WEDNESDAY, 20^th October: Political economist and former presidential candidate, Prof. Pat Utomi, has stated that the lack of democracy in the country was due to the fact that people fear the government, when the ideal democratic method should be the government fearing the citizens.
He said, “Democracy is supposed to be people holding government accountable. But the kind of democracy we run here is that people fear the government instead of the government fearing the people. Until we can make government fear the people, we don’t have a democracy.
The former presidential candidate added that the practice of democracy in Nigeria had been turned upside down. 
Utomi who said this in Alausa, Ikeja on Tuesday during the commemorative lecture and public presentation of a book editied by Chido Onumah titled 'Remaking Nigeria: Sixty Years, Sixty Voices, further added that the #EndSARS protests is an event that marks the arrival of citizenship in Nigeria. 
The event themed, 'One Year After #EndSARS, 35 Years after Dele Giwa and the Quest to Remake Nigeria,' was held to reflect on the assasination of the former Newswatch editor-in-chief and youth activist.
Speaking at the event, Utomi said, "We need to build citizenship and raise citizens – people who have a passion for a shared humanity. At the bottom of society’s ladder are idiots, people who care just about themselves, and at the next level are tribalists who care only about people who share the same blood or language. For tribalists, everyone who does not share in their parochial base is an enemy.
“When these people move up and become citizens, a shared humanity will drive them to do things that are for the common good of all. This is why the #EndSARS protests, for me, marked the arrival of citizenship in Nigeria.”
Human right activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana SAN who was also at the event urged youths not to fear peaceful protests, stating that they were "backed by the law."
He said, "The killing of Dele Giwa marked the beginning of bondage in Nigeria by the government. Before the Boko Haram sect took to bombing people, the military junta headed by General Ibrahim Babangida decided to launch bomb attacks on Nigerians. His murderers wanted to make a point, they wanted to scare the people by engaging in the most savage and brutal nature of murder,” he said.