Joining General Powell in a Democracy Event

June 3: I spent the morning with the renowned global citizen and former Secretary of State - General Colin Powell - in a breakfast session organized by Tell Magazine to explore Nigeria's ten years of uninterrupted democracy. This followed an afternoon session of both formal presentation on Nigeria's democratic experiences by General Powell, former Nigerian Head of State Gowan, the current Nigeria Vice President, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. For me the most interesting points that General Powell made is the importance of a government being of the people and by the people, and that Nigeria's democracy, and any democracy, had to include the voices of all -- including civil society and the press --to truly be representative of the people.