Frontline politician, Chief Sam Onuigbo, says Nigeria has made remarkable progress since independence in 1960 despite facing numerous challenges.
Nigeria will mark its 65th independence anniversary on Wednesday.
Speaking in Abuja, Onuigbo said one of the country’s greatest achievements was remaining united in the face of events that threatened its existence, such as the civil war and the crisis following the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
Onuigbo, a former House of Representatives member who represented Ikwuano/Umuahia North and South Federal Constituency, sponsored the Climate Change Bill which was eventually signed into law by the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
“We have remained one indivisible nation for these past 65 years despite the challenges such as the civil war and June 12, among others that threatened the unity of this country. Like other nations, Nigeria’s economic standing ought to be stronger than where we are today. We want general happiness for a well-educated youthful nation that desires to remain productive and competitive. However, we have achieved some level of prosperity as a nation, but we can do more,” he said.
Onuigbo noted that President Bola Tinubu’s administration had shown commitment to repositioning Nigeria for greater heights, with a vision of attaining membership of the G-20.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured us that he is working to achieve those ideals whether in education, security or other sectors. Home and abroad Nigeria has produced massive manpower in different fields. Today, we have even lost count of the number of universities. At independence, we had just the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and University College Ibadan before it became a full-fledged university in 1962,” he said.
On the economy, he observed that Tinubu’s reforms had created a more stable banking system, easing financial transactions.
He added that while Nigeria had only a handful of major cities such as Lagos, Ibadan, Enugu and Kaduna before independence, the country now boasts numerous cities thriving with economic and social activities.
(NAN)