PRESS RELEASES

OP-ED: What Democracies Do For Their People

U.S. Ambassador Robin Renée Sanders

November 4, 2008
Abuja, Nigeria 

Today, the people of the United States go to the polls to choose the next President of the United States, their Senators and Representatives in Congress, and countless state and local officials.  As Americans here at the U.S. Mission to Nigeria, the 2008 U.S. Elections are an opportunity for us to celebrate and share our traditions of democracy with our friends in Nigeria. For us and for the United States they also mark the beginning of a time of transitions, to new leadership and to new opportunities.

Democracy works for the people.  A democratic system ensures our governments serve us.  Democracy educates our children, cares for our sick, and ensures the common wealth and security of our nations.

Democracy works because it gives ordinary citizens control over their government through the power of their vote. As a citizen, casting your vote serves as your voice on issues and policies important to you.

American's democracy reflects our own unique history and traditions, as it does in other democracies around the world.  In Nigeria too, democracy should respect the traditions of the Nigerian people, while honoring and reflecting the will of the Nigerian people through free, fair, transparent and orderly elections which allow for the peaceful transition from one elected government to the next.
All democracies, however, should rest on key fundamental principles which most notably are freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly.

Well functioning democracies share common characteristics: free and fair elections, respect for the rule of law, open and transparent institutions of government, and effective measures to combat public and private corruption and illicit enrichment by any member of government.  Those in the past who have done so should face the rule of law.

Strong democracies meet the needs of their people.  They invest in their people through education and health care; they ensure economic opportunity for all; and they create an environment of peace and security in which each individual can thrive.

As a friend and partner of Nigeria, the United States Government and people are working with the people of Nigeria to strengthen and enrich democratic institutions in Nigeria.  Our programs support the work of the Electoral Reform Commission, provide technical assistance to the National Assembly, support transparency and accountability initiatives at the state and local level, provide teacher training for better education, address health care issues, particularly on HIV/AIDS, and assist the fight against corruption through training and technical assistance for many of Nigeria's law enforcement agencies.

Under the "U.S.-Nigeria Framework for Partnership," the U.S. Mission to Nigeria's (U.S. Embassy Abuja and U.S. Consulate General Lagos) engagement is broad and deep.  Our poverty-fighting measures promote economic growth through support for wealth creation, land reform and food security, key components of what Nigerians have asked us to do.

We also engage actively with Nigeria’s military and police services, promoting peace and security by supporting their efforts to improve capabilities in such areas as maritime defense, peacekeeping support, and narcotics interdiction.
 
U.S. President Abraham Lincoln defined American democracy as government "of the people, by the people, and for the people."  Since then, Americans see this phrase as the defining path of the American electoral system.  Whatever the result of the 2008 U.S Elections, no matter which candidate wins or loses, one thing is certain:  It is the spirit of "we the people" that has prevailed.  For Nigeria, Americans wish you well at this particular crossroad of your political history as you too seek to define your short, medium and long term democracy goals and define the sense of "we the people" for Nigeria's future.

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