Federal Government will this Friday kick off the 60th independence anniversary with a public lecture and Jumat service at the National Mosque, Abuja.
Nigeria got her independence on October 1, 1960, from Britain, which amalgamated the Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914.
According to Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji La Mohammed who spoke on the event at a briefing in Abuja on Thursday, COVID-19 global pandemic, which has forced some safety protocols on nations around the world compels the celebration to be low-key.
“Therefore, the pomp and pageantry that should have marked the celebration will be largely missing.”
He noted that although the celebration will last for a whole year, ending September 30th 2021, it does not mean there will be daily activities between now and Sept. 30th 2021, but that there will be staggered events during that period.
The theme is ‘Together’, which is aimed at keeping us united and helping us to forge ahead, while the logo is already in the public domain.
Quoting President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister said ”the neatly encrusted Diamond on the Nigerian Map symbolizes our age of treasure, the worth of the Nigerian people with our sparkle to the admiration of the world.
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“In the same vein, the pear green and dark green colours should respectively remind us of our warmth, welcoming spirit and love as well as the abundant wealth inherent in our human capital and the richness of our land.
“All these properties make us unarguably the most prosperous black nation in the world and Africa’s largest economy.”
An inter-denominational Church service will follow on Sunday, September 27 at the National Christian Centre, Abuja.
On Monday, Buhari will launch the National Ethics and Integrity Policy as well and give Integrity Award by to commemorate the 20th anniversary of ICPC.
Buhari will then broadcast to the nation and inspect a guard of honour/anniversary parade
On Thursday, October 1 at the Eagle Square.
Mohammed said the government decided to celebrate the anniversary despite the myriad of socio-economic challenges facing the country because in the last 60 years, Nigeria “has gone through a bitter, internecine civil war, years of political crisis, daunting security challenges, including religious and ethnic crisis, etc, our unity and our resilience (which by the way is what diamond represents) are worth celebrating.
“Also, in certain cultures, the age of 60 is seen as the beginning of a new cycle of life and is usually well marked.
60th anniversary