Abuja – Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday urged the nation’s elites to come together to move the country forward to achieve the desired development.
Osinbajo made the call in Abuja at the 13th edition of Daily Trust Newspaper Dialogue with the theme: “Fifty Years since 1966, is Nigeria Rising? ’’
He said in spite of the numerous challenges right from independence till date, the country was rising to a greater height.
“The elites must agree to come together because something needs to be done to put the country on the right track.
“Unless we the elites agree to come together and move this country forward, there is no way the country could develop and compete favourably with other countries of the world’’, he said.
Osinbajo said the present administration was committed and ready to turn around the fortunes of Nigeria for the better.
He said the administration had given priority to critical infrastructure.
The vice president said these included roads, legal system, social system, power, education, agriculture, erosion and desertification, among others.
Osinbajo said government also made impact “even in areas of scholarships to students, especially in science and technology-related fields.
“So, we are willing to move the country forward; we have no intention or the desire to enrich ourselves but rather committed to building a virile and strong nation’’, Osinbajo said.
Malam Kabiru Yusuf, Chairman of the Board, Media Trust Limited, congratulated the country for recording tremendous achievements in spite of its numerous challenges.
“In the next 50 years, I have no doubt in my mind that Nigeria will be greater in the comity of developed nations.
“With the way this government is going, Nigerians can be rest assured that we are moving towards a nation of our dream’’, he said.
Chairman of the occasion and former Head of Service of the Federation, Alhaji Adamu Fika, said that the country had achieved remarkable milestone in spite of its numerous challenges.
He said 1966 marked the turning point of the nation’s history and was gradually finding its footings ever since.
“Every one can see that we are moving towards the parth of becoming a great nation’’, he said.
One of the guest speakers, retired Lt. Gen. Martin Luther Agwai, said the role of the media could not be over-emphasised in the development of any nation.
He said that the country was rising in spite of its numerous challenges.
Agwai said government must come up with policies that have direct bearing on the lives of the citizens.
This, he said, would go a long way in making lives better for the citizens.
Agwai also urged the nation’s leaders to think of contributing meaningfully to the development of the country rather than self-development.
He advised the federal government to tackle corruption headlong for the nation to forge ahead.
Vice President Yemi Osibanjo
