By Samuel Oyadongha

YENAGOA—BAYELSA State Government has described 19 years of uninterrupted democracy in Nigeria as one of the best things to happen to the country since it attained independence in 1960.

The state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, stated this in a statement in Yenagoa to commemorate the 2018 Democracy Day.

According to him, the return of democracy in 1999 opened the country to more development and gave it the needed global recognition it deserves as the most populous black nation in the world.

He called for more effort to sustain it, adding that Nigeria cannot afford another military era, as previous interventions were not only brutish but set the country backwards due to the suspension of key democratic elements, including freedom of speech.

Iworiso-Markson  urged political leaders in the country to be mindful of their actions, especially making unguarded statements that are capable of promoting disunity and heating up the polity.

The commissioner noted that the 2019 general election is another litmus test to determine the future of the  country, particularly the survival of democracy.

While congratulating President Muhammadu Buhari and all Nigerians on the occasion of another democracy day,  Iworiso-Markson said: “In Bayelsa State democracy is working due to Governor  Seriake Dickson’s receptive style of governance which allows its tenets to flourish.”

The Information Commissioner said in the last six years, Dickson’s administration had provided a stable leadership that has largely accommodated all forms of criticism  in the state.

He explained that the governor has also allowed dissenting voices to be heard, just as he had given opposition political parties access to government facilities to hold their  activities.

He described Dickson as a true democrat who is always willing to sacrifice anything for democracy to  thrive and called on Bayelsans to continue to support the government.