By Emeka Nwokocha
The People’s Redemption Party governorship hopeful in Delta State, Chief Immanuel Edijala, has congratulated Nigerians in general and Deltans in particular on the occasion of the 62nd Independence anniversary of the country, describing it as a great milestone that calls for both celebration and sober reflection.
Chief Edijala, in his goodwill message, said: “As our great country, Nigeria, turns 62, I wish to salute the doggedness and unconquerable spirit of our founding fathers, who laboured strenuously and expended the energies of their youth to ensure the birth of a new nation on October 1, 1960.
“On this special and memorable occasion, I congratulate the good people of Nigeria for this achievement and for demonstrating unusual resilience in the face of many odds that tend to halt our development in recent years.”
He continued: “It is certainly a thing of joy that in spite of the challenges the nation has faced with attendant centrifugal forces that have been at play in these past years, our common heritage, Nigeria, has remained intact. Our nation has gone through tough times and terrible difficulties which on many occasions brought her close to the edge of the precipice. But God, in His infinite mercies, has always pulled her back.”
He charged the political class to strive to ensure the nation remains one irrespective of religious or tribal differences, even as he called on the federal government to invest in the future of the youths as they remain the soul of the Nigerian nation.
Continuing, he urged the political class to review critically the underlying concerns of Nigerians believed to be aggravating agitations, ethnoreligious conflicts and insecurity in the country.
He stressed that the best road map to Nigeria’s development is to identify and genuinely address those ills militating against it. He urged Nigerians to keep praying for the continued peace and unity of the country.
He said, “I passionately urge Nigerians to uphold the virtues of sincerity, justice and fairness while jettisoning impunity and corruption in order to enable the country realise its full potential as a prosperous nation and giant of Africa.”
Edijala encouraged Nigerians to sustain their faith in the unity and capacity of the country, to overcome the current security and economic challenges, stating that what the nation needs at this time are patriotic men and women of honour and integrity who can stand for the rule of law and promote the values as well as refine the mindset of Nigerians towards building a virile nation in the coming political dispensation.
While expressing untainted passion for a progressive Delta state, he called on the good people of the state to continue making the necessary sacrifice to ensure the state maximizes its full potentials to catalyse unprecedented socioeconomic and infrastructural growth with attendant improvement in the livelihood of Deltans.
Edijala, while noting that desirable change comes with pains before some fruitful gains, stated that all the challenges confronting Delta state currently would be surmounted in 2023, stressing that he would deploy his honed administrative prowess to lift the state out of its recurring economic asphyxiation and rescue Deltans from excruciating poverty and destitution.
He added, “this day is a reminder for us in Delta state that the tortious and endured long nights of lamentation will ease off soon we shall collectively transform our dear state into a dynamic hub of commerce, social equity and infrastructural development.”
He remarked, “though the challenges our dear state is bedevilled with are quite huge, we have remained united despite the forces pulling her apart.
Therefore, I charge the good people of Delta state to continue to make concerted efforts to see the Delta state of our dream come to full manifestation.”
