On the occasion of the country’s 54th Independence Anniversary today, leaders from across the country have expressed optimism on the realisation of the dream of the country’s founding fathers despite present challenges.
Among those who spoke, yesterday, were President of the Senate, Senator David Mark; Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of the House of Representatives; former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; the deputy president of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu; the deputy speaker, House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha and Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State among others.
Senate President, Sen.
David Mark
Senator Mark in his message
to the country advised Nigerians not to lose hope, saying that Nigeria was
destined for greatness.
“We may not have been where
we want to be but we have made appreciable progress and we can do more. All we need to do is to strengthen our unity
as one people with one mission and purpose.
The stable democracy has offered us opportunity to harness our abundant
resources for good.
“Nigeria has passed through
many challenges in the past and we came out of it. The security challenges; this Boko Haram can
be defeated if we unite to fight them.
Nigeria’ll survive — Mark
“I believe the Boko Haram
terrorism or insurgency is alien to us as a people. We have the capacity to defeat them and
confine them to the dustbin of history.”
He said complaints and
agitations among Nigerians arising from the structure of the polity could be
addressed by government, adding, “we cannot correct perceived imbalances by
taking up arms against our brothers, sisters and nation.
“We must, therefore,
continue to shun individuals or groups that encourage, preach and practice
division among our people. We must shun
every harbinger of hate and bond together as a people of common interest and
destiny.
“As legislators we will
continue to do our part to wit; provide the needed legislative framework for
the Executive Arm of Government to continue to deliver the dividends of
democracy to our people.
Aminu Waziri Tambuwal,
Speaker Tambuwal on his
part urged Nigerians to work tirelessly to promote the tenets of democracy,
good governance and responsible citizenry.
In a statement issued in
Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam,
Tambuwal appealed to the political elite to moderate their utterances and be
mindful of their responsibility to the country.
He said with elections
scheduled for early 2015, all leaders must avoid acts that heat up the polity.
The Speaker reiterated his earlier calls that the people must isolate and
expose all obstacles that hamper the attainment of peace, development, and progress
of the nation.
Unfulfilled promises,
challenge to governance – Atiku
Former Vice President Atiku
Abubakar on his part observed that after 54 years of independence, the ordinary
Nigerians were still lamenting what independence meant to their lives because
of the widening gap between the leaders and the people.
In a statement issued in
Abuja by his media office, the former Vice President noted that many Nigerians
were concerned about how democratic governance has changed the quality of their
lives for the better.
He regretted that the rate
at which poverty was ravaging Nigeria was inconsistent with the vast resources
available to Nigeria.
According to him, the
country’s wealth does not automatically lead to better life if good governance
is lacking.
Atiku said the rate at
which unemployment is accelerating among Nigeria’s youth, creates youth
restiveness, which itself lead to other social crises such as armed robbery and
other violent crimes.
At 54, he said, Nigeria
should have been counted among countries that have lifted its citizens out of
poverty.
Atiku warned that
unfulfilled promises leads to disillusionment, thereby creating disconnect
between the leaders and the led.
On the country’s unity,
Atiku blamed politicians for playing up the ethnic and religious differences
for personal advantages. This attitude, he said, puts the unity of the country
under a severe strain.
The former Vice President,
however, noted that Nigerians should not lose hope in the country, stressing
that the country could get out of the woods if leaders are elected on the basis
of their competences rather than primordial considerations.
He said the consequences of
mis-governance and poor leadership have no ethnic and religious borders.
Protect democracy - Ike Ekweremadu urges
Nigerians
Deputy President of the
Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, on his part, commended Nigerians for the
enthronement of the current democratic dispensation, urging them to continue in
their determination to sustain it.
He said: “At 54, Nigeria
has made progress, as the people have through absolute determination and
sacrifice jointly laid the foundation for speedy national transformation by
achieving an unprecedented 15 years of uninterrupted democratic streak.
“However, celebrating our
independence anniversary at the threshold of the 2015 general elections is also
a call to duty to add to the nation’s democratic credentials and development by
collectively working for a free, fair, and credible general election”.
The Deputy President of the
Senate who also chairs the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999
Constitution assured that the Senate would not leave any stone unturned in
providing solid legal frameworks and all necessary legislative support to
guarantee the success of both 2015 general election and subsequent ones.
He commended the President
Goodluck Jonathan Administration for its determination in ending terrorism in
the country as evidenced in the recent successes recorded in the war against
insurgency.
Senate Leader, Senator
Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN) on his part also expressed hope saying: “Nigeria will overcome present challenges,
chief of which is the insecurity in the North east. We are certainly not where
we could be and indeed should be. We could have done better but that is not to
say that we’ve not made any progress. We’ve remained a nation.”
Fashola preaches peaceful
co-existence
Governor Fashola in
his message advocated unity, peaceful
co-existence, cleanliness and rule of law as the most viable means of building
a virile and prosperous nation.
Fashola
The governor, who expressed
gratitude to God for preserving the nation thus far in spite of the enormous
challenges in the last few years, added that the nation, more than anything
else, needed those values at this period
in her history in order to consolidate the gains of her democracy.
Describing law and order as
the building blocks of socio-economic and political stability of any nation,
Fashola said Nigeria is greatly challenged today by the attitude of its
citizens to the rule of law, pointing out that without adherence to the rule of
law, the sustenance of her democracy could not be guaranteed.
Nigeria’ll rise again
—Ihedioha
The deputy speaker of the
House of Representatives, Rep. Ihedioha on his part expressed optimism that
Nigeria will rise again and claim her rightful place in the international
community.
He said that in spite of
current challenges relating to security and development, the country would be
propelled to the top given the human and material resources abundant in the
land.
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