The lecture attracted speakers who are experts from various sectors of the Nigerian economy, who made a comprehensive appraised of the performance of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR., since May 29 last year when he assumed office.
Held under the theme “Nigeria yesterday, today, and a prosperous tomorrow, the lecture was in solidarity with, and honour of the President Tinubu administration’s activities and impacts towards building a greater Nigeria.
Speakers at the lecture included the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume represented by a retired Permanent Secretary, Olusegun. Adekunle, Esq. OON; ex-firebrand labour leader and former Edo State Governor, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, and Prof Sam Amadi from the academia. They examined how the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration have impacted all sectors of the nation’s economy and the living standards of Nigerians in the last year.
Dr. Mohammed Bulama represented the Minister of Information; Emir of Dutse, Jigawa State, Alhaji Hamim Nuhu Sanusi CFR; was represented by the Sardauna of Dutse; while Chief Mrs Folashade Tinubu-Ojo was represented by a five-persons delegation led by Hon. Nancy Ekedo-Nwagbodo
The attendance list also includes a retired IGP, Sir, Dr. Mike M. Okiro IGP (Rtd); Maj Gen A G Laka, National Coordinator, National Counter Terrorism Center, Office of the National Security Adviser, Abuja;
Other expected dignitaries included the Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolopolo CFR, Ewuare ll; ; the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu; FCT Minister, Chief Nyesom Wike; and Prince (Engnr) Arthur Eze OFR.
Speakers at the forum analysed how the implementation of the President’s 2023 Renewed Hope Policy Document, which was formed out of his campaign mantra, has impacted positively or negatively the efforts towards building a more prosperous and greater Nigeria, and made appropriate recommendations.
They showcased how the Tinubu administration has weathered the storm of the socioeconomic challenges it inherited to record the achievements credited to it in the last year.
Besides, they highlighted the administration’s achievements to encourage it to do more in the next three years in its efforts to build a new Nigeria that will be a pride of all and a haven both for the strong and the weak.
Also, the speakers assessed the challenges and highlighted areas calling for attention.
The chief host, an American-based Nigerian Professor of Medicine, philanthropist, and activist, Prof Emeka Umerah, is a major financial contributor to the Tinubu Diaspora Group in the United States of America, USA.
Prof Umerah who also built and donated the Dr. Emeka Orphanage Home in Owerri, Imo State, is the President and Executive Program Director, of the Public Policy Advocacy and Research Council, Inc (PPARC).
PPARC is a non-partisan political think tank aiding policymakers in research and advocacy of public policy, research, and education in the United States. Besides, the council performs lawful advocacy and lobbying activities in the USA.
HeI feels passionately connected to the Tinubu Administration, and to doing everything legally possible in support to ensure the success of the Administration in all facets, and particularly to ensure that his Excellency succeeds remarkably where others before him might have failed, or missed it.
Vision of the Tinubu Administration
At the event, it was noted that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu came into office about one year and two months ago. He inherited a blessed nation that required strong purposeful, focused, and determined leadership to hold her economy on a steady path, achieve a growth trajectory, ensure the security of lives and property, cater for the welfare of Nigerians, and achieve economic prosperity. As a new government, he also needed the wisdom to form a government of square pegs in a square hole. Setting up a new government in a complex country like Nigeria a monumental feat.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu came into office with a vision for Nigeria: The Renewed Hope Agenda. He made the objectives of this vision and agenda clear at the Ministerial Retreat held in 2023 when he stated: “‘My vision…is the enthronement of impartiality in governance, national security, improving the socio-economic environment, to accelerate economic recovery, infrastructure development, job and wealth creation, agricultural development, expansion of revenue base, gender equality, human capital, and youth development, including care for the aged, the poor, the needy and the vulnerable”
The President further stated: “… Difficult choices must be made, extant policies reviewed and our revenue base must be consolidated and enhanced. …the decision on the removal of fuel subsidy has been taken and the government has rolled out several key aspirations under the 2024-2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework designed to grow the GDP to US$1 Trillion (from US$ 450 million) by 2026 and …to US$ 3 Trillion by the end of the decade; achieve 7% average annual GDP Growth Rate; lift 100 million people out of poverty; generate over 50 million jobs; and deliver sustained inclusive growth.”
Never before in the nation’s history has Nigeria needed a leadership that has been prepared for the job. The president has been actively involved in the mission to rescue, build and stabilise democracy and governance in Nigeria for over three decades. This has been ably demonstrated in the evolving balancing of managing the challenges while still achieving growth.
