26th September, 2012
Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, has said that his attendance of the three-day national convention of the Democratic Party of the United States of America held in Charlotte, North Carolina is not in vain.
Ikuforiji, who spoke recently at the floor of the House, said he attended the convention with the national leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“I believe that though our problems are peculiar to our country and polity, with a united sense of purpose, we can overcome these problems and challenges.
“Irrespective of interpersonal demarcation, we must not give up on our country,” he said.
Ikuforiji said he learnt that no democracy worked without compromise and that religion, party affiliation and tribe should not determine the growth of Nigeria.
According to him, even though the convention was a party affair, all the security agencies in the United States had been saddled with the responsibility of providing watertight security for everyone; not just the President, not just the party chiefs, “but even the lowliest of the lowly.
“Yet, in spite of the heavy security presence, people with legitimate business in the convention vicinity walked about, unhindered and unhurried.
“In those three days, nothing went wrong; a testimony to the fact that the people behind the scene did their jobs; they lived up to their responsibility of ensuring a hitch-free event.
“I was also struck by the ambience of unity which pervaded the arena: black or white, there was this sense of purpose which hung in the air; the delegates and other members of the audience knew why they were there.”
He said that unlike in Nigeria, he did not see any pocket of violence or any delegate or party chief being harassed by thugs.
“I saw in the participants, a people ever-ready to hold to account, their elected representatives; they are not a people who leave governance to government; they are a people who carefully choose who rule them; they defied the heavy downpour to give their support to the democrats and their president; the delegates showed their allegiance to their party and its principles.
He also castigated those who have raised issues on whether Asiwaju Tinubu was invited to the convention or if he actually bought the ticket, saying such critics forget that they should face governance and leave out trivial issues.
He confirmed that the former governor was invited to the convention.
—Eromosele Ebhomele