Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has charged Nigerians to rekindle the bond of unity, peaceful co-existence and tolerance for one another as Nigeria celebrates its 53rd Independence.
Dr. Uduaghan who gave the charge Tuesday in Asaba during the 2013 Independence Day Celebration said that was the sure way to ensure sustainable growth and development of the country as a nation.
“In our daily activities, utterances, and interactions, we should positively impact on the unity and peaceful co-existence of the nation. We should show greater tolerance for views which are diametrically opposed to ours and allow democratic ethos inform our actions for the greater good of the greatest number of our people”, he stated.
While acknowledging the various challenges facing the nation, Governor Uduaghan called for prayers and absolute commitment to the nation’s ideals so as to ensure sustainable development
stating that “no nation can develop in an atmosphere of chaos and anarchy”.
The Governor, who lamented the recent inexplicable and mindless killing of school children in Yobe State, condoled the bereaved families and called for vigilance on the part of all Nigerians to avoid the re-occurrence of such incidents.
While reiterating the improvement in the security situation and the decline in the activities of
kidnappers in the state, Dr. Uduaghan enjoined Nigerians especially Deltans to be security-conscious and avoid being accessories to the facts of crime.
He called on them to condemn the exploits of criminals and their cohorts in their areas and cooperate with security agencies to fish out criminals in their midst.
The Governor said the state government was committed to promoting Public-Private Partnership in order to enhance prosperity through economic development adding: “I am delighted that the development profile of the state is on the rise. This administration will complete all on-going projects; we will not shirk in our responsibilities to Deltans.”
Dr. Uduaghan said that his government has spent a lot of resources towards improving basic
infrastructure, education; health and transport sectors and urged the private sector to take advantage of the favourable business climate by engaging in productive ventures so as to create gainful employment for the youths and enhance overall development of the state.
He congratulated President Goodluck Jonathan for his transformational agenda and effort in sustaining the nation’s democracy and assured him of the state’s continuous support for his policies and programmes.
He commended the security agencies for maintaining peace and security in the state and appealed to Deltans to co-operate with them in ensuring that the state was completely rid of crime.
He also commended the contributions of traditional, community and religious leaders towards the
> maintenance of peace and security and the realization of the “Delta beyond Oil” initiative.
The governor appreciated the cordial working relationship among the various arms of government in the state explaining that they are committed to ensuring equity, fairness and justice in
the governance of the state.
Speaking further, he paid glowing tribute to past and present leaders whose foresight and sacrifices won independence for the country and for all Nigerians who has sacrificed their quota to ensure that the country remained united.
Highpoints of the celebration was the cutting of the anniversary cake, cultural display and march
past by students and pupils from various schools, youth/ voluntary and women organisations in the state.