Tinubu Administration Scorecard
Speakers noted the achievements recorded by the Tinubu administration in the last year including:
The Tinubu Administration has impacted the lives of Nigerians even less than a year in office
The bold removal by His Excellency’s Administration of the inherited fuel subsidy which had been a drain on Nigeria’s economy and had been running it aground
Cancellation of the inherited unpopular Naira redesign and swap policy immediately on assumption of office
Ongoing efforts to reflate the economy
Treless working on the Naira by the CBN to reevaluate the currency and thus revive the economy
Ongoing efforts to stabilize the capital market
Ongoing repairs and reactivation of the oil refineries to ensure optimal production to meet local demands and leave a surplus for export
The ongoing revival of the power sector as the foundation on which economic prosperity rests, among many other turn-key projects being executed by the Tinubu Administration across the Country, to redress the inherited problems occasioning pain, anger, hunger, and suffering will soon yield positive results that will transform the socioeconomic conditions of our people and reassure us that we are in safe hands despite the temporary hardship that will fizzle away. The result will bring smiles soon to the faces of all Nigerians without discrimination; and launch Nigeria on the road of being a respected world economic power.
The significant role strategic and adequate infrastructure plays in in economic development can not be over ephasised. This is evident in the focus of the current administration on infrastructure as the base for achieving our objectives and aspirations, today and tomorrow. This has been achieved through a combination of macro and micro economic tools and other measures deployed by the administration.
Ongoing implementation of several reform initiatives aimed at revitalising the economy, including efforts to improve the ease of doing business, attract foreign investment, and diversify the economic base away from oil dependency.
The Central Bank of Nigeria has been repositioned and the revitalisation of monetary policies aimed at addressing the weak Naira and arresting the volatility in forex is achieving results.
The elimination of the foreign exchange subsidy and the harmonisation of forex rates bolstered the Nigerian economy, resulting in the Nigerian Exchange Group becoming the top-performing bourse globally and strengthening the Naira.
Massive overhaul of tax systems and laws is also ongoing to eliminate double taxation and to achieve a consolidation that will maximise revenue inflow.
The financial services sector is also undergoing reforms and the process of recapitalisation of banks has commenced. This is expected to enable the banks to provide support to the economy.
Economic stability, growth, and more investment can only be achieved in an environment of peace and security. The government has upscaled its efforts to train, retrain, and reequip our security agencies and personnel for internal and territorial security operations.
Similarly, non-kinetic efforts are also being made to achieve sustainability in the victory over insurgency, banditry, terrorism, other criminal activities, and its attendant impact on food security.
The future of the nation’s economic development lies in investment in strategic infrastructure. That accounts for the massive investment gravitation towards power, road, air, water, rail transportation, etc.
This administration has upgraded existing roads and bridges across the six geo political zones . These include economic arteries such as the concrete-paved road to the nation’s major ports in Apapa and Tin Can Island Port using its tax credits: and the refurbished Third Mainland Bridge, which has drawn public acclaim for its excellent finishing and aesthetic furnishing.
Under the road development programme, a total of 330 roads and bridges have been earmarked for rehabilitation across the country.
The construction of Lagos-Calabar Superhighway, estimated to cost about N15 trillion has begun as a legacy project that will connect nine coastal states.
Similarly, the Sokoto to Badagry superhighway has taken off. It has the potential of massively boosting the economies along the root, create access to seaports for export and reducing the travel time to twelve hours.
The power sector reforms is also ongoing. Power is central to every economic activity and cost of goods and services including manufacturing. The revised statute has opened the window for sub nationals to invest in power generation activities.
Sea Port development is also on going with the commencement of the Lekki Deep seaport project. This will ease the congestion at the Apapa port and also allow bigger vessels to visit Nigeria.
In the aviation sector, the Airports for Export Presidential Initiative will soon be unveiled. This will enable Nigeria to leverage the investment in airport assets and agricultural produce to export to other African and European countries.
The significance of building domestic crude refining capacity is also strategic. With the commissioning of the Dangote Refinery and the revival of existing infrastructure, the country is on the path to plugging the hemorrhage of forex expended on importation of refined products.
A very critical move by the administration was the removal of the unsustainable fuel subsidy, thereby redirecting approximately $10 billion annually towards critical sectors such as healthcare, education, infrastructure, and security. This action alone led to a 50 per cent reduction in petrol importation and increased state and local government revenues.
