Nigeria @ 56
Some group of Nigerians have said that defeating Boko Haram without any form of assistance from foreigners has truly shown that Nigeria is independent.
The group, the Global Excellence Foundation said the nation has truly proved its independence with the activities of the military in the North East.
Speaking today, September 30, the foundation’s country director Yemi Ola while celebrating Nigeria’s independence anniversary said Nigerians must congratulate themselves especially in a world where a few nations are in the position to call the shots.
“For this reason alone, the 2016 Independence Day is worth celebrating as Nigerians can now boast as free citizens of the world to be free from the claws of terrorists who once held us to ransom,”Ola said.
He said just as the country has found home solution fighting and degrading Boko Haram terrorists, the economic recession should again be seen as an invitation to free the nation from the things holding it back.
“We therefore laud Mr President, who as Commander in Chief, through his recent successes in the war against terrorism, has secured Nigeria’s independence from full blown terrorism that is spreading into nations that once thought themselves insulated from.
Ola, who is a professor said for Nigeria to be marking its independence is testament to the fact that the country remains eternally viable as a nation, adding that although this does not rule out challenges, which are normal part of growth.
He said what matters most is confronting the challenges and the collective attitude of Nigerians towards a sustainable economic growth.
We cannot continue to remain at the receiving end of global trends that are creating record poverty. As a nation, we must make concerted efforts to make sure we become independent from economic colonization.
“The rise of extremism related terrorism is a global challenge. The Islamic State, ISIS problem that is spreading across the globe.
The evil manifested in our country through Boko Haram, whose faction pledged allegiance to the terror franchise.
“The ambition of the terror groups is building an empire fashioned on their bloodthirsty concept, which bears a frightening semblance to the quest to dominate the world by the British Empire from which we secured independence.
“If the intention of the world’s terrorists is to build an empire as they had professed, then Nigeria is the first nation to have liberated itself from the grip of that evil. Thanks to President Muhammadu Buhari, who showed the needed leadership, we are today the one country that have been able to decimate terrorists to the point where their remnants are now being mopped up,” Ola said.
The foundation further called on the Nigerian army to sustain the gains it has made in degrading the terrorists.
Ola said Boko Haram terrorists in collaboration with their sponsors are capable of regrouping to wreck havoc before begging to surrender.
He said:“The successes of the military has put them out of business and the economic recession means that these sponsors will do desperate things to make the terrorists stage a daring attack.
“The army must rise up to the task of safeguarding Nigeria from other internal occupiers, terrorists and militants that pose risk to our independence and freedom as a people. History has shown elsewhere that these set of people often work as proxies for other nation to colonize the land of their birth.
“We did not free ourselves from the lordship of a colonial master to become captives to a violent minority. Anything that constitutes risk to our corporate existence as a nation seeks to colonize us and must never be allowed,” he said.
