Comrade Philip Shaibu, Director General of the National Institute for Sports (NIS) and former Deputy Governor of Edo State, says his latest honour as Defender of Democracy and Human Rights of the Year is more than an award – it is a call to continue the struggle he began decades ago.
Speaking in Abuja after receiving his nomination letter from Montage Africa Media, publishers of the New National Star, Shaibu said the recognition connects directly to the ideals that have defined his public life.
“This is one award I will hold dear because it speaks to the very cause we fought for – defending democracy and human rights,” he said. “Those two principles are the pillars that keep any nation standing.”
Shaibu recalled his early activism in the pro-democracy movement, linking the fight for rights to the biblical commandment to love one’s neighbour. “When we uphold human rights and protect democracy, we create a structure where the people choose their leaders, and if those leaders fail, the people can remove them,” he said.
He warned that without internal party democracy, political godfathers would continue to dominate, producing leaders loyal to sponsors rather than citizens. “Even the worst form of democracy is better than autocracy because time allows it to grow stronger,” he added.
On Nigeria’s democratic development, Shaibu urged leaders to remember that power is held in trust for the people. “We are not in office because we are the best, but because the people believe we can manage our collective resources in their interest,” he said.
Earlier, New National Star Managing Director Dr. Obinna Nwachukwu praised Shaibu’s unwavering defence of democratic values from his student union days to his service as Edo’s deputy governor, describing him as “a voice that has never gone silent in the cause of justice.”