The litany of strategic infrastructure projects is inexhaustive. But the lesson is that visionary leadership builds on the past, consolidates today’s gains and plans for tomorrow.
What President Tinubu has embarked upon is to assure our future generation that Nigeria shall command greater economic importance and self reliance. This view underpins the introduction of our new national anthem.
On security, substantial investments aimed at modernising the armed forces and achieving significant milestones in national security was made, resulting in the liberation of over 4,600 hostages, neutralisation of 9,300 criminals, and the arrest of 7,000 terrorists and bandits.
The security forces also recovered thousands of weapons and rounds of ammunition crucial in combating banditry and insurgency.
President Tinubu declared a state of emergency to redress food insecurity, leading to the restructuring of the Ministry of Agriculture into the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. He added that initiatives, such as the National Agricultural Development Fund and the Dry Season Farming Initiative, had been launched to boost agricultural productivity and ensure food sufficiency.
Energy and natural resources management has seen enhanced security measures in the Niger Delta, leading to an increase in oil production and more stable natural gas output.
The president was not restrained by turbulence, insisting he remains focused on the marathon of the next three years.
Nigeria’s 16th President, Tinubu, during his campaign for office, said he would make difficult decisions and that running the country would not be business as usual. According to him, From day one, he sought to fulfill his promises, beginning from his earthshaking ‘subsidy is gone’ announcement at the Eagle Square, on the day he was sworn in. The announcement reverberated around the country and beyond. He was not just actualising a promise he made. He was also actualising the consensus of all the major candidates in the 2023 election that the several decades old, wasteful subsidy must end.
The Tinubu administration followed this up with the decision to harmonise the foreign exchange rates. The multiple exchange rates executed under his predecessor had given room to various abuses, among which was arbitrage, where people close to the power loop made humongous money, getting forex at the official rate and offloading it at the so-called parallel market for almost 100 percent profit. “Both the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank advised the Nigerian government to end the policy, to no avail, as forex obligations piled up, FDI’s dried up, and investors shunned Nigeria. President Tinubu knew that to reset the economy and build renewed confidence locally and internationally, there must be a policy change.
The president fulfilled what he promised during the campaign, with the government announcing its desire to harmonise the rates in “weeks”, a decision that caught the attention of the financial world that Nigeria was at the cusp of great change.
The administration has responded on many fronts to its challenges with a raft of palliative policies. These include subsidised bus transport for the public last December, and free train service to Nigerians going home for Christmas and New Year. Subsidy was also offered for the return journeys, while over 200,000 Nigerians benefited from the bus service. The response also includes food relief packages and cash relief gifts to the vulnerable.
In agriculture, the government declared a food emergency, and launched a massive dry season farming in important crops such as wheat and maize, along with assisting farmers with N100 billion worth of fertilisers.
In addition, the Federal Government released 43,000 metric tonnes of grains from the National reserves and for buying another 60,000 metric tonnes of rice from local millers for distribution to the vulnerable people.
As part of the ameliorative measures, the Tinubu administration announced wage awards of N35,000 to Federal workers to enable them cope with food inflation and transport costs, as it works out a new national minimum wage.
It announced in July last year the Presidential CNG Initiative. Under the programme, which will herald a new industry and new jobs, hundreds of buses and tricycles, which will be powered by Compressed Natural Gas(CNG), will be locally assembled for countrywide rollout. Some of the vehicles will be electric for use in some Nigerian states, where CNG is not readily available. A panel to drive the vision was inaugurated in October 2023. However, bureaucratic delays slowed its procurement work. Many buses and tricycles will be available as part of the ceremonies to mark the first anniversary of the Tinubu administration.
The Tinubu administration supports businesses through the Bank of Industry, in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, which disbursed N50,000 to nano businesses under the Presidential Conditional Grant Programme. The programme, which targeted over 1,000,000 nano businesses, benefitted retail marketers, corner shop owners, petty traders, market men and women, food and vegetable vendors, vulcanisers, and shoemakers, among others,
The government also announced an aid package of N1 billion each to 75 big businesses.
The Tinubu government approved $617 million for up-skilling Nigerian youths, providing start-up funding, catalytic infrastructure, and policy advocacy, noting youths with digital skills are now registering to benefit from the fund, administered by the Bank of Industry.
The President tinkered with the tax structure and brought more money to the national coffers, which was a difficult choice in a country with 200 million people and tax to GDP ratio of less than 10 percent.
The NNPC was ordered to remit its dollar earnings into CBN.
