Category: Nigerian Tribune

Katsina State Governor Malam Dikko Umar Radda has signed the Katsina State 2027 Appropriation Bill into law, paving the way for the implementation of a ?828.58 billion budget aimed at sustaining development across the state.

Speaking during the signing ceremony held at the Red Chamber of the Katsina Government House on Wednesday, Governor Radda commended the State House of Assembly for the speedy consideration and passage of the bill, describing the lawmakers’ commitment within the limited timeframe as commendable.

The governor explained that the budget followed a transparent three-stage process.

According to him, it began as a people’s budget, was thoroughly defended by ministries, departments and agencies, and was subsequently scrutinised and approved by the State House of Assembly in line with its constitutional responsibility.

Radda urged all implementing agencies to ensure prompt execution of projects and programmes, stressing the need to focus on priority areas that will directly improve the lives of the people.

Earlier, the Speaker of the Katsina State House of Assembly, Nasiru Daura, formally presented the Appropriation Law to the governor for assent.

He disclosed that the Assembly approved a total budget of ?828,578,844,091.48, comprising ?190,726,262,820.44 for recurrent expenditure and ?637,852,581,271.03 for capital expenditure.

The Speaker reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to supporting the APC-led administration in delivering democratic dividends and called on residents of the state to continue supporting the government to ensure the successful implementation of its development agenda.

Tribune Online reports that in July this year, Radda launched the second statewide ward-level town hall meeting for the collection of citizens’ inputs into the preparation of the 2027 budget, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to participatory governance and people-driven development.

The governor said that many of the projects identified during the first consultations were already being implemented across key sectors.

These, he said, included road infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare, education, water supply, youth empowerment, social protection, community development and security support.

He also noted that sustainable development could only be achieved through active citizen participation.

The Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Aliyu Umar Yusuf, has announced plans to enact a law providing a legal framework for power rotation in the state.

Yusuf made the disclosure at the ongoing Kogi Power Rotation Summit in Lokoja, where traditional rulers, religious leaders, community leaders, professional associations, organized labor, youths, students, and other stakeholders gathered to discuss equity, inclusion, and political power sharing.

He said the proposed legislation would establish an institutional framework for rotating political power among the different parts of Kogi State.

According to him, ‘The Assembly will pass a law on power rotation. Whoever is not comfortable should go to court. It is time to make history.’

The announcement has introduced a legislative dimension to the longstanding debate over power rotation in the state, which has largely centered on political advocacy and public discussions.

Yusuf urged stakeholders to decide when they wanted the proposed legislation to be presented and passed, stressing that the issue had become overdue.

His position placed legislative action at the center of the summit’s deliberations, with participants expected to examine how equity, fairness, inclusion, and political participation could be addressed through a sustainable framework.

Power rotation has remained a major political issue in Kogi State, particularly regarding the distribution of leadership positions among the three senatorial districts.

The Kogi Unity Accord, a non-partisan platform promoting dialogue on equity, fairness, inclusion, and sustainable power sharing, is organizing the summit.

The event has attracted participants from the three senatorial districts, providing a platform for stakeholders to exchange views on the state’s political future.

Representatives of traditional institutions, religious bodies, professional organizations, labor groups, community associations, youths, and students are among those attending the summit.

With the Speaker’s announcement, the possibility of a formal legislative framework for power rotation has emerged as a key issue in the ongoing debate.

If introduced and enacted, the proposed law would move power rotation from political convention and advocacy into a statutory framework.

However, its specific provisions, scope, and implementation would depend on the legislative process and further consultations with stakeholders.

The summit, chaired by former Chief of Defence Intelligence Vice Admiral Joseph Ajayi (retd.), continues on Thursday, October 1, 2026, with further discussions expected on political inclusion, unity, equitable participation, and shared prosperity.

Attention is now turning to how the proposed legislative process will unfold and whether the planned law will gain support among stakeholders.

More than 20 civil society organisations (CSOs) in Kaduna State have suspended their planned October 1 peaceful protest, citing concerns that criminal elements could hijack the demonstration and trigger confrontation between protesters and security agencies.

The groups, operating under the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), said the decision followed consultations with relevant stakeholders and an assessment of the security situation in the state.

