* Harps on unity, quality education
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, has assured Nigerians that the country’s challenges are surmountable.
The governor also urged Nigerians to work together for the country’s peace and development, saying national interest must always take precedence over every other interest and consideration.
He stated these in a statement he personally signed and released Sunday morning by his media office in commemoration of the nation’s 63rd independence anniversary.
Mbah, who also stressed the import of quality education to nation building, equally commended Nigerians for their resilience in the face of socio-economic challenges, expressing strong conviction that the country would emerge from the present difficulties stronger and more prosperous.
“The struggle for independence was not an easy one, but our founding fathers prevailed.
“Likewise, I have no doubt that we will ultimately emerge from the present socio-economic difficulties stronger and more prosperous if we all work together irrespective of political affiliations as well as ethnic and religious backgrounds”, Mbah stated.
The governor saluted the nation’s founding fathers for their doggedness, patriotic zeal, and lofty visions for Nigeria, urging all tiers of government to work together to reorient the country towards the path of recovery in all sectors of national life.
He said for the country to reach its full potential as a prosperous nation and the true giant of Africa envisaged by the founding fathers, it must prioritise education as the cornerstone of nation-building, adding that it was for this reason that his administration was overhauling basic education in the state, including the ongoing construction of smart schools in each of the 260 wards in the state.
“On behalf of the government and good people of Enugu State, I salute all Nigerians on the occasion of our 63rd independence anniversary.
“On this historic occasion, I would especially want to congratulate the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR as well as the 36 state governors and indeed all Nigerians”.
Mbah said his administration was committed to urgent policy reforms in education, healthcare delivery, infrastructure, human capital development, and poverty eradication to chart a new path for socio-economic development.
The governor said the state government was sustaining the dreams of the nation’s founding fathers through deliberate socio-political and economic reforms presently being undertaken.
He stressed that Enugu had no business with poverty and assured that the state was on its way to sustainable economic prosperity given the short, mid, and long term reforms and foundations being laid by the administration.
“We are rewriting our history in a way that had never been imagined before in the history of the state. Ours is to play leadership role by thinking out of the box and doing things differently. That we are presently doing, and let me reassure Ndi Enugu that we will not rest on our oars until we grow our economy to the projected $30 billion, transform social services, and kick poverty out of our state,” he said.
Looking at the huge successes achieved in the education sector, the governor declared that basic education in the state must not only be offered with quality assurance, but must also come with no cost implications for parents, saying the pilot project of the basic smart schools was on the verge of completion.