Revenue inflow generally is increasing. FIRS is working towards increasing the percentage of tax to GDP to about 20 percent.
The inflow of money makes the Tinubu administration dream big and plan big.
With the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund due for launch, the government is already embarking on legacy projects, such as the 700-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Superhighway, which began in March.
The government also plans to reactivate the Sokoto Illela-Badagry Superhighway, abandoned in 1976.
Many roads and bridges in a state of disrepair are to be refurbished.
There are plans for rail. Funding for the Ibadan-Abuja-Kaduna rail is being arranged. Port Harcourt-Maiduguri rail will be resuscitated while the Kano-Kastina-Maradi rail line, started by the Buhari administration will be completed with $2 billion dollar loan already secured.
The President issued an Executive order on investment in the oil and gas sector, ascribing the opening of three big gas plants in the Niger Delta by the president in recent weeks as the quick fruits of the policy. Mega investments running into over $15 billion were expected in weeks.
Reactivation of the reconstruction of the road that linked Abia State with Imo State, including the component bridge that was destroyed over five decades ago, during the Civil War that raged between 1967 and 1970;
Construction of the Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene Federal Holiday, and
Construction of Okwe and Isiala Road in Ikwuano of Abia State
Resolutions
- The speakers, panelists, and discussants including experts from the various sectors of the economy resolved as follows:
- The exemplary leadership traits that His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR., is richly endowed with and his exploits as a notable pro-democracy activist and politician over time.
- It seems he has been prepared overtime to actualize his long-held dreams of deploying his special innate gifts and talents to indiscriminately transform the living conditions of all the citizens of a richly endowed Nation-State as vast and diverse as our Dear Country Nigeria and building her anew into one where everyone will have a genuine sense of belonging.
- His Excellency is one prepared to build a new Country which every citizen of this great Nation will be proud to call home and identify with as the best Country in the world.
- In the spirit of boldness, courage, and determination, the forum commended President Bola Ahmed TinubuGCFR GCFR., a true visionary, for his Maverick-style leadership over the years.
- Leading Nigeria requires navigating complex challenges and making decisions that may not yield immediate results or compliments.
- President Tinubu is making policies that though are not popular, we believe strongly that those policies will yield great fruits.
- President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bold reforms are commendable and speakers believed that these reforms are steering the Nigerian economy towards stability and growth.
- They urged Nigns to be patient with Tinubu as the President’s 2023 Renewed Hope Agenda is on course to make Nigeria greater.
- Nigerians should renew their hope and patriotism believing that the unfolding programmes, policies, and activities of the Tinubu administration will make a gradual, steady impact on the citizenry.
- Everything needed to be done to turn around the economy of this great Country, in the effort to make Nigeria greater in the overall interest of the citizenry, requires courage.
- The good news is that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR., has an impressive dosage of courage. And the belief is that he will invest this in his selfless leadership of this Country, and Nigeria will be on the march again.
- President Tinubu makes honest and courageous decisions as if he is not interested in running for a second term in office. He is making decisions that may not be popular at this time, but he knows, and we are convinced,that these decisions are what Nigeria needs, given what he inherited.
- The belief is that we have done well as a Country; we have stumbled; but we can do better. And this is the time for us actually to do better.
- The resolve by President Tinubu to develop the Southeast Region as he promised during the electioneering campaign was commended. It is noteworthy that less than a year in office, his Administration has started implementing a unique plan for the meaningful and indiscriminate development of the Southeast, just as he is doing in other regions.
- It is highly commendable that Mr. President has taken the power project which is the main driver of all economic, industrial and business activities, as an utmost priority among the projects slated by his Administration for execution in the Southeast. Remarkably, the Light Up Nigeria Project in the South East will rapidly redress the epileptic and inadequate power supply, and accelerate power supply to the industrial and business clusters in the Region and the Nation at large. It will revitalize productive activities in the commercial, business, and industrial sectors, apart from reviving the entire socioeconomic activities of people known worldwide for their peculiar boisterous nature in business, commerce, trading, and industry.
- Mr. President deserves the commendation of the Ndigbo worldwide, especially for rolling off the power project which is the pivot of economic and industrial transformation and development anywhere in the world, Nigeria has been contending with development issues since her independence in 1960, and particularly the Southeast Region which has been struggling to surmount the crushing impact of the calamitous 1967 to 1970 Civil War despite the enterprising and innovative bent of the people.
- This project which is underscored by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s belief that “if South East works, Nigeria will work,” is being executed in collaboration between the Niger Delta Power Holding Company, NDPHC, and its partners, featuring key stakeholders in the Nation’s power sector.
