Osinbajo: Nigerians Must Build Nation that Works for All
Deji Elumoye in Abuja
The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has stressed the need for Nigerians to create a country that works for all; a peaceful and secure society founded on law and order and the rule of law.
The vice president, who spoke yesterday, in Abuja after receiving the award of Leadership Person of the Year by the Leadership Newspapers craved for a society that enables commerce and values productivity so that large and small businesses would grow and provide jobs and opportunities for millions of young people; a society where no one is left behind.
Osinbajo noted that leadership must also create a country that can provide, “by means of an effective social welfare scheme, a safety net for the very poor and the vulnerable; a united and tolerant nation where all, irrespective of ethnicity, religion or political persuasion, are respected, treated fairly and justly, and have equal access to all opportunities.”
According to him, “we must build a Nigeria where a boy or girl does not say that, ‘I am from the south-west, or I am from the north-west or south-south or north-east, or north-central or south-east, but that I am a Nigerian, a citizen of one of the greatest and most prosperous nations on earth.
“This is the kind of Nigeria that those of us in this political tendency, to which Sam Nda-Isaiah belonged, all attest to and believe.”
Osinbajo dedicated the award to millions of Nigerians who believed in the new Nigeria, “and who retain faith in our possibilities as a people and are doing their best every day in their various corners to build this nation through honest endeavour.”
“To these people of goodwill who are working hard to promote peace, tolerance and to build a country that truly represents all of our dreams; to those working hard to build bridges, those who have refused to be frustrated or even wearied by the trials of our country as it grows and continues into the fullness of its manifest destiny.
“It is because of such Nigerians, that despite the great challenges we are passing through on our march of progress, I am certain that we will build this great Nigerian nation that we all yearn for.”
Thanking the Management of the Leadership Group led by its Chairman, Mrs. Zainab Nda-Isaiah for the recognition, Osinbajo also commended the Group, “for forging ahead” following the loss of its Founding Chairman and Publisher, late Sam Nda-Isaiah, who died in December 2020.
He noted that the late Sam Nda-Isaiah was a dogged achiever who stood for integrity in public life and embodied the finest traditions of Nigerian journalism.
The vice president also recognised his co awardee, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, who he noted was a globally affirmed finance and development expert, and a true Nigerian patriot.
“Every glass ceiling she has broken, and they are many, has inspired girls and women all over the world to reach for the highest heights in all fields of human endeavour,” he stated, regarding her.