Addressing journalists in Kaduna on Thursday, the convener of the coalition, Aminu Haruna, said the suspension was not an abandonment of the groups’ responsibility to hold government accountable, but a measure aimed at preventing the demonstration from degenerating into violence.

Haruna said the coalition had considered the security measures being implemented by the Federal and Kaduna State governments, as well as security agencies, before opting for structured dialogue.

‘We don’t want the protest to cause chaos,’ he said.

According to him, consultations with stakeholders showed that some individuals could exploit the protest for purposes unrelated to the organisers’ demands.

‘We realise that people are ready to take advantage of today’s protest. And then, we don’t want this protest to cause chaos,’ Haruna said.

He said the coalition weighed the advantages and disadvantages of proceeding with the demonstration and concluded that the potential consequences could outweigh its immediate objectives.

‘Instead of having a peaceful demonstration to demand what is right, at the end of the day it will end up with a conflict between citizens and the security personnel. And you know it will never go well,’ he said.

The coalition stressed that the suspension did not mean it had abandoned peaceful protests as a legitimate means of expressing citizens’ grievances.

It said its demands concerning the welfare of Nigerians, particularly Kaduna residents, had been documented and would be conveyed to the executive arm of government through the security agencies.

Following its decision to suspend the protest, the groups commended the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, and the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Adeola Ajayi, for what they described as operational support and leadership.

They also praised the Kaduna State Police Command and the Kaduna State DSS for their proactive engagement, swift action and open dialogue during their engagements with the organisations.

The coalition also commended the Kaduna State Government under Governor Uba Sani for its efforts to strengthen security in the state.

Turning to the issue of the death penalty for convicted kidnappers, particularly following a recent death sentence in Edo State, the coalition expressed support for the execution of prisoners whose sentences had been lawfully handed down by competent courts.

Haruna, however, urged state governors to exercise their constitutional responsibilities concerning inmates on death row, saying many condemned prisoners had remained in custody for years because governors were reluctant to approve their execution.

‘We wish to use today, the first of October, to appeal to all governors in this country that anybody on death row in your state should be executed,’ Haruna said.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said his administration cannot erase in four years the hardship and economic challenges that accumulated in Nigeria over generations, but can change the country’s economic direction.

Tinubu stated this in his Independence Day address to Nigerians on Thursday, marking Nigeria’s 66th anniversary of independence.

The president acknowledged that millions of Nigerians are still struggling with the cost of food, education, healthcare and transportation, but said the difficulties did not begin with his administration’s economic reforms.

According to him, the hardship confronting Nigerians is the accumulated consequence of decades of low productivity, inadequate infrastructure, limited opportunities and institutions that failed to adequately serve citizens.

‘We cannot erase in four years what accumulated over generations. But we can change its course,’ Tinubu said.

He said the government’s objective was to build an economy capable of steadily lifting people out of poverty while ensuring that vulnerable Nigerians were not abandoned.

Tinubu said his administration was strengthening direct support for the poorest households and improving the National Social Register to ensure that assistance reached those who genuinely needed it.

He also highlighted the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, saying it would help ensure that children from low-income families could pursue higher education despite their parents’ inability to afford tuition.

The president further said the Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP) was providing working Nigerians with access to credit to acquire essential assets, including vehicles, solar systems and digital devices.

On the wider economy, Tinubu said his administration had spent the first three years correcting the country’s economic direction through reforms which he acknowledged had been difficult.

He said the economy had grown by more than four per cent in 2026, while inflation had fallen substantially from its peak. He also said foreign reserves had been rebuilt, the foreign exchange market had stabilised and Nigeria recorded more than $6 billion in non-oil export revenue in 2025.

Tinubu said the government had now moved from correcting the country’s economic course to pursuing ‘shared and widespread prosperity’.

He said reducing the cost of living would remain a priority, with the government focusing on lowering the cost of producing and transporting goods through investments in agriculture, infrastructure, roads, railways and ports.

The president also said job creation, enterprise and industrial growth would remain central to the government’s agenda, with plans to use gas to power industries, revive factories, expand digital connectivity and improve access to skills and finance.

Tinubu said the government’s ultimate goal was to create an economy where Nigerians could produce more, earn better incomes and access affordable goods and essential services.

‘The age of reform has done its work. Now begins the age of prosperity,’ he said.

