Goodluck Jonathan Calls for Review of Nigeria's Democracy

• Former President Goodluck Jonathan chaired a colloquium in Lagos marking Herbert Macaulay's 162nd birth anniversary
• Jonathan challenged Nigerians to honestly assess how far the country has come since the founding nationalists fought for independence
• Bode George urged President Tinubu to return the site of Macaulay's former Marina residence to the family for a memorial hall

Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has called for a broad review of Nigeria's democratic structures, political recruitment processes and public institutions, warning that the country owes a debt to the nationalists whose struggles secured its independence.

Jonathan said Nigeria's founding nationalists did not simply fight to remove colonial rulers — they imagined a sovereign, united and prosperous country where every citizen would enjoy equal rights, dignity and opportunity.

As reported by Daily Trust, Jonathan made the remarks while chairing a colloquium at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) in Lagos, held to mark the 162nd birth anniversary of Herbert Macaulay.

The event was themed "Nationalism and Nation Building."

"They envisioned a sovereign country where Nigerians would determine their own destiny, govern themselves, control their resources and deploy those resources for national development and the welfare of citizens," Jonathan said.

He added that independence was also meant to open the door to economic emancipation, industrialisation, quality education, accessible healthcare and social justice. Jonathan then posed a pointed question to those gathered:

"Have we made the kind of progress they envisioned, and are we satisfied with where Nigeria stands today?"

Jonathan on Nigeria's persistent challenges

While the former president acknowledged that Nigeria had made advances in certain areas, he said genuine patriotism demands honesty about the country's failures, not silence.

He listed leadership failures, weak institutions, corruption, policy inconsistency, poor infrastructure, insecurity and overdependence on raw material exports as the core obstacles holding the country back.

"Winning independence was a historic achievement; building a prosperous and united nation remains an ongoing responsibility," he said.

Bode George urges Tinubu to return Macaulay's former residence

Also speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Herbert Macaulay Colloquium Family Committee, Bode George, described Macaulay as a singular gift to Nigeria and called on current politicians to follow his example of placing public service above personal gain.

George appealed directly to President Bola Tinubu to return the site of Macaulay's former home on Marina to his family, so they could establish a permanent memorial hall in honour of the nationalist.

He stressed that Macaulay believed public office was a responsibility, not a privilege.

"When you decide that you want to be a public officer, in other words, you want to go into politics, it is not for yourself. It is a service to the people," George said.

He noted that the family organised the annual anniversary activities to keep Macaulay's legacy alive and to give today's political leaders a standard worth measuring themselves against.

Jonathan to launch Nigerian-made tricycles in Abuja

Meanwhile, Legit.ng also reported that Jonathan will unveil two Nigerian-assembled tricycle models, VZ150 and VZ200, produced by Zeetin Technologies.

The company says the tricycles will provide affordable transportation for small businesses while creating jobs and supporting local manufacturing.

Zeetin also plans to increase local content and introduce CNG-powered and electric tricycles in the future.

Source: Legit.ng