Former Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta has identified three enemies of nationhood that could impede meaningful development.
Speaking at the inauguration lecture entitled: Deepening Democracy for Integration and Development, in Abuja on Saturday, Kenyatta said “I started by mentioning the three enemies of nationhood negative ethnicity, religious discrimination and corruption.
‘‘As your fellow African, I look forward to a Nigeria that emerges from this transition, ready to flex and fight for its rightful place on the global stage with both hands at the ready.”
Kenyatta emphasised the importance of transcending from tactical politics and adopting the role of Nigeria’s vision bearer.
He stressed that as the President-elect Bola Tinubu must lead and unite all citizens, regardless of whether or not they supported him during the election process.
The guest speaker at the inaugural lecture preceding the swearing-in of Tinubu as President of Nigeria advised him to ensure his administration build a prosperous and united Nigeria.
The former president of Kenya also encouraged Tinubu to surround himself with voices that challenge his own, and to reach out to those who may feel aggrieved in order to build a stronger nation together.
He emphasised the importance of overcoming negative ethnicity, religious discrimination, and corruption, and expressed his hope that Nigeria would emerge from this transition ready to take on the world stage.
Overall, Kenyatta’s speech was a call for unity and progress, and a reminder that while elections may divide us, leadership must bring us together.
He said: “The contest is now over. And the hard work of building a prosperous and unified Nigeria now begins.
“Upon assuming the office of president you would be wise to transcend from the tactical politics of an election and assume your role as Nigeria’s vision bearer. This will demand a complete overhaul of the adversarial mindset that we as politicians are conditioned to embrace during the electoral process.
“As President, you must learn very quickly to lead those who do not love you and those who love you with equal passion and commitment because you are now the father of all.
“Your Excellency, when countries are in election mode, the people and its leaders are more divided than ever, and boxed into their various sectarian and partisan interests.
‘‘However, when you are the head of state, and you take command of the country’s armed forces, you become the embodiment of the sum total of the many different ethnic groups, religions that make up your country, and you become the symbol of unity. Indeed, you become the face of Nigeria.
“I encourage you, to surround yourself with the voices of those who will counterbalance the hardliners that feel entitled to a piece of your office, you will lose nothing and gain everything by reaching out across the political, ethnic and religious lines.
“To those who may feel aggrieved by your victory in one way or another, please allow them to exhale and be part of your vision for a greater Nigeria.
“It is my hope and my prayer that the lessons from across the continent will give you the resolve to walk the difficult path overcoming those three enemies.
Kukah advises Nigerian youths
Mathew Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto told youths to always feel the need to return to develop Nigeria after travelling out of the country.
Kukah who made the appeal at an inauguration lecture on Saturday, May 27, noted that Nigerians are not suffering because they are Muslims or Christians but because they are in a country that is malfunctioning.
He said “I will also end by saying right now that 133 million Nigerians are suffering from various levels of multi-dimensional poverty.
“I have not put up the light and see the part where Muslims are living that they have light, while others for not. I have not seen the part of the country where Muslims are eating and the rest of us are not. So we must come to terms with the fact that we are not bleeding.
“We are not suffering because we are Christians or Muslims, but we are in a country that is malfunctioning. How to make that country work, for the rich, for the poor, for the aged, and for everybody is a challenge.
“I would like to just end by saying and I have made the point very clearly, in the struggle with the problems of Nigeria, I remain exceptionally optimistic.
“I traveled the world. People say to me, well, where do you find this courage to say that Nigeria is working? Okay, it may not be working, but this is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. I am not being flippant.
“When I went to the United States of America to study, I preached in a church but the parish priest said to me, listen to me, you speak with such eloquence and I like you, we will get you a green card, you can settle here in America. I looked at him, I said, you know, this God is a wonderful God. You are giving me a green card and my passport is actually a green passport.
“The challenge for us as Africans is to think the way the Asians have thought that you can go to Europe, you can go to America with a purpose. But the purpose of course means coming back to develop your country but it also means that that country must create an environment in which you can feel confident to come and present the gift that God has given you.
“I have two young men in America. They just finished from a prestigious university. I say when are you coming home? They say ‘Bishop, coming home to do what? We do not have an uncle who is a Senator. We don’t have anybody, so coming to Nigeria to do what?
“Vice-President-elect, the challenge for you is to make this country believable, livable, credible, so that all of us together can serve and build a great nation.”
On its part, the African Development Bank tasked the incoming president to rise above party lines and other affiliations and forge economic policies with compelling force to move the nation forward.
The Bank’s President, Akinwumi Adesina who bared his mind in a speech he delivered during the inaugural lecture for the new President at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, noted that Nigeria will be looking up to Tinubu to revive the many fiscal challenges, including insecurity, that have conspired to weigh down the country, and divide the people.
He cautioned that Nigerians specifically desire a new administration that will guarantee security, peace, and stability and spark a new wave of prosperity that would unite the fractious nation and drastically improve the economy.
“The starting point must be macroeconomic and fiscal stability. Unless the economy is revived and fiscal challenges addressed boldly, resources to develop will not be there. No bird can fly if its wings are tied.”
Nigeria currently faces huge fiscal deficits, estimated at 6 % of GDP. This has been due to huge federal and state government expenditures, lower receipts due to dwindling revenues from export of crude oil, vandalism of pipelines and illegal bunkering of crude oil.
According to Nigeria’s Debt Management Office, Nigeria now spends 96 per cent of its revenue servicing debt, with the debt-to-revenue ratio rising from 83.2 percent in 2021 to 96.3 percent by 2022.