He urged Nigerians to remain focused on the future, saying the country had ‘corrected its course’ and was now positioned to pursue an era of greater opportunity and shared prosperity.

Akwa Ibom State-owned carrier has operated over 65,787 scheduled flights, hitting a major milestone of five million passengers on September 25.

This achievement reflects the enduring trust and confidence that passengers continue to place in Ibom Air, just as the airline joined millions of Akwa Ibomites and Nigerians worldwide to celebrate the 39th anniversary of the creation of Akwa Ibom.

The airline, established as part of the state Government’s strategic investment in connectivity and economic development, has also transported nearly five million passengers within its seven years of operation.

In a statement marking the anniversary, Ibom Air congratulated the Governor of the state, Pastor Umo Eno, his cabinet and the people of the state, describing the airline as one of the key institutions emerging from the state’s sustained investments in infrastructure, human capital and economic development.

Akwa Ibom was created in 1987 and has, over the years, expanded investments in infrastructure, healthcare, education, aviation, tourism and other sectors of the economy.

Ibom Air said the airline was established to improve air connectivity, stimulate economic activity and demonstrate the capacity of Akwa Ibom to establish and sustain a world-class aviation institution.

Since its launch, the airline has expanded its fleet to 10 aircraft and currently serves seven domestic destinations and one regional destination, providing connectivity for business, tourism, trade and investment.

Beyond passenger transportation, Ibom Air said it has become an important platform for human-capital development in the state, with hundreds of Akwa Ibom indigenes engaged in leadership, flight operations, engineering, customer service, finance and other technical and administrative functions.

The airline added that strategic training programmes supported by the state government and Ibom Air had enabled young professionals from the state to receive specialised aviation training in Nigeria, Ethiopia and France.

According to the airline, its economic contribution also extends beyond direct aviation operations, with its activities and supply-chain engagements injecting more than N60 billion into the local economy and supporting thousands of indirect jobs.

Ibom Air said its growth reflects the state government’s broader objective of creating opportunities, empowering its citizens and building institutions capable of contributing to long-term economic prosperity.

‘As Akwa Ibom celebrates 39 years of achievement, Ibom Air is proud to be part of the State’s story of growth, empowerment and transformation,’ the airline stated.

It reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the Governor’s ARISE Agenda through operational excellence, improved connectivity, job creation and continued investment in human capital.

The airline said the development of Akwa Ibom and the growth of Ibom Air demonstrate the potential of strategic investment, institutional development and human-capital empowerment in driving sustainable economic advancement.

Kunle is a married father of two in Ibadan. For the better part of the year, he had been struggling. His business had collapsed. He had borrowed money from people he respected and could not repay it. He felt like a man who had failed at everything that mattered, and he had begun to believe, quietly and with increasing certainty, that his family would be better off without him. He went to church, as he had done every Sunday for 15 years. One Wednesday evening, after a men’s fellowship meeting, he stayed behind when the others left. The pastor noticed and asked him how he was really doing. That question, asked by the right person at the right moment in the right place, was the beginning of Kunle not dying.

Fatima is a university graduate in Kaduna living with her parents after two years of unsuccessful job searching. She had stopped eating properly, stopped leaving her room, and had begun writing in her journal about not wanting to be alive anymore. Her family noticed her withdrawal but told her she needed to pray more, trust more, and be more grateful. She feared that disclosing her thoughts would make her a lesser Muslim. She went to the mosque on Fridays just to satisfy her parents. The imam delivered a Friday jumat sermon that focused on patience, resilience and going through challenges. The sermon was comforting, and she began to find hope again.

Emmanuel is a chorister in a Pentecostal church in Lagos who had been quietly dependent on alcohol for six years following the death of his wife. The drinking had become his private management of grief he had never properly processed in a church culture where showing such prolonged pain felt like a failure of faith. When his thoughts turned to suicide following the loss of his job, he told no one in the church. He feared judgement. He feared being prayed over and sent home with Bible readings, a fasting schedule and an exhortation to be stronger in faith. He felt somehow it would be viewed as being weak in faith and blamed. So, he decided not to voice his concerns even though he felt lost and that he simply had nothing to continue living for.

