Independence Day prayers, wishes, and speeches

By Yusuph Olaniyonu, Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to President of the Senate
57th Independence Anniversary: Saraki Preaches Unity Among Nigerians
President of the Senate,  Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has congratulated Nigerians on the 57th anniversary of the country’s independence and for sustaining her status as a united and progressive country.
In a goodwill message to mark this year’s Independence Anniversary, signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, in Abuja, Saraki also urged Nigerians irrespective of creed and tribe to continue to work for the peace, unity and stability of the country.
He also urged leaders – political, traditional, religious and business – to close ranks in order to initiate and implement ideas and strategies that would further develop the country and increase the standard of living of the citizenry.
Saraki said that the task for a greater Nigeria, is a collective responsibility of every citizen, just as he enjoined every citizen to believe in the project Nigeria and pray for peace and progress of the country.
“It is apparent that the need for peace, unity and stability in our nation cannot be compromised. Our togetherness, abundant resources and diversity are our greatest asset.  Therefore let us refrain from tendencies that tend to pull us apart”, Saraki stated.
The Senate President also noted that the country is in a better stead today than it was a year ago, and called for more concerted effort to enhance the lives of all Nigerians by continuing the consolidation of our present positive economic outlook.
“This is why, it is necessary at this time in our developmental journey, that we must all redouble our resolve to make Nigeria take her rightful leadership position among her peers,”
…TOGETHER WE CAN REALISE THE NIGERIA OF OUR DREAM- DOGARA
By Turaki Hassan Adamu, Special Adviser (Media and Public Affairs, Office of the Speaker, House of Representatives.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has stressed the need for Nigerians to strengthen the bond of unity and cohesion as a people of common interest and destiny in the process of nation building.
This is contained in a goodwill message to mark Nigeria’s 57th Independence Anniversary, issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan.
The Speaker who noted that Nigeria would only  attain greatness in an atmosphere of peace, unity and stability, also enjoined the citizens to shun every harbinger of hate, division and violence.
” May I  use the occasion of this year’s Independence Anniversary to urge us all to  reflect on those things that unite and bring us together as a people, and shun individuals and groups with divisive tendencies.”
” At this time, more than any other, we must adopt the right strategies  and utilize the advantages of our diversity to our benefit as well as blend our differences for positive outcomes in the process of building the  Nigeria of our dream.”
The speaker also enjoined Nigerians to eschew ethnic,  religious and sectional chauvinism and  come together as one people and ” one nation bound in  freedom,  peace and unity” as encapsulated in the country’s National Anthem.
“True independence will continue to elude us until and unless we attain independence from tribalism, sectionalism, primodialism, religious extremism, partisan political bigotry, materialism, corruption and ancillary forms of retrogressive tendencies that threatened to consign us to the forgotten age.”
The Speaker also assured that the House of Representatives will continue to provide the needed legislative framework that would further galvanize the people and unite the nation as well as help fine solutions to the country’s socio-political challenges,  urging the citizens not to moan in despair, as the country would surely come out  stronger from its current  challenges.
 
….Ekweremadu Urges Patience and Optimism.
By Uche Anichukwu, Special Adviser (Media) to the Deputy President of the Senate
The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has urged Nigerians to be patient and optimistic, as the country would surely overcome her challenges.
Ekweremadu made the call in his message to Nigerians on the occasion of the nation’s 57thindependence anniversary.
He said that although Nigeria was bedeviled by a myriad of challenges, with a positive mindset and leadership, the country would spring back to reckoning as a true giant of Africa and realise the dreams of the founding fathers.
The lawmaker said: “I am an optimist. As a matter of principle, I prefer to see the positive sides of life without also overlooking the problems also. At 57, we have no doubt had our challenges as a nation. But we have also made progress. We survived a civil war to remain one country.
“The important thing also is that Nigeria remains a nation with unbeatable potentials. All we need is the right attitude and leadership to translate our potentials to greatness.
“Our greatest challenge at the moment is not the economic hardship, biting as it is. Our greatest problem is disunity and disaffection because the country has never been this divided. We need a leadership that sees every part of the country as its constituency, irrespective of different political, ethnic and religious leanings.
“We need a leadership that does justice and equity to all to be able to galvanise and re-launch the nation to the pinnacle of glory. Equity should be tall enough to see the high and far and short enough to see the lowly and weak. Am sure that with that, Nigeria will fly again”.
Ekweremadu, however, emphasised that all those would not happen overnight and therefore sued for patience, prayer, love, unity, and positive attitude among the citizens.
He wished Nigerians a happy independent celebration.
By PDP Women’s Forum
As we come together as a country to mark another independence day, the PDP Women’s Forum calls on all Nigerians to reflect on our national struggles this past 57 years and reaffirm their wilingness to uphold our unity and seek ways to address the unfortunate divisive trends that appear to be pulling the fabric of the country apart.
As a forum of PDP politicians, we share in the sacred conviction and hope of all Nigerians, that the future leaders of the country must take the responsibility of making the tomorrow of the men, women, boys and girls of a truly great people, better and in particular, reverse the agony and pain associated with the needless economic recession imposed on the country.
We further believe that nothwithstanding the rapid decline in the quality of leadership, which is the result of leadership through procrastination, we are working towards the reformation of the PDP (being already a truly national platform), to bring the country back from the brink of poor economics and politics.
We the women of the PDP know where the shoe pinches and are willing to support the leadership of our party and the citizens of Nigeria, to fight for the re-birth of the nation through our style of responsive politics that does not ignore the calls for genuine reconciliation and the need for prosperity founded on our well tested experience of fostering unity in diversity.
Happy 57th independence anniversary to all Nigerians and long live the soul of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.