Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has commended the people for their perseverance in the face of the current economic hardship that has made life unbearable for them.
Governor Mohammed stated this in a goodwill message to Nigerians on the occasion of Nigeria’s 64th Independence Anniversary celebration, made available to journalists by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Muhktar Gidado.
He assured residents of Bauchi that the steps taken by his administration and the Federal Government by providing palliatives to alleviate their sufferings would be sustained.
“Let me reassure you that the palliative measures taken by both the State and Federal Governments to mitigate the hardship through provision of food and non-food items would be sustained. I therefore call on you to exercise more patience and cooperate with the Government in its effort to bring succor to you all.
“As we celebrate the 64th Anniversary of the Independence of Nigeria, my appeal to all of us is to re-dedicate ourselves to the development of our country, be patriotic and above all continue to pray to Almighty Allah to shower His mercy and blessings on us so that we can continue to live in peace with one another and make our State and country great,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to use the 64th Independence Anniversary to reflect on the struggle and sacrifice of the founding fathers of Nigeria and also strive to ensure that their labour shall not be in vain.
The Governor said it is gratifying to note that 64 years after independence, Nigerians have belied the skepticism on their ability to govern themselves.
“Today, we have shown to the world that, against all odds, we are not only able to govern ourselves, but are able to understand our differences, respect each other’s values and unite towards developing our country despite our socio-cultural heterogeneity.
“Since attainment of independence in 1960, Nigeria has suffered serious setbacks in the political arena which seriously affected its political and economic growth. It is however, gladdening that today democracy has found its roots in the country. The dividends of democracy are manifest and the citizens are happy.
“We in Bauchi State have taken a multi-dimensional approach to all the developmental projects which resulted in success all round, particularly in infrastructural development. Having been granted another mandate by the good people of Bauchi State to run the affairs of the State for another four years, I want to assure you that we will redouble our effort and work harder to provide more dividends of democracy than we did during our first term,” he said.
Mohammed said that as a responsible and responsive Government, his administration has taken measures in collaboration with security agencies to protect the lives and property of the people by swiftly addressing any form of security challenge.
He assured that security would continue to be top on his administration’s priority so that the relative peace being enjoyed in the State would be sustained.