A member of the House of Representatives from Oyo State, Honourable Abass Adigun, popularly called Agboworin, has charged Nigerians to remain hopeful about the country and be eternally committed to its unity.
Honourable Adigun Abass, who represents Ibadan North East/Ibadan South East Federal Constituency on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), gave the charge in his Independence anniversary message made available to newsmen in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The lawmaker, who retired from the US Navy, returned to Nigeria and joined politics to contribute to its development, said the challenges staunting the development of Nigeria would give way with with selfless commitment from the leadership and the led.
He admitted that after 59 years of independence, the country ought to have overcome many of the challenges confronting it today, especially in the area of power generation, citizenry’s standard of living, insecurity, infrastructural deficit, economic instability and others.
“With the abundance of the resources, natuar and human, that God has endowed us with, Nigeria has no reason whatsoever to be ignobly named the world capital of poverty.
” The goal set for achievement by the founding fathers upon independence has been derailed by selfish leadership the country has largely had in the last 59 years.
“I advocate that the structure of the country, as currently constituted with an overly powerful centre, be reworked in a way that regions can develop at their own pace as we had in the Independence Constitution of 1960.
” In order not to further burden the already over traumatised citizens socio-economically, the Federal Government should rescind its decision to increase Value Added Tax (VAT) from 5 to 7.5%.
“Despite the challeges we face as a country, I see hope and a bright future. Nigeria will rise again. The political leadership must make the welfare of the citizens a top priority as being done by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State who is running a welfarist government,” Honourable Abass Adigun said in the statement.
He congratulated Governor Makinde on the Independence anniversary and commended him for putting the people of the state at the centre of his administration’s policies and programmes.
“In Governor Makinde, we have a God-send deliverer who is putting smiles on the faces of different classes of people in the state and restoring the state’s lost glory in education, health and other sectors of the state.
He used the occasion to assure the people of Ibadan North East/ Ibadan South East Federal Constituency of his commitment to quality representation at the Green chamber as well as their wellbeing.