By Ephraims Sheyin
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday said that his administration’s reforms were necessary to enable Nigeria to become one of the greatest nations on earth, as destined by God.
Tinubu said that, if this was to be achieved, past mistakes must not be allowed to follow the nation into the future.
The President, in his National Broadcast to mark the nation’s 64th Independence Anniversary, said the reforms became necessary to guarantee a secured future.
“Our independence anniversary gives us another chance to reflect on how far we have gone in our journey to nation-building and renew our commitment to building a better nation that will serve present and future generations of Nigerians.
“While we celebrate the progress we have made as a people in the last 64 years, we must also recognise some of our missed opportunities and mistakes of the past.
“If we are to become one of the greatest nations on earth, as God has destined us to be, our mistakes must not be allowed to follow us into the future,” he said.
Tinubu said that his administration took over the leadership of the country at a critical juncture.
“The economy faced many headwinds, and our physical security was highly impaired.
“We found ourselves at a dizzying crossroads, where we must choose between two paths: reform for progress and prosperity or carry on business-as-usual and collapse.
“We decided to reform our political economy and defence architecture,” he said.
Pleading for patience, he urged Nigerians to make sacrifices crucial to building a strong nation.
Tinubu noted that the reforms were already showing positive signs, saying “We are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel”.
Going down memory lane, he recalled that Nigeria’s founding fathers chose democracy 64 years ago in the bid to launch the dream of a great country that would lead the rest of Africa out of poverty and ignorance.
The leaders also envisaged a nation that would lead the continent out of underdevelopment and be a beacon of hope to the rest of Africa and the world, he added.
“Over six decades later, we can look back, and Nigerians worldwide can see how well we have succeeded in realising the lofty dreams of our founding fathers.
“The world is witnessing and benefiting from the can-do spirit of the Nigerian people.
“The world is also benefiting from our massive intellectual capacity, our enterprise and industry in all vocations, from arts to science, technology to infrastructure.
“The dreams that our founding fathers envisaged are still a work in progress.
“Every day, we put our hands on the plough, determined to do a better job of it.
“While it is tempting to focus on what has been left undone and where we have stumbled as a nation, we must never lose sight of how far we have come in forging and holding our country together,” he said.
Tinubu said that since independence, the nation had survived many crises and upheavals that led to the dissolution and disintegration of many other nations worldwide.
He said that the nation had learned to embrace its diversity and manage its differences better as the people continued to work towards engendering a more perfect union.
“Despite the many challenges that buffeted our country, we remain a strong, united and viable sovereign nation,” he said.
Tinubu pleaded with Nigerians to exercise patience as his administration implements reforms aimed at improving the nation’s economy and laying a foundation for a better tomorrow.
He wished Nigerians a happy Independence anniversary.(NAN)
