Fayemi: We Must Continue to Work Towards a More Perfect Union

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

Chairman of Nigerian Governors’ Forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, Thursday urged Nigerian leaders and the citizenry to continue to work towards a perfect union in spite of the daunting challenges confronting the nation.

In a message to the nation at the THISDAY ARISE Group Global Virtual Commemoration of Nigeria’s Diamond Jubilee, Fayemi said nation building was a collective responsibility.

He stated that in working towards a perfect union it was imperative to work towards “correcting impediments to progress, adjusting the gaps in the system”.
The Ekiti State chief executive contended that the argument in some quarters that Nigeria had not made progress amounted to ignoring the contributions of the nation’s heroes and heroines.

“To say that Nigeria has not made progress is to declare that the works of our heroes and heroines were in vain. Without a doubt, we have a long way to go and we still have many challenges.
“But history teaches us that the nation building project is a journey and not destination. It is a journey that is a collective responsibility of all of us”, he said.

He stated that the nation “must continue to work towards a more perfect union, correcting impediments to progress, adjusting the gaps in the system and believing that Nigeria is more than sum of its acts”.

The chair of the Governors’ Forum admitted that although the nation had faced daunting challenges that threatened the ties binding her together, they could not dampen the resilient Nigerian spirit.

“Over the years, we have grappled with difficult challenges some of which threaten to break the ties that bind us. We have overcome a depressing civil war, disruptions of our democratic system, painful recessions and horrible epidemics. None of these, however could break the resilient Nigerian spirit”, he enthused.

He said the nation must continue to strive, seek, find and not yield.
“In the words of Alfred Lord Tennison in his popular poem, Ulysses, we must continue to strive, to seek, to find and not to yield. On behalf of my brother governors, I want to felicitate with President Mohammadu Buhari and all Nigerians at home and abroad”, he said.