Democracy is best for Nigeria – Buhari

Multi-party democracy is the best system of government, President Muhammadu Buhari declared on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said his declaration stemmed from his experiences both as military head of state and as civilian president.

He made the declaration when he hosted a delegation of the Universal Peace Federation Africa which visited him.

President Buhari said he wondered why some African countries were still descending into the abyss of unconstitutional change of government, saying: “I thought we had finally put that behind us.”

On the Peace Summit being planned for Abuja to bring all African countries together before the end of his administration, Buhari pledged Nigeria’s support, “relative to resources to help in stabilising neighbouring countries”.

He decried problems in the Sahel belt of the African continent, lamenting that it was of great concern as they impacted negatively on agriculture and on businesses.

The president described the interest of the Universal Peace Federation Africa in the continent as “quite genuine”, saying he was very pleased at the development.

In their remarks, Chairperson of the Federation in Africa, Ms Katherine Rigney and Dr Thomas Walsh, Chairman, Universal Peace Federation International, said they believed the Abuja summit “will top them all”.

Similar meetings had been held in the past in Niger Republic, Senegal, Sao Tome and Principe, and in South Africa, among countries.

Rigney said Buhari would be given the Leadership and Good Governance Award at the Abuja Summit.

“This is in appreciation of the fantastic results you have brought to Nigeria, and a celebration of your anti-corruption credentials,” she said.