There was no celebration of Democracy Day in Katsina on Monday as many residents stayed indoors for the better part of the day. Business activities in the markets and commercial centres in the town also went on normally.

There was no official statement from the government to celebrate the day while there were no formal activities to mark the day, also.

A visit to the state stadium along Mani road which normally serves as the venue for the celebration showed no activity. A top government official who pleaded anonymity attributed the development to the mood of the nation. “What do you expect us to celebrate?”, he fired back at the inquiry on why there was no celebration of the day in the state, adding “the President is out of the country seeking medical attention, the economy is yet to be out of the woods and you are talking about celebration.”

It was learnt that government paid May salary to civil servants in the state last week to allow those who wanted to celebrate the Democracy Day do so privately.