The governor of Kaduna state, Uba Sani, has said that Nigeria has not yet fully achieved the democratic expectations set during the struggle against military rule, stressing that more work is still needed to strengthen the country’s democratic system and deliver its intended benefits.
He said this while speaking with ARISE NEWS on Friday, as Nigeria marked Democracy Day.
“I cannot say that we have really achieved what we were expecting when we were in the struggle. We believed at that time, we thought after 10 years, a lot of things would have been achieved. But I can say a lot of things have to be done,” he said.
Urging Nigerians to continue to believe in democracy, he said citizens must remain committed to strengthening democratic institutions and values.
“And at this critical time, I just want the people of Nigeria to believe in democracy, to also continue to fight for the entrenchment of democratic ideals. That is the most important thing. But not to come out and try to compare military dictatorship with democratic dispensation,” he urged.
Speaking on the recent protest involving activist Omoyele Sowore, Governor Sani noted that while citizens have the right to express themselves, such activities must still operate within the framework of the law, including obtaining necessary approvals from security agencies where required.
“Certainly, when you are coming out for demonstrations, you have to take permission or seek permission from the relevant security agencies. That’s number one.
“Number two, there’s certainly going to be a point where the security agencies intervene when there are some concerns,” he said.
Responding to claims that state governments have failed to deliver the dividends of democracy, the Kaduna state governor said each governor can only account for their own state, noting that Kaduna has recorded significant progress in key sectors such as security, agriculture, education, and infrastructure despite persistent challenges.
“I can tell you here that I can only speak for Kaduna. I think I’m not competent enough to speak for other governors. Everyone can speak for his state. But if you are talking about Kaduna State, I will give you many examples. Is it in the area of agriculture? The area of insecurity? Is it the area of education, area of transportation? We have really made a lot of progress,” he highlighted.
Explaining the clemency granted to 97 inmates in Kaduna on Democracy Day, Governor Sani said the decision followed the recommendation of an advisory committee comprising the Attorney General and the Chief Judge of Kaduna State, who review eligible cases during national celebrations such as June 12 and October 1, with emphasis on minor offences, inability to pay fines, and the need for reintegration into society.
“In Kaduna we have an advisory committee headed by the Attorney General, the Chief Judge of Kaduna State. They sat down together. Every 1st October and June 12th—we always grant this mercy prerogative because of the power vested in me as a governor. And of course, usually, we have to look and see some people that went to detention because of certain fines they need to pay, and which they cannot afford. We look at the level of the offense. We sit down with the Chief Judge of Kaduna State, the Attorney General, and the members of the advisory committee, and they will come up with the assessment.
“After the assessment, we believe in Kaduna we must also deploy the policy of giving people a second chance. And we believe most of those people that were given amnesty today can be reintegrated also to the society. We must be able to forgive people and give them a second chance, and that’s the essence of that. As someone who believes in justice and rule of law, I have done that,” he explained.
On the proposal for state police, Sani described it as a necessary reform, recalling that he sponsored a related bill during his tenure in the 9th Senate, and arguing that proper legal safeguards would be required to prevent abuse, limit political involvement, and ensure that any such force focuses strictly on crime prevention and internal security.
“State police is an idea that the time has come. Recall when I was in the Senate, the 9th Senate, I was the person who sponsored the bill for the creation of state police.
“So the issue here is that it depends on the members of the National Assembly who are going to craft this law to ensure that the state police are not given that opportunity, or in the law, you must restrict them from participating in anything to do with political activities. That should be left for the federal police force. They should focus on crime prevention; that is the most important thing. So that is the essence of the creation of state police,” he stressed.
He further argued that the creation of state police is essential to tackling insecurity in Nigeria, insisting that without it, challenges such as insurgency, banditry, and kidnapping would remain difficult to address effectively due to the limited number of security personnel relative to the country’s population.
“And again, I will also draw your attention to the fact that in Nigeria, we are lacking boots on the ground. The entire police force in Nigeria is not more than 400,000—not even up to 400,000. The entire military personnel in Nigeria, they are not even up to 270,000 in our country, a country of 230 million people. And except we create state police in Nigeria, we cannot address the issue of—or address this issue of insurgency, banditry, and kidnappings. That’s the only thing we need to do because only when you create state police will you give them the constitutional power to hold some of the firearms,” he noted.
The governor, reflecting on the pro-democracy struggle, said Nigerians and political leaders must defend democracy, stressing the importance of the rule of law and judiciary.
“Well, for me, because we are in a democratic dispensation today, I want to draw our attention to many politicians in Nigeria that we have a responsibility to protect and defend democracy. And for me, democracy is about rule of law. We should always believe in our democratic rule and believe in the judiciary. That’s the most important thing,” he concluded.
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