Professor Attahiru Jega believes that the implementation of President Muhammadu Buhari’s 60th Independence Day speech is more important than the speech itself.
“What is clear is that the speech carries quite a lot of the right things to be said on a day like this. But for me, the critical thing is not what is said but how it is followed up,” the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), told Channels TV.
“I think it is important to reflect on the issue of what government needs to do to ensure that when you call upon Nigerians to take pride in Nigeria, there are certain things that encourage and help them to be able to do that.”
While admitting that Nigeria has come a long way in the past six decades, the former lecturer called for caution, insisting that the 60th Independence anniversary should serve as a time for reflection.
“And also, there is no doubt that Nigeria has come a long way in the last 60 years but is also important not to be in a celebratory mood but more to use this period as a period of reflection and contemplation as to what we really want Nigeria to be in the next 60 years,” Jega explained.
Jega said although the country is facing several challenges, Buhari’s Independence speech should trigger those in governance to act upon what was said to inspire confidence in the citizens.
“The key challenge for the government and governance is how to act upon all those things that have been said in order to give people the confidence that really, we are prepared to make the journey of the next 60 years as a united country that we can all take pride in and we can all be happy that our fundamental needs and aspirations would be addressed and satisfied through the process of governance,” the former INEC boss, added.