- The Light Up Nigeria Project is a turn-key project as part of the ongoing efforts by the Tinubu Administration to improve power supply to industrial clusters across the Southeast and the Country at large. It is a new Dawn for the Southeast and the entire Country.
- This project ensures efficient power dispatch to the largest consumers via bilateral sales agreements, which overrides the existing bulk purchase arrangements through NBET, leveraging on a willing buyer, willing seller structure.
- The Light up Nigeria project, led by NDPHC, a government-owned company, is responsible for implementing the National Integrated Power Project and operates a portfolio of gas thermal electricity generation assets in Nigeria.
Plan to develop Southeast
The President’s plan to develop the Southeast as he promised during the campaign, came up at the forum including:
- Massive economic development and a forward-looking government that would assuage the past difficulties people of the region had been enmeshed in;
- Redress of the challenges traders, business owners, and people of the South-East are going through based on His Excellency’s personal experience and lessons learned under the tutelage of his mother who was a prominent trader and market leader;
- Creation of new industrial hubs in Aba and Owerri, and other parts of the federation, and modernization of the already existing ones;
- Making access to credit facilities available to traders across the region and the country in general;
- Building an economy with a growing industrial base, more and better jobs for the youth, and more high-quality home-grown goods to sell and merchandise.
- Facilitating greater production in places like Owerri and Aba, and broadening opportunities for the traders and businessmen to engage in more international commerce by steering more activity toward ports outside of Lagos such as Onne;
- Transforming the Owerri-Port Harcourt and Aba-Port Harcourt corridors into more active and lucrative trade and manufacturing corridors than they already are;
- Formulating policies to widen the horizons and expand the business reach of the people of the region both in terms of the goods they sell and their geographic reach to new markets;
- Working with the state governments, the CBN, and the banking industry, to embark on a two-pronged credit revolution on the sale and supply side, and seek to drive down interest rates on business loans, especially for investment in manufacturing as well as small and medium-sized enterprises;
- To make consumer loans more available to allow more people to afford and buy more high-quality goods from the traders from the region. According to the President, “By empowering the consumer, we increase economic activity and prosperity for the overall economy as well as for your businesses.”
- To put in place policies that will boost trade and commerce, solve the forex crisis, and ensure that traders have easy access to a unified forex market;
- To revive struggling industries in this region and throughout the nation;
- Working in collaboration with the Imo State Government, to return Avutu Poultry to its status as a world-class poultry farm. This will increase food and nutrition while creating jobs and giving the government a chance to open new markets;
- To ensure that Ada Palm can, once again, become a fulcrum of job creation and foreign currency earnings;
- The Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, Owerri, to become fully operational to help large-scale movement of goods across the region;
- Priority attention to be placed on the completion of the Abakaliki-Benin section of the rail project, integrating the Southeast to the national rail system;
- The national infrastructure plan to pay great attention to roadways eaten by erosion and flooding, and give traders the sound roads they deserve to move goods for the benefit of the rest of the population;
- The planned establishment of Commodity exchange boards and other measures to better link local markets and farmers with the global economy while also assuring minimum prices for harvest. The idea according to the President “is to boost farm incomes, thus giving farmers greater incentive to produce more.”;
- Increased manpower, better communications and mobility equipment and training for security personnel to fight terror, kidnapping, and violent criminality, and ensure adequate peace and security.
- To work towards integrating all regions in the country to ensure Nigeria continues to remain in unity.
Recommendations
- A collaborative agreement between the government and the citizenry is essential to accelerate development, drive progress, and address the Country’s challenges.
- There should be a real compact between the Nigerians and their state, a compact that guarantees the Nigerians the confidence and assurance that the Nigerian state exists to promote their social and economic well-being and protect their freedom and integrity. This freedom should be guaranteed, not by mere rhetorics.
- There is a need for a social compact between the leaders and Nigerians.
- The forum noted regretfully, that people with neither the knowledge, know-how, nor the competence took over power distribution under the previous government.
- The result today is that this is the only market economy where the person who sells power estimates what he thinks you have consumed, and on that basis, gives you a bill.
- It was pointed out to His Excellency that the attraction of the private sector is that you either sell and survive or don’t sell and you perish.
- There is no power and people are in the dark. Yet power distribution companies in Nigeria distribute electricity bills to consumers.
- The privatised power sector’s inability to meet the demand of electricity users nationwide has sparked concerns among power consumers.
