Pioneer National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Chief Bisi Akande, on Thursday, assured that Nigeria is safe under President Bola Tinubu despite the hard times being faced by Nigerians.
The former Osun State Governor, noted that despite the pre and post-elections 2023 prophecy, Tinubu’s presidency was ushered in and that Nigeria has continued to wax stronger and stronger as one and indivisible entity under President Bola Tinubu.
He said under the Tinubu Presidency, Nigeria would continue to be more peaceful, more developed, more progressive and more prosperous.
Akande, who chaired a One-Day Lecture organised by Arewa Think Tank to celebrate one year achievements of the administration of President Tinubu, in Kaduna, urged Nigerians to shun any divisive tendencies that would disrupt the entity called Nigeria.
The event which has as its theme: ‘Our Diversity, Our strength,’ was attended by governors Uba Sani of Kaduna State and his Benue counterpart, Rev. Hyacinth Alia as well as some prominent northerners.
Akande noted that despite the prophecies either for or against the president, he was so convinced that Nigeria would forever continue to be sustained as a more peaceful, more developed, more progressive and more prosperous under President Tinubu and beyond.
He added that the tension and threats generated in the country by the opposition with the view to deny Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Presidential victory in the 2023 Presidential election was not surprising because even before independence never wanted a united country.
“Since 1953, when a motion for Independence was first moved in Parliament by Chief Tony Enahoro, our polity has been moving from tensions of one threat to another that Nigeria must not be allowed to continue as one and united country,” he said.
“I was the pioneer national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) – the great political party that produced the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu whose one year administrative anniversary was being officially celebrated since over a week up to yesterday”.
“I am therefore particularly convinced that Nigeria will forever continue to be sustained as a more peaceful, more developed, more progressive and a more prosperous country under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and beyond.
“Irrespective of our differences in religion, ethnicity and social status, as we gather here today to review matters of progress or otherwise on infrastructure, education, health, agriculture and every possible parameter of social engineering, I urge all of us to be thinking about how to sustain a united, peaceful and prosperous Nigeria. May our collective and individual aspirations within a better and most respectable Nigeria be divinely realised.”
In his remarks, the Chief Host and governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, also harped on the unity of Nigerians, saying that with unity of purpose, Nigeria and Nigerians would achieve the desired peace and progress.
He added that it was only when Nigerians come together as one that “there will be peace.”
He continued that President Bola Tinubu meant well for the country despite the current hardship occasioned by the removal of subsidy on oil and other policies of the current administration.
Going down memory lane, the governor said President Tinubu was one of those that fought for the enthronement of the current democracy.
He said the president was one of the financiers of the pro-democracy movement at the period Nigerians wanted the military to leave for democracy to thrive.
Sani, therefore, urged Nigerians to support the President despite the hardship because he (Tinubu) holds Nigerians and Nigeria high.
On his part, Governor Hyacinth Alia, who was guest lecturer at the event, stressed the need for Nigeria unity, saying that, “our religion should not be a dividing factor to us.”
Speaking on the theme: ‘Our Diversity, Our Strength,’ Alia
added that Nigeria as a country must not fail as its failure would negatively affect the entire Africa, as a continent.
“We should not take our diversity for granted, our diversity should be our power, strength and unifying force that hold us together as one people.
“Diversity should not be a source of conflicts and tension, it should rather build a more robust and prosperous Nigeria. If Nigeria fails as a nation, the entire countries in Africa will fail.
“Tinubu has brought hope of unity irrespective of our differences in religion, ethnicity and social status, and he stepped up progress or otherwise on infrastructure, education, health, agriculture and every possible parameter of social engineering,” he said.
Earlier, in his opening remarks, the Chief Convener Arewa Think Tank, Muhammad Yakubu informed, said the aimed the one-day lecture, was strengthen and encourage the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ of the President which had several brilliant layers linked to foreign investment drive, energising the health sector, making education affordable for the poor and underserved, delivering good governance amidst debt burden, among others.