Igberetv captured the congratulatory message of Former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki to Nigeria on Her Independence Celebration.
It reads:
I congratulate all Nigerians of the occasion of the 59th anniversary of Nigeria’s Independence from colonial rule. HappyIndependenceDayNigeria.
Our present situation makes this is a time for deep national introspection where we must reach the inescapable conclusion that we all need to work together and play positive roles for the country to overcome her challenges and realize her manifest destiny as a global leader.
On a day such as this, it is imperative to call for a shift in the attitude and ideology of Nigeria and Nigerians as we must, as a country and as a people, exhibit the determination to tame and eliminate factors that keep the country down or retard her progress.
The experts who at, independence in 1960, predicted that Nigeria would within its first two decades of independence become an economic giant did not make any mistakes because all the indices pointed in that direction for the nation.
Over the years the dream has been derailed by the actions and inactions of both the elite and the ordinary people in the country.
By now, we should have realized our mistakes and know that our present situation is far from what our country was destined for.
It is high time we all decided that we will forget mundane issues such as ethnicity and focus on issues that unite the country, become our brother’s keeper, be law abiding and protect public property more than we protect our own.
While it is important for those in government to initiate progressive, innovative and problem solving policies, programmes and projects, particularly those that will uplift the poor in the society and create a more egalitarian society, the Nigerian people should also be ready.
This is a time for all of us, citizens, to take a deep introspective look into how and why the South-East Asian countries that were in worse situation than our’s in the 60s and 70s have turned the fortune of their masses around, while things are worse for us.
Pondering over this question will help us agree that the common point we should all subscribe to now is the one that will enable us work collectively and individually towards breaking the shackles that have limited our country.
I firmly believe that if the economy of the country improves, most of the ills plaguing the nation like insecurity, youth unemployment, collapse of infrastructure and moral decay will disappear and a modern Nigeria will emerge as the real giant of Africa.
I also congratulate Nigerians on the successful enthronement of democracy as a model of government in Nigeria and the role our country has played in the defence of democratic ideals around Africa.
