As Nigeria marked its 57th independence on Sunday, Ondo State governor, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), has stressed the need by the citizens to cast aside divisive tendencies and acrimonious predilections with the sole aim of building a nation with shared destiny.
Akeredolu, who spoke during a special thanksgiving service organised by the state Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN) to mark Nigeria’s 57th anniversary at the Saint David’s Anglican Church, IJomu, Akure, asked Nigerians to shun pervasive sentiment to enable the country to achieve its desirous meaningful development.
Akeredolu, who admitted that Nigeria’s itinerary to nationhood had been tortuous, bumpy and confounding in the last 57 years, urged continued co-existence among the citizens.
The governor said: “We have had moments of serious trials which threatened our tenuous resolve for existential amity. There have been impressions which excite suspicion and commend centrifugal preferences
“However, perspicacity, placed on experiential pedestal, suggests, strongly, our continued co-existence as we improve on the level of understanding based on the received national template.”
Akeredolu, who also acknowledged the efforts of the Federal Government in ensuring that the country regains its pride of place in the comity of nations, hailed the doggedness of President Muhammadu Buhari and his team for their patriotic duties to the country.
He said that there had been promising indices of real development after the excruciating experiences of privation engendered by several years of desultory economic planning.
Akeredolu said: “Our country gradually, but steadily, moves away from the destructive path of utter dependency with hope. Our country is lucky to have President Muhammadu Buhari in the saddle.”
The governor, however, used the occasion to reinstate his administration’s resolve to make life more meaningful for the people of Ondo State.
“We shall protect all and sundry and continue to erect structures which will deter the deviants and undesirable elements,” he said.
Earlier, the Christan leaders from various denominations preached unity among the people and prayed for Ondo State and the country to overcome the various challenges confronting the people.
In the day’s message, entitled “Exalting the nation through righteousness “, Pastor Peter Abimbola, commended the State Government for its roles in ensuring enduring peace in the Sunshine State.
He explained that the church was empowered by God through the instrumentality of prayers to save the country from the myriad of problems confronting her.
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