Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has assured Nigerians that the nation will overcome insecurity and other pressing challenges it is currently facing. He recently urged citizens to maintain unity and work together for national development.
Speaking at a lecture marking Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary at Arewa House Auditorium in Kaduna, themed “65th Year of Nigeria Independence: The Journey So Far with the Renewed Hope Agenda in View,” Sanwo-Olu reacted to claims by the United States about religious persecution in Nigeria.
According to him, he won’t stop emphasizing that Nigeria is a proudly multiethnic, multi-religious and multicultural nation with citizens who realize the importance of cohesion regardless of religious differences.
He stated that togetherness among the people will always be strong enough to eradicate poverty, hunger and terrorism.
“We shall defeat every challenge: poverty, hunger, and, as His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reminded us earlier this week, terrorism.
We will continue to affirm that Nigeria is a proudly multiethnic, multi-religious and multicultural country, where the things that bind us together are far weightier than whatever seeks to separate or divide us.
We stand together as citizens and compatriots, firm in our conviction about our common destiny,” he said.
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He further urged citizens to embrace a local and bottom-up approach to governance, especially in addressing insecurity.
Sanwo-Olu concluded by reiterating the need for robust state policing, stressing that it will help to strengthen security and guarantee community safety.
“We must adopt local solutions to local problems, implement state policing effectively, and empower our local governments so that security, development, and prosperity reach every corner of our country.
At the state level, APC governors are encouraged to draw from and align with these pillars in our various governing agendas.
In Lagos State, for example, our THEMES+ agenda is fully aligned, emphasising infrastructure, human capital development, diversification through entertainment and tourism, security, governance reform, and social inclusion
God has put us together for a purpose, and we shall achieve that purpose without distraction or division,” he added.
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