Nigeria@60: We are greater together, says Buhari

Today, we grapple with multiple challenges with a population exceeding 200m

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said Nigeria would be “greater” when all Nigerians across the country remained “together” than “being smaller units of nationalities.”

President Buhari, in his address on the occasion of the country’s 60th Independence Anniversary, underscored the need for Nigerians to solidify their strength, increase commitment and do proper and things in order to build a great country.

The President, who re-committed himself to the service of the country of great people with profound diversities and opportunities, stressed the need to reflect at this stage in our nationhood on how Nigeria got to its present situation “to enable us work together to get to where we aspire to be as a strong indivisible nation, united in hope and equal in opportunity.”

“Fellow Nigerians, to achieve the great country we desire, we need to solidify our strength, increase our commitment and encourage ourselves to do that which is right and proper even when no one is watching.

“Fellow Nigerians, let us collectively resolve to continue our journey beyond the sixty years on the clear understanding that as a nation we are greater together than being smaller units of nationalities. By the special grace of God we shall come through any transient challenges.

“It is my sincere hope that by the end of this anniversary on September 30th 2021, we will all be proud of taking this individual and collective self-assessment for the progress of our great nation,” he said.

Buhari said our founding fathers understood the imperative of structuring a national identity using the power of the state and worked towards unification of Nigerians in a politically stable and viable entity.

“That philosophy guided the foundation that was laid for our young nation of 45 million people with an urban population of approximately 7 million occupying an area of 910,768 square kilometers. These demographics led to development challenges for which major efforts were made to overcome.

“Today, we grapple with multiple challenges with a population exceeding 200 million occupying the same land mass but 52% residing in urban areas,” he added.