By Simon Akwu
A northern group under the auspices of the Arewa Movement for Good Governance (AM2G) has bemoaned the suspension of Senator Abdul Ningi, saying Nigeria’s democracy is not creating hope on the horizon for the teaming youth who cannot even go to school and those who managed to go through school cannot find jobs.
Describing Ningi’s suspension as a bad omen for the country’s democracy, the AM2G convener, Usman Bugaje has accused the Senate of not giving Ningi a fair hearing which he says does not bode well for the nation.
Last week, the Senate suspended Ningi for three months after he accused the lawmakers of padding the 2024 budget in a move that irked many members of the upper lawmaking body.
He claimed that with the events surrounding the suspension, democracy is not delivering as expected in Nigeria.
“Distinguished members of the press, it is very evident that our democracy is in crisis. Our democracy is not delivering development and with the kind of National Assembly that we have today, and we can see why,” he said in a Thursday briefing in Kaduna.
“Our democracy is impoverishing the citizens, more citizens are daily falling below the poverty line and many are trapped into multi-dimensional poverty. Our democracy is not creating hope on the horizon for the teaming youth who cannot even go to school and those who managed to go through school cannot find jobs.
“Our democracy is losing its meaning, losing its value, and losing its luster. Our democracy is stripping us of our dignity, of our honor, and of our humanity. There is an urgent need to restore our confidence in democracy before we lose our senses. Once we get to the point where we lose our senses that will be the end of anything sensible,” Bugaje said.
The group is calling among others for the freezing of all “funds that are suspect until a thorough investigation is done” over the claims.
