Wike democracy message highlights that governance must deliver roads, hospitals, and trust beyond electoral rituals in Nigeria
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has urged that democracy in Nigeria should not be confined to periodic elections but function as a social contract anchored in accountability and transparency.
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He made the remarks on Tuesday at the Distinguished Personality Lecture at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Abuja.
Wike emphasised that democratic governance must deliver tangible improvements in citizens’ daily lives, arguing that political leadership should purposefully link democracy to infrastructure development.
“For the ordinary citizen, democracy must mean roads that work, hospitals that heal, water that runs, and security that reassures,” he said, noting that public trust erodes where infrastructure fails.
The minister stressed that Nigeria’s democracy must transcend electoral rituals, manifesting in everyday accountability, transparency, and active citizen participation.
“It must be a system that treats public office not as a privilege to be exploited, but as a sacred trust to be honoured; not as an avenue for personal enrichment, but as a platform for collective transformation,” Wike said.
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He concluded that good governance is the engine driving this aspiration, ensuring institutions function efficiently, equitably, and responsively to the needs and dignity of the people.
