The Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has urged Nigerians to always consider the nation first in whatever they do to strengthen unity and promote peace.

He called on all citizens to have an attitudinal rebirth for the country to move forward, saying the Nigerians’ patriotism level has dropped.

The governor gave the advice when the National Institute of Public Relations President, Dr Ikechukwu Neliaku, led a delegation of the institute to the Government House on a courtesy visit.

“We need to look at our heritage and value system. Our core values are fundamental. In a situation where a mechanic converts the seat of an Okada (motorcycle) to carry an AK-47 you will not report it.

“Our values have dropped. Our responsibility includes supporting the security agencies with useful information and acting intelligently to support the security agencies. Those are parts of the issues we should look at in our values,” the governor was quoted as saying in a statement by his spokesman, Rafiu Ajakaiye, on Tuesday.

The governor said Nigeria’s challenges could be blamed on a lack of patriotism and a poor value system.

“The challenges we have to do with rebirth and attitude. The insecurity we have has a lot to do with rebirth. The foreign exchange issue is connected to this also.

“Rebirth is about citizens’ education on patriotism and loyalty to the national flag, and commitment to its good.

“Nigerians are no more as patriotic as we used to be. We are only patriotic the day the Nigerian National Football team plays; this has to change.

“The rebirth effort will answer these questions. Our loyalty should be to our flag. Once we are patriotic, many issues will be resolved,” he said.

Speaking, the NIPR president commended the administration’s investments in critical infrastructure and projects that can drive rapid economic growth and make the state a hub.

Neliaku said some of the ongoing legacy projects in the state, such as the Innovation Hub and International Conference Centre, are strategic and would place Kwara on the global map.

“We have noted that you are doing some legacy projects. Some people come, they do projects and all that. But when leaders are not conscious of their legacy after they have left offices, their image goes down.

“And because we are managers of image and reputation, we look out for those who are planting seeds of legacies.

“The projects that really caught our fancy are the ICT Innovation Hub and International Conference Centre, among others. This is very, very important.

“You are building an International Conference Centre in Ilorin. For those who do not understand what that means, you are opening up Ilorin for global attention.

“You are building Kwara state as a regional hub. We also notice your fiscal responsibility and prudence in managing governance affairs,” he said.

AbdulRazaq said the choice of his legacy projects was to position Kwara as a hub for