Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Mohammed Bello, on Thursday, in Abuja tasked Nigerians never to listen to the message of those who want to divide Nigeria.
Bello gave the advice in a message delivered on his behalf by Mr Adamu Kusherki, a director in his office, at the ongoing exhibition and symposium to mark Nigeria’s 61st Independence anniversary, organized by Archives and History Bureau.
The minister asked Nigerians to follow in the footsteps of heroes past, who stood firm in the face of colonization and oppression.
Bello stated that “today, Nigeria sits on a foundation forged from the ideals of unity, strength and a deep sense of national pride. These ideas were mooted and exemplified by our founding fathers and which, over the years, have propelled our country to greatness.
“We owe a duty to these national heroes to keep their dreams alive by upholding these ideals, especially as we now confront opposing and misguided elements seeking to undo what has taken six decades of our collective efforts to build.
“There is the need to join President Muhammadu Buhari and the majority of Nigerians in standing firm against forces that seek to divide, rather than unite us and honour the memories and sacrifices of our past heroes.
“As we continue the process of building a strong, virile and prosperous nation of which we are all desirous, it is important that we follow in the footsteps of the men and women who stood firm in face of colonialism and oppression to lay the first stone upon which our country now stands.
“Let us be reminded that the FCT was also built on the ideals of unity and the vision of our founding fathers which every Nigerian can call home.
“As residents, we are obliged to live by those ideals and as we participate in the symposium today and go round the photo exhibition stand, let us be inspired by the efforts of our heroes and work hard to uphold their vision.
“I also urge the Archive and History Bureau to intensify its efforts in telling the story of our past heroes beyond the photo exhibitions and intellectual engagements on special occasions such as this.
“It is imperative that as many people as possible are made to understand the history of our great nation and appreciate why we need to forge ahead as an indivisible, united, strong and proud Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he stated.
The Director, FCT Archives and History Bureau, Mr Peter Chukwukelu, in his speech, tasked Nigerians on the importance of archives and record keeping.
According to him “We are gathered today to be part of the independence symposium and one-week exhibition on the socio-cultural and political history of our great country, Nigeria in commemoration of our independence.
“The theme of this year’s Independence Anniversary Celebration is ‘Celebrating Our Heroes Past.’
“To complement this, we have also dug deep into our historical archives and records to bring you a special exhibition titled Who is Who in Nigeria, featuring memorable images of our past nationalists, Heads of State and Government, presiding officers of the National Assembly, our great sportsmen and women as well as national monuments and other historical artefacts. The topic of the symposium is Appreciating Greatness, Hard Work and Selfless Service.
“I would like to equally use the occasion to highlight the importance of records keeping and archives management not only in the Secretariats, Departments and Agencies (SDAs) of the FCT Administration but also in other public and private organizations in Nigeria. In line with the current global and national aspiration for accountability, transparency and good governance, the need for developing proper records keeping and management, cannot be overstressed,” he ended.
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