Discussion

In Nigeria, as across much of sub-Saharan Africa, faith communities are central social institutions. The church, the mosque, and the traditional religious gathering are places where people already go on ordinary days and socialise. These places take on added salience because they are also the first point of call in moments of crisis. Several studies consistently show that in many African contexts, religious leaders are the first point of contact for people experiencing mental health difficulties, often long before any clinical service is approached. This is a reality to be taken seriously and built upon.

Religious organisations have consistent, repeated contact with large numbers of people across the full span of life. They carry moral authority and trust. They also have existing structures through pastoral care, Jumuah gatherings, small groups, community visiting, youth programmes, men and women groupings, etc., that can be adapted for mental health outreach without requiring entirely new infrastructure. They are also easily present in communities, particularly rural and low-income communities, where no other structured support exists.

How can religious organisations help?

? Demystify the topic and promote open discussions around mental health and suicide prevention. Such openness will encourage people to speak freely.

? Training faith leaders in mental health first aid: Training faith leaders in the basics of mental health first aid is one of the highest-leverage interventions available. Asido Foundation holds comprehensive workshops for religious leaders that have proven effective in improving their psychological first aid expertise as well as confidence.

? Creating safe spaces for honest disclosure: Creating confidential pastoral and counselling structures where people know their disclosure will be met with compassion rather than judgement or gossip can go a long way towards preventing suicide.

? Building referral pathways to professional services: Religious organisations should establish clear and smooth referral relationships with local mental health services, hospitals, and health care workers so that a pastor or imam who sits with someone in distress after Friday Jumuah or Sunday church service has a number to call, a name to give, and a person in the professional system who is expecting that referral.

? Establishing bereavement and grief support structures.

? Engaging men through existing fellowship and brotherhood structures: Men are significantly less likely to disclose suicidal thoughts than women and are at considerably higher risk of dying by suicide. Men’s fellowship groups in churches and the brotherhood structures of mosque communities can be used to foster mental health promotion.

? Involving young people in peer mental health advocacy as well as during youth camps.

Conclusion:

The most powerful suicide prevention resource in many Nigerian communities is not a clinic or a helpline. It is YOU. The person who notices, who stays, who asks the question that nobody else has thought to ask. And encourages engagement with professional mental health services without shame or stigma.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has been honoured with the ‘Workers Minister of the Decade Award’ for his outstanding leadership and commitment to workers’ issues.

The award was presented to the minister during the 2026 National Pre-Retirement Summit (NPS 2026), held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.

The presentation was led by veteran labour leader Comrade Chief Godwin Abumisi, president of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, alongside Comrade Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

Presenting the award, the organisers described the recognition as a reward for ‘outstanding leadership and commitment to workers’ issues,’ acknowledging the minister’s contributions to matters affecting workers and pensioners.

The recognition formed part of activities at the two-day summit, which brought together representatives of more than 100 public and private sector organisations to deliberate on retirement planning, financial preparedness and post-service wellbeing.

The summit, convened by XEM Consultants Limited, was held under the theme: ‘Own Your Retirement: From Planning to Action’.

The event provided a platform for stakeholders from government, organised labour, the private sector and other institutions to examine strategies for preparing workers for a secure and productive retirement.

The ‘Workers Minister of the Decade Award’ adds to the growing recognition of Keyamo’s engagement with labour and workers’ concerns in the course of his public service.

The minister, who received the award in the presence of labour leaders and other stakeholders, expressed appreciation for the recognition and reaffirmed the importance of protecting the dignity, welfare and rights of workers, both during their active service and in retirement

Educators, linguists, and policymakers have strongly rejected the Federal Government’s recent decision to enforce English as the sole medium of instruction in schools, warning that the policy will worsen the nation’s ongoing educational crisis.

This warning was contained in a communique issued at the end of the Annual Fafunwa Educational Foundation (FEF) Conference, held recently in Lagos.

The conference, themed ‘What Does The Research Say?: Mother Tongue Instruction and the Future of Early Education in Nigeria’, brought together prominent scholars, cultural leaders, teachers, and parents. Together, they urged the Federal Government to immediately reverse its cancellation of the 2022 National Language Policy and reinstate indigenous languages as the foundational basis for basic education.

Delivering a keynote address, Professor Francis Egbokhare of the University of Ibadan argued that Nigeria’s persistent learning crisis stems directly from a fundamental mismatch between the language of instruction and the learners’ native language.

