The former APC chairman stated this in Abuja while expressing his views at the 17th edition of the Daily Trust Dialogue with the theme “20 Years of Democracy in Nigeria: Strengths, Weaknesses and Opportunities.”
Oyegun, 80, who served as governor of Edo State during the Third Republic between 1992 and 1993, said since the return of democracy 20 years ago, there was no single administration that was immune from the anger of the citizenry. “As a person, I have no difficulty at all acknowledging that democracy has to develop roots in our nation,” Oyegun said. “I have no problem accepting that Nigerians have been given to accept victory and accept defeat in different shapes either when the Supreme Court finally pronounces or following the example of President Goodluck Jonathan graciously conceding defeat.
Oyegun, whose remarks elicited thunderous applause from the gathering said he is worried with the way things are going in Nigeria. “What worries me is the threat to our democracy,” he said. “I borrow from what the former governor of Borno State (Kashim Shettima) said. He passionately appealed that we must try to make Nigeria work. Why is Nigeria not working? “At the risk of being misinterpreted, let me make the point that we have been growing in those 20 years, every year and with every administration.
“I dare to even say that there is hardly a single administration in those 20 years that has not left office unpopular and unheralded,” he said. The former Edo governor said many questions require sincere answers from leaders. “We have never asked ourselves the question why are our people getting increasingly unhappy with their governors within those 20 years. Why are they getting poorer, why are they losing hope, those are the questions I think pose a threat to our democracy because today we are beginning to hear rumblings that we didn’t hear before.
“Amotekun is just one of them which show a general feeling of enough is not being done in certain area and this has been a growing syndrome in the last 20 years. “What have we missed between government and the people? What should we be doing as government, as leaders that we are not doing? Why is it that our people are losing hope, losing faith in us, and hope in the nation? He asked.
“So, there is something fundamentally wrong I cannot give you the answer but it is something that another dialogue probably needs to address,” he said. Some of the dignitaries that attended the event included former Vice President Namadi Sambo, Senator Sabi Abdullahi who represented Senate President Ahmad Lawan, and former President of Botswana, Mr Festus Mogae. Others were Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, former governors Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Shehu Shema (Katsina), Kashim Shettima (Borno), Obong Victor Attah (Akwa Ibom), Attahiru Bafarawa (Sokoto). Others were the Director General of National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Modibbo Kawu and that Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu; Senator Datti Ahmed, Comrade Issa Aremu, Comrade Ayuba Wabba (NLC president), Hajiya Amina Bala Zakari from INEC, members of diplomatic corps and university administrators.