66th Independence: Oborevwori, Zulum, Aiyedatiwa, others urge Nigerians to embrace unity, peace

Governors and political leaders across Nigeria have called on citizens to uphold national unity, peace and responsible citizenship as the country marks its 66th Independence Anniversary.

In separate messages to commemorate the anniversary on Thursday, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum and Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, among others, stressed the need for Nigerians to protect the country’s unity and support peaceful democratic processes.

Oborevwori urged Nigerians to remain steadfast and united, saying sustained commitment to ongoing reforms was essential to achieving lasting development and prosperity.

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In a message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Festus Ahon, the governor said, “there is hope on the horizon and brighter days ahead.”

He urged Deltans to continue supporting President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and his administration’s MORE Agenda, arguing that continuity and stability in governance were critical to sustainable development.

Oborevwori said his administration was complementing federal efforts through infrastructure development, investment in renewable energy, job creation and initiatives aimed at attracting foreign direct investment to Delta State.

He also reaffirmed his commitment to inclusive governance and policies aimed at improving living standards and expanding opportunities across the state.

In Ondo State, Governor Aiyedatiwa urged residents to approach the forthcoming electoral process with maturity, tolerance and restraint, warning that political differences should not undermine the bonds that unite citizens.

Aiyedatiwa, who spoke on Thursday in Akure during the state’s Independence Day celebration, called on political leaders, party members and youths to shun violence, embrace issue-based engagement and respect citizens’ rights to participate peacefully in elections.

“Political differences are natural in a democracy, but they must never destroy the bonds that unite us as families, neighbours and citizens,” he said.

The governor also highlighted his administration’s activities in healthcare, education and agriculture, including the recruitment of 3,323 health professionals, acquisition of a 1.5 Tesla MRI machine and a 160-slice CT scanner for the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital Complex.

He said the state had also expanded support for retirees and pensioners through fully funded health insurance, while continuing teacher recruitment, bursaries, scholarships and increased support for tertiary institutions.

In agriculture, Aiyedatiwa said the government had secured 26,000 hectares of land and distributed more than two million cocoa seedlings, while about 14,000 smallholder cocoa and oil-palm farmers had been profiled under an FAO-supported programme.

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, meanwhile, urged Nigerians to use the anniversary to reflect on the country’s resilience, diversity and shared identity and renew their commitment to nation-building.

Speaking in Ilorin, AbdulRazaq congratulated Nigerians and urged them to reject violence, criminality and hate speech while embracing peace and collective security.

“Despite our challenges, Nigerians continue to demonstrate courage, enterprise, creativity and determination—our greatest national assets,” he said.

The governor highlighted interventions by his administration in education, agriculture, healthcare and urban renewal, including KwaraLEARN, which he said had trained thousands of teachers and provided more than 1.2 million textbooks and learning materials across more than 1,500 primary schools.

He also said more than 2,000 classrooms had been constructed and nearly 9,000 teachers recruited, while more than 200 primary healthcare centres had been renovated, equipped and solarised.

In Borno, Governor Zulum urged residents to protect the relative peace achieved in the state and ensure that the emerging political season did not undermine it.

Zulum said about two million residents had returned to their communities, while more than 30,000 homes, schools, health facilities and other public infrastructure destroyed during the insurgency had been reconstructed.

He said his administration had implemented more than 1,500 clusters of projects across the state’s 27 local government areas, covering security, infrastructure, human capital development, agriculture, resettlement and reconstruction.

On education, Zulum said the number of functional secondary schools had risen from 34 in 2019 to 129 in 2026, while enrolment had reached 1.8 million children.

“As the political season sets in, let us conduct our campaigns without rancour, so we do not undermine the relative peace and stability our state now enjoys,” he said.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele also called on political parties and candidates to conduct peaceful campaigns in line with the Electoral Act, 2026 and the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

Bamidele, who is Chairman of the South-West Caucus in the National Assembly, warned political actors against hate speech and inflammatory statements capable of triggering unrest and ethno-religious violence ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He said political rights must be exercised within the law, adding that political ambitions should be pursued with restraint and respect for democratic rules.

“No ambition is worth setting the nation ablaze,” Bamidele said, stressing that Nigeria’s political activities should preserve rather than undermine the country’s unity and collective heritage.

In Oyo State, the governorship candidate of the Allied People’s Movement, Bimbo Adekanmbi, congratulated Nigerians on the anniversary and commended citizens for what he described as their resilience and continued belief in the unity of the country.

Adekanmbi acknowledged the economic difficulties faced by Nigerians, particularly the rising cost of food, transportation and other basic necessities, but said citizens should remain committed to building a country that future generations could be proud of.

He called for peaceful participation in the democratic process and urged voters to consider the vision, competence and values presented by political parties and candidates.

He also called on residents of Oyo State to continue supporting Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration, citing its projects and programmes across the state

Also, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DAKA Foundation and Agba-Akin Bobajiro of Ibadanland, Dr Kazeem Adesina Abidikugu, popularly known as KSO, congratulated Nigerians on the 66th Independence Anniversary.

Abidikugu, who is seeking election to the House of Representatives for Ibadan South East and North East Federal Constituency on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said Nigeria had yet to fully realise the dreams of its founding fathers.

He, however, expressed optimism that the country could overcome its challenges, noting that Nigeria had remained united and maintained democratic rule since 1999.

In a statement made available to journalists to mark the anniversary, the United Kingdom-based psychiatric consultant said he recalled with nostalgia the dreams he had about Nigeria while growing up.

He said it was unfortunate that Nigeria was still struggling to fulfil its potential 66 years after independence, but maintained that there was hope for development and progress.

Abidikugu urged Nigerians to use the anniversary to pray for peace, stability and progress, while calling on those in government and aspiring to public office to always put the interests of citizens first.

He advised politicians to see themselves as servant-leaders rather than controllers of the people.

The ADC aspirant also called for peaceful coexistence and tolerance of religious differences, stressing that unity remained essential to national progress.

He urged Nigerians to remain hopeful about the future, saying the country possessed the potential to overcome its challenges and reclaim its position as a leading black nation.