‘What appears to be poor academic performance may actually reflect language barriers rather than intellectual limitations,’ Egbokhare asserted.

He warned that sidelining indigenous languages inflicts severe cultural damage, leading to a permanent loss of traditional wisdom and local worldview.

The Federal Government recently banned mother tongue instruction, citing an ostensible decline in student academic performance. However, conference participants sharply disputed this claim.

They noted that the Nigerian Academy of Education has explicitly denied the existence of any empirical evidence linking native-language instruction to poor academic results.

Instead, stakeholders argued that the policy’s past failures resulted from weak, half-hearted implementation, chronic underfunding, insufficient teacher training, and a lack of instructional materials.

Conference speakers cited decades of global and local research to support their demands.

Notably, they pointed to the landmark Ife Primary Education Research Project (1970-1978) and findings from UNESCO data that consistently show that children taught in their mother tongue demonstrate significantly higher reading comprehension by the end of primary and lower secondary school.

The communique formally called on the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, to restore the 2022 policy.

Additionally, the stakeholders urged state governments, the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEB), and the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) to collaborate immediately.

They demanded a massive commitment to teacher training and the swift development of early-grade textbooks in Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, and other indigenous Nigerian languages to prevent further decline in the nation’s schooling system.

The lecture also featured a panel session, presentation of post-doctoral awards to three scholars and the unveiling of a new book, _Babs Fafunwa: A Mini-Biography for Youngsters_, authored by celebrated writer Professor Okey Ndibe.

Dignitaries in attendance included the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, and Prof. Sherifat Ndibe, who represented her mother, the widow of Babs Fafunwa, Dr Doris Fafunwa, and students of Babs Fafunwa Millennium Senior Secondary School, Ojodu.

The Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has said Nigeria’s major challenge is not a lack of resources but the failure of successive governments to convert the country’s abundant resources into human development, productivity, security and shared prosperity.

Obi, who stated this in his Independence Day address to Nigerians on Thursday, said the 66th anniversary of the country’s independence should serve as a period for sober reflection on Nigeria’s progress and the direction of its development.

He said national leaders and citizens must continually ask where the country was, where it wanted to be and how it could move from its present situation to its desired destination.

According to him, despite the promises made by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration in 2023, Nigerians continue to contend with poverty, insecurity, food insecurity, unemployment, poor access to education and healthcare, drug abuse and low life expectancy.

Obi cited figures which he said showed that more than 140 million Nigerians were living in poverty and severe hardship, while more than 18 million children were out of school.

He also said more than 35 million young Nigerians were unemployed or underemployed, while more than 40 million Nigerians could face extreme hunger by the end of 2026.

The NDC candidate further expressed concern over insecurity, saying terrorism, banditry and kidnapping continued to threaten lives and livelihoods across the country.

He said Nigeria’s challenges could not be attributed to the country being ‘cursed’, arguing that the nation had sufficient human and natural resources to achieve development.

‘Our greatest problem is not a lack of resources; it is the failure to convert our enormous resources into human development, productivity, security and shared prosperity,’ Obi said.

He spoke after returning from a two-day visit to Sokoto State with the NDC Vice-Presidential Candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, where he said they consulted with residents on insecurity, poverty, out-of-school children, youth unemployment and drug abuse.

Obi said the delegation also visited an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp at Ramin Kura in Sokoto metropolis, where he described the conditions of displaced women and children as troubling.

He said many of the children at the camp lacked access to education, while mothers and children had limited access to basic healthcare.

According to him, the situation demonstrated the consequences of insecurity on communities, as people who should be farming, attending school, running businesses and contributing to the economy were instead living as displaced persons.

‘What we saw in Ramin Kura is not an isolated story. It is a reflection of the suffering experienced, in different forms, across many parts of Nigeria,’ he said.

Obi said the NDC would seek to change the situation if elected, promising to make governance measurable, accountable and centred on the welfare and productivity of Nigerians.

He said Nigerians would begin to see what he described as the tangible impact of effective leadership within the first year of his administration.

On security, Obi pledged to confront insecurity in order to enable farmers to return to their farms, children to return to school and businesses to operate without fear.

He also promised to facilitate the safe and dignified return of Nigerians displaced by insecurity to their communities.

