Saraki, Ekweremadu, Kalu felicitate with Nigeria

SENATE President, Dr. Bu­kola Saraki has thanked Ni­gerians for their support and encouragement to President Buhari and other successive administrations for the na­tion’s development so far.

In his independence an­niversay message, Saraki said the National Assembly would continue to work as­siduously with the executive arm of government to realise its development objectives.

“Our priority is to con­tinue to work assiduously with the executive arm of government to realise our development objectives. Our priority is to build a virile socio-political and economic environment and therefore, bequeath a better country to our future gen­erations.”

His deputy, Senator Ike Ekwermadu said national unity and good governance were essential ingredients in the nation’s quest for na­tional development.

“There is no doubt that the full blessings of political independence has contin­ued to elude us. I, therefore, believe that the occasion of the 55th Independence anni­versary is an opportunity for soul searching and retracing of our steps,” Ekweremadu said.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara in his message to Nigerians said when com­pared with other develop­ing countries, Nigeria is left behind in many areas and is ranked among the lowest in the human development capital index. Dogara said there was much work to be done, and urged citizens to work together to make the country work again.

On his part, eminent busi­nessman and former Gover­nor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu said the anniver­sary should be dedicated to the founding fathers of Ni­geria, who were selfless in their service to the nation. He urged leaders at all levels to redouble their efforts and work to improve the well-being of the people.

He said: “Nigerians have to support policy and de­cision makers in nation building, by demonstrating good moral conduct in their daily lives. Government alone cannot make the na­tion prosper; it should be a collective commitment. Let us use this period to reflect on the efforts and ideals of the founding fathers with a view to impacting the soci­ety positively.

“I also call on well-mean­ing Nigerians to invest in the local economy as against keeping their investments abroad. I also advise peo­ple at the helm of affairs to adopt and implement real­istic policies that will boost the Nigerian economy which will drive growth and development.”

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State said Nigeria as a nation should begin to see the unity of the country as a development that has become indelible.

He urged Nigerians to grow beyond ethnic war, urging Nigerians to inter­nalize the creed of the na­tional anthem and pledge.

Similarly, his Osun State counterpart, Governor Rauf Aregbesola said the coun­try was in a critical stage in its journey for sustainable democracy. He therefore, urged Nigerians to do ev­erything humanly possible to protect the democratic process, which he said was the longest so far in the history of the country.

Former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, said this was another op­portunity for Nigerians to reflect on how much they have used self-rule to advance the well-being of the country. He called on Nigerians to be more patriotic and support the government in building a better place by engaging in constructive contributions at all times.