​Independence Anniversary: It's Time For Nigerians To Unite – Rep Member, Adebutu

With the celebration of the 57th Independence Anniversary of Nigeria, a call has been to the people of the country to embrace unity despite the nation’s diversity.
Making this call in a statement on the independence celebration of the country on 1st October, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Rural Development, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu stressed that the country could only achieve its desires if her citizens co-habit as one.
Hon. Adebutu, harped on the need for Nigerians to eschew all forms of bitterness, ethnicity and religious biases so that the nation could forge ahead.
He said further in a statement released from his Media Office and which was made available to the media that “even in the face of calls for restructuring, we owe the generations unborn the need to promote the values that unite us as a nation.
“57 years is not a little journey in the life of a nation. We cannot afford to go our separate ways now or fan the embers of disunity. We can be great again as a nation once we are united. United we stand, divided we fall.
“Our nation has passed through turbulent periods, so it is time to put our acts together so that we can further claim our positions among the committee of fast developing countries of the world.”
The Lawmaker, who is from Ogun State, enjoined both the leaders and the led to see Nigeria first despite the economic and social challenges confronting us as a people, saying that with determination, doggedness, commitment and perseverance, Nigeria would soon overcome her challenges on its journey to real nationhood.
“We have left Egypt, we will soon arrive in Jerusalem. The journey could be tortuous and challenging, but we are gradually moving there.
“It is obvious that times are hard and we never bargained for most of what we have experienced, when we got independence from Britain in 1960. But indeed, we have learnt our lessons the hard way.
“We need to move forward at this moment. Whatever has a beginning would have an end,” he said in the statement, adding that it is obviously not yet Uhuru for Nigerians.
The chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the statement urged Nigerians to engage in activities that could galvanise development rather than dwelling on sectionalism albeit parochialism, which he said would not take us far.
According to him, the promoters of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and others that are toying with sectionalism must have a change of heart and dissipate their energies on productive activities for a better Nigeria.
Adebutu was quoted to have said in the statement that many Nigerians still live with the bad memories of the civil war of 1967 to 1970  and that Nigeria might not come out of it if she goes into another war.
“This is indeed an auspicious time to tell ourselves the bitter truth that the celebration of another independence anniversary calls for a sober reflection on the need to be united.
“We can only restructure our nation if we agree to come together on a round table. It is better to jaw jaw than to war war. 
“Fight or disharmony would take us nowhere. We are living witnesses to the carnage in Liberia, Ethiopia, Bosnia Herzegovina and others,” he stated in the statement, while congratulating Nigerians as the country marks another successful independence year. 
He urged the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to remember their social contract with the people and fulfill their campaign promises to the people “rather than coming up with excuses that have not yielded positive results.”
He however, promised Nigerians better times once the “PDP takes over power both at the centre and in many states of the federation, including Ogun State, in 1999.”