreed among themselves about the modalities for acquiring territories in Africa at Berlin in 1886,
Britain took charge of the North and South Protectorates until Sir, Lord Lugard , the then British
Governor-General merged both parts in 1914 in what is popularly known as the Amalgamation.
Following this historic development, Floral Shaw, Lugard's wife coined the name 'Nigeria' from
'Niger area' to represent the new arrangement.

Furthermore, the new formulation continued to be under the controls of the British until in 1960 when
Nigeria got her freedom for self rule from the British.

Since then, one identity of Nigeria as a nation is its socio- cultural diversity. Nigeria has over 250
ethnic nationalities; many religious denominations, a variety of crops, vegetation and topography.
With a nation such as this, something had to be done in order to promote national peace and
cohesion. In other words, if our diversity is not properly managed, it would constitute a bombshell. If
properly managed, however, it could be a source of strength to us as a nation. It is curious that
humanity likes variety as man soon becomes disenchanted with monotony.

As earlier defined, democracy is majority rule. It is democracy that gives equal representation to
every part of the country. After independence, the country has had a lot of struggle entrenching its
democracy. The military had on several occasions taken over governance from the civilians to the
point that the struggle claimed so many lives before democracy finally take root. Today, we have two
important days dedicated to our democracy: June 12 and May 29.

Nigeria has made its choice for democracy as a result of the gains that could be derived from the
system vis a vis our peculiar circumstance. Remember that our coming together as a nation was not
negotiated. We all just found ourselves together as a nation. However, this in itself is not the issue.
The United States is equally, if not more diverse than Nigeria; yet it is the number one country on
earth.

Thus, what is paramount is to manage our diversity for maximum benefit. Thank God we have that
tool in democracy. Democracy ensures that there is equity. Democracy ensures that there is justice
and democracy ensures that there is rule of law. Democracy is the only hope of Nigeria.

In our country, the symbol of democracy is the National Assembly and the Constitution which spells
out how leaders are elected or removed unlike in the military dispensation where rulers were
imposed on the people.

Moreover, a presidential candidate, must, for instance, win two thirds of the total votes cast in twenty
four states in the country. These are checks that have been put in place to ensure that no part of the
country is denied. Even political parties to qualify for registration must have national spread. Without

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