- As a result, there are growing calls on the Federal Government to reform the power sector, and improve power generation, transmission, and distribution across the Country.
- Despite a significant investment of over N74 trillion in the power sector since the privatisation, the industry has failed to deliver reliable electricity to Nigerians.
- Given the widespread concern about the effectiveness of the privatisation model in addressing Nigeria’s power challenges, President Tinubu was urged to reconsider the privatisation of the power sector.
Prayer
The prayer at the event is that the dreams of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR for a new Nigeria will come to fruition during his tenure. And that he will be given the special Grace to implement all his laudable plans for all the sections of our dear Country Nigeria to write his name in gold in history as the President whose tenure records the most remarkable achievements in transforming the lives of all Nigerians and building Nigeria on the foundation of justice for all no matter the diversities.
Resolve
- Because of the conviction in the demonstrated honesty, openness, and ability of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR to work selflessly to treat all Nigeria’s composite regions based on a new sense of justice, and thereby build Nigeria on a new foundation of true justice for all without discrimination, a call was made on all Nigerians at home and abroad to use our connections nationally and globally to drum support for the success of the Tinubu Administration in all facets.
- All Nigerians should be ready to contribute our quota to the success of the Federal Government led by His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR in building the Nigeria of our dreams which our forefathers fought for, on a new foundation.
Conclusion
Apart from the plaudits for starting the execution of his overall development plan for the entire Country, kudos was also given to the Tinubu administration for the strings of development projects being executed by the Federal Government nationwide.
The forum believed that the administration of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR., deserves the support of the entire Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora. This will encourage him to execute other projects, which he promised our people during his electioneering campaign to accelerate the comprehensive socio-economic development of the Country.
With the right steps that he has taken in the last year with the execution of strings of remarkable projects across the Country, we believe strongly that Mr President will fulfill his other promises to the people of Nigeria as enunciated in his 2023 Renewed Hope Policy Agenda.
The forum called for the support of Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora to enable President Tinubu to successfully implement his plan for mark for more impactful economic, industrial business, and social development that will turn Nigeria to a pride of all, where no one will be oppressed, and a force to be reckoned with in the vomity of Nations.
It identified with President Tinubu’s exemplary commitment to the unity of our great Country Nigeria as he declared the campaign: “For me, the unity of this nation is sacrosanct and non-negotiable. However, I realize that many people have genuine and painful grievances in need of fair and durable resolution.
“My government will be comprised of people from every section of the country and ready to discuss legitimate grievances with those in search of a peaceful resolution.
“Our nation is still in its infancy compared to other nations. I am proud of how far this nation has come. I also understand the great strides still to be made if we are to build for ourselves a nation of democratic good governance, development, justice, and unity,”
The remittance inflow of Nigerians in the Diaspora is significant to the economy. There must be faith in the Nigerian system and their support is crucial.
Also, Nigerians resident in the country should double our productive efforts to create a better nation.
Vigilance and peaceful coexistence are important to achieving security of lives and property just as they are to self-sufficiency in food production and food security. We must also secure our infrastructure and fulfill tax obligations.
The nation is surely on the right trajectory and we can only expect to soar higher in the remaining years of this first term and beyond.
Participants reflected on President Tinubu’s first year in office, and they were pleasantly surprised by the strides the administration has made. It is akin to witnessing the biblical walls of Jericho crumble — each blow against corruption, each policy aimed at economic revitalization echoing like Joshua’s trumpets. President Tinubu’s tenure exemplifies the Jerichoan feat of overcoming obstacles that once seemed insurmountable.
As the nation celebrates these achievements, Nigerians should not forget that our work is far from over. We must continue to embolden the bold, encourage the courageous, and to unite in our efforts to build a nation where every citizen has a fair chance at success, and where prosperity reaches every corner of our land.
There was a call on fellow Nigerians, “to rise to this challenge together, shun division, but rather harness the spirit of unity and determination that defines us as a people. Together, we have the power to shape our destiny, … to tear down walls of division and despair, …and to build bridges of hope and prosperity. Let us build bridges to connect us to a future of shared prosperity and opportunity.
“Let us encourage the courageous, embolden the bold, and together, let us forge ahead toward a Nigeria we can all be proud of.
May GOD bless the people of Nigeria. And may He bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria abundantly.
Signed
Eric Oluwole
- Being the Communique issued at the end of the Maiden Prof. Emeka Umerah Annual Public Lecture held at the Nigeria/Plateau Hall, Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja on Thursday, 4th July 2024
