President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, said Nigerians and Africans must comply with tenets of multi- party democracy since they have accepted the form of government .
According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity , Femi Adesina , the President spoke while receiving the President of the Republic of The Gambia, Adama Barrow , at the Presidential Villa , Abuja .
The statement was titled “ In democracy, people do themselves a lot of favour when they do the right things , President Buhari tells visiting Gambian President . ”
The President was quoted as saying that “ I was in Gambia physically at least two times . It was the least we could do to stabilize the region.
“ We ’ ve accepted multi- party democracy, and we must comply with its tenets . By supporting you , we were supporting ECOWAS .
“ We are dealing with our own troubles here , but we will continue to support you bilaterally, and through ECOWAS . ”
Buhari said countries should not stop educating people that they are doing themselves a lot of favour when they do the right things in a democracy,
“ The future of our countries lies in our hands . We must respect our people , and appreciate their support. And when the people do the right things, they do themselves a lot of favour, ” he said .
As The Gambia goes to the polls next year , the President pledged Nigeria ’ s support in different ways possible .
According to the statement , Barrow said his visit was meant to thank Nigeria again for its multifarious help , noting that the support had been unflinching since he got to office in 2017.
“ You have given us technical support in the Ministry of Education , in Ministry of Justice, and in many other areas. We are grateful , ” the Gambian President said .
He disclosed that The Gambia was recovering from 22 years of dictatorship , security problems, lack of infrastructure, and a parlous economy. A Truth and Reconciliation Commission was also sitting , to redress injustices of the past, and heal the injuries .
Going forward , Barrow said his country still needed Nigeria ’ s stabilizing force, “ as things would have been very difficult for us without the invaluable support you gave. ”
