President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerians to remain hopeful and give his administration more time to complete its ongoing reforms, saying the government is correcting accumulated mistakes and missed opportunities of the past.
Tinubu made the appeal on Friday through the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, at a special Juma’at prayer held at the National Mosque in Abuja as part of activities marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
The President said Nigerians should remain optimistic about the country’s future, expressing confidence that peace and development were gradually returning to the country.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s 66 years of independence, Tinubu described the journey as one marked by both challenges and opportunities.
“Nigeria was bedevilled with a lot of issues in the past and opportunities as well. But we thank Almighty Allah for granting us the life and the peace for us to witness this very historic event today,” he said.
The President urged Nigerians not to lose faith in the country, saying his administration was focused on addressing longstanding challenges and creating conditions for sustainable development.
“My message to the country on behalf of the Mr president, the senate president and all members of the national assembly is that the citizens should not lose hope. Peace is coming back to this country. Development is coming back to this country. Things will get better as we progress in this democracy,” he said.
Tinubu said his administration was working to correct what he described as the cumulative mistakes and missed opportunities of previous governments.
“More importantly, citizens should look at the focus of the government of today, that the mistakes of the past—the cumulative mistakes and the missed opportunities of the past—are being corrected in this particular administration,” he said.
He maintained that Nigeria was on the right path and appealed to citizens to give the administration more time to complete its programmes.
“We should give this government more opportunity for it to come back and finish the good work [it has started],” Tinubu said.
The President’s remarks came as the Federal Government continues to present its economic reform programme as having moved from an initial period of difficult adjustments towards consolidation, growth and improved living standards.
The Juma’at prayer was attended by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, governors, federal lawmakers, ministers, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, and military chiefs, among other senior government officials.
The Federal Government has also scheduled a nationwide broadcast by Tinubu on October 1 as part of activities marking the 66th Independence Anniversary.
