Date: 2012-10-01

The senator representing Kwara Central, Senator Bukola Saraki, has urged Nigerians to "continue to rekindle hope and in the spirit of togetherness we can achieve more for our common prosperity". This is contained in his goodwill message to the Nigerians on the occasion of the country's 52nd independence anniversary.

The full text of his goodwill message follows.

This is a day on which we pay homage to the daughters and sons of Nigeria whose vision and tenacity of purpose won us our independence. For a long time, our country has not found it easy in ensuring that our history is written so that in the future, our people will be able to draw useful lessons from the events that have led to the creation of Nigeria from the 1914 amalgamation and subsequently the October 1st 1960 independence. We have come of age as a people, grappled with many challenges, some of these have adversely affected our level of development, but more importantly these challenges has made us stronger and more united as a nation. The promise of independence is yet to be fully felt in all spheres of our lives; however this does not diminish our commitment and hope for the Nigeria of our dream.

The last one year has been very tumultuous in the history of our dear country, from security challenges, to economic uncertainty, oil spillages, flooding, and most recently food crisis. Our country could not have been immune to all these challenges as some are natural occurrences, man-made or a result of global economic crisis. Notwithstanding, we have made remarkable strides, especially in our steady march to freedom and the rule of law.

Rather than dwell on our many shortcomings, we should celebrate and acknowledge the sacrifices made by our founding fathers and all Nigerians both at home and in the Diaspora in ensuring the protection of our freedom. As we think about the meaning of freedom, we cannot think of it apart from the sacrifices it has taken for us to come to the point where we are today. Our nation is blessed with so much even if things do not always go the way we want. The qualities of our human resources alone exemplify the country's huge potential.

Everywhere in the world the creativity, talent and the professional expertise of Nigerians is never in doubt. Such was the spirit demonstrated last week by committed individuals involved in the rescue efforts to the flood victims even before relief materials came from the government. Indeed, the rich talents and rich human qualities given to us by God will enable us overcome the challenges posed by the global economic downturn and our inadequacies in the management of the nation's economy.

While I am honoured to represent Kwara Central at the national Assembly, I am particularly humbled by my experience as a member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology. I am continually reminded of the daunting task ahead and the need to enact laws that will better the lives of our people. I will continue to fight to protect the freedoms our forefathers envisioned as this nation celebrates her 52nd birthday. I am humbled when I consider the long tradition of public service that has been set as an example throughout our history. We should all be proud of so many individuals who have put service to others first in their lives, making this a caring and compassionate nation.

My resolve through collaborative effort is to focus on the things that matter and which will enable the economy recover some degree of stability. We will do this in cooperation with organised labour, the business community and with industry leaders.

As we reflect, and celebrate our 52nd independence anniversary I urge us all to continue to rekindle hope and in the spirit of togetherness we can achieve more for our common prosperity.