The former Anambra State governor said his administration would also seek to shift the economy from what he described as consumption-driven growth to a productive economy based on job creation, agriculture, manufacturing, human-capital development and enterprise.

He identified education, healthcare, security and productive enterprise as priorities, saying they were foundations of a functioning nation rather than luxuries.

Obi also promised that, if elected president, he would spend his holidays within Nigeria during his four-year tenure.

He specifically mentioned Zamfara, Borno, Kwara, Ebonyi, Edo and Ekiti states among places he intended to visit during his holidays.

‘I want to continue to see Nigeria. I want to know Nigeria. I want to spend time with Nigerians, listen to them, understand their challenges and celebrate their resilience,’ he said.

The NDC candidate called on Nigerians to approach the country’s future with hope and determination, saying the country could overcome its current challenges through accountable leadership and citizen participation.

He said his administration would seek to build a Nigeria where children had access to education, mothers could obtain basic healthcare, farmers could safely access their farms and young people could find opportunities to work and prosper.

Obi also said public resources should be deployed strictly for the public good.

He urged Nigerians to use the Independence anniversary to reflect on the country’s achievements and challenges while demanding greater accountability from those entrusted with public office.

‘The Nigeria we desire will not be built by prayers alone, nor by promises alone. It will be built by leadership that understands that public office is a sacred trust, by citizens who demand accountability, and by all of us who refuse to accept failure as our destiny,’ he said.

He called for the building of what he described as a new and productive Nigeria founded on unity, peace, justice and prosperity.

Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has assured residents of the state that his administration will use the next four years to consolidate its achievements and intensify efforts to improve their standard of living.

Adeleke gave the assurance on Thursday while addressing the people of Osun State at Fakunle Comprehensive High School, Osogbo, during activities marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary and the presentation of prizes to winners of the 2026 Osun State Essay Competition.

The Governor thanked the people of the state for their participation in the just-concluded governorship election, saying their large turnout and determination contributed to the successful conduct of the poll.

He pledged that his administration would work with renewed determination to address areas requiring further attention, while consolidating gains recorded in education, healthcare, infrastructure and agriculture.

According to him, his administration’s development agenda is centred on the people, stressing that government programmes must ultimately translate into improved quality of life for citizens.

Adeleke said significant attention had been given to the education sector through the improvement of schools, provision of learning facilities and recruitment of teachers.

He also cited Osun’s fifth position nationally in the 2026 NECO Senior School Certificate Examination as evidence of progress in the sector, noting that the state moved up from seventh position in the 2025 ranking.

The Governor congratulated participants and winners of the 2026 Osun State Essay Competition, as well as their teachers and parents, saying the initiative would encourage young people to think critically and contribute ideas to the development of the state and country.

On healthcare, Adeleke said his administration had continued to strengthen primary healthcare delivery, improve health facilities and expand access to health insurance and other medical interventions.

He added that road construction and rehabilitation, bridge projects, water systems and other infrastructure interventions remained central to his administration’s development agenda.

The Governor further said the state was supporting farmers through improved agricultural inputs, mechanisation and access to markets, stressing that agriculture must serve as both a means of feeding the population and creating wealth for families and communities.

While acknowledging that challenges remained, Adeleke said the achievements recorded so far demonstrated that the state was moving in the right direction.

He described the people of Osun, particularly its youths, farmers, entrepreneurs, teachers and workers, as major assets to the state’s development, expressing confidence that a peaceful, prosperous and self-reliant Osun was achievable.

The Governor also used the Independence Anniversary to call for peace and unity among Nigerians, regardless of political, religious or social differences.

He urged citizens to resolve disagreements peacefully, noting that meaningful development could not take place without peace and stability.

However, the state Commissioner for Regional Integration and Special Duties, Dr Bashir Tokunbo Salami, also quoted Adeleke as saying that the future of Nigeria depended largely on how the country treated its young people, urging government and other stakeholders to provide quality education, create opportunities, support talents and give youths reasons to build their future in the country.

He called on Nigerians to renew their hope in the country and recommit themselves to building a nation where every child would have a fair opportunity, hard work would be rewarded and citizens could live with dignity.

The Governor concluded by assuring the people of Osun that his administration would continue to listen to their concerns and pursue policies and programmes aimed at improving their lives.