Sokoto state governor, Aminu Tambuwal has called on Nigerians to eschew tribalism, sectionalism and other unpatriotic cleavages, as the nation celebrates its 61st independence anniversary.
The governor made the call in his message to Nigerians on Friday.
According to Tambuwal, even though the citizens “individually and collectively possess all the attributes and qualities on a land so richly endowed,”… the country was “sadly sadly being held back from reaching its true destiny by challenges that are mainly our own making. We are still grappling with difficulties in sustaining a true democratic order. Our economy, even without the negative impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic, is in crises that are substantially caused by deficits in policy and lack of adherence to the rule of law.”
The governor observed that the nation’s “security is in clear, present danger, as all parts of the country are ravaged by one form of insecurity or the other, a sad situation that has inflicted upon us, heavy loses in lives and socioeconomic sustenance.”
Read the statement below:
We reminisce, with nostalgia, on the potential and promise of our country at its birth and confidence about a better future. It is a path on which we were placed by our founding fathers whose trust in our capacity to reach our to our envisioned destination was not far-fetched.
We are, indeed, a people who individually and collectively possess all the attributes and qualities on a land so richly endowed as to confer on us the eligibility to proudly raise our heads among the comity of nations.
Nigeria is however, sadly being held back from reaching its true destiny by challenges that are mainly our own making. We are still grappling with difficulties in sustaining a true democratic order. Our economy, even without the negative impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic, is in crises that are substantially caused by deficits in policy and lack of adherence to the rule of law.
National security is in clear, present danger, as all parts of the country are ravaged by one form of insecurity or the other, a sad situation that has inflicted upon us, heavy loses in lives and socioeconomic sustenance. These numerous crises have turned our diversity from an endowment into a cause of division, as Nigeria experiences a period of disunity unprecedented in its history.
The hopes and vision of our founding fathers are however alive and remain realizable, in spite of the challenges. The recipe for reaching our desired destiny is coming together, as the one people that we truly are, to shame our detractors, repel their onslaught on our collective will, stand and advance as a nation.
We must all work together to extricate ourselves from the murky waters of tribalism, sectionalism and other unpatriotic cleavages. It is however, reassuring that our latent potentials and talent have made Nigerians eligible for prominent roles in international affairs, conferring on our citizens the leadership of respected global organizations.
I call on Nigerians to use this anniversary as a period of sober stock-taking and resolution on our individual and collective role in this endeavor. We must, as a matter of survival, determine the kind of leaders and followers our nation deserves and requires to take us out of the woods.
Our nation, at this moment of our existence, does not need to pay the price for selfish individual or group agendas. Nigerians are not obligated to subordinate to the whims of primordial interests.
The true interest of Nigerians is an order, founded on a strong and efficient system that will guarantee the protection of our lives and realization of our individual and collective aspirations; a nationally inclusive arrangement that will ensure justice and fairness to all citizens.
May I, at this juncture, draw our attention closer to our most current and pressing issue: insecurity. As governments make efforts to mitigate the senseless carnage, I wish to sound a note of caution against politicizing or sectionalizing the situation because insecurity respects no tribe, religion or region.
The situation instead, calls for concerted efforts from all citizens, to secure and make all parts of our country safe, as nothing meaningful could be achieved in any part of a society bedevilled by insecurity.
Here in Sokoto State, we have not jettisoned the aspirations and wishes of our citizens in all facets. We have thus remained committed to providing the tangible and intangible dividends of democracy.
While we are running an inclusive government in Sokoto State, our Administration since 2015, has made measurable progress in education, health, agriculture and infrastructure, rural and human capital development.
We are celebrating our 61st Independence in a very trying period of insecurity, during which we have lost so many of our citizens. I wish to, on behalf of the Government and people in Sokoto State, pray to Allah to forgive all of our departed, grant us fortitude for this berevement and heal those undergoing treatment for injuries or ailments in a hospital or at home.
As my heart goes to the areas affected in the State, I commend the security agencies in the state, our traditional institutions and all stakeholders, as we all work together towards addressing this challenge, I wish to reiterate the commitment of the Sokoto State Government to the fight against banditry and other crimes, through the provision of all possible support and assistance to both our security agencies and our citizens, who are affected by the sad development.
Thank you, wassalamu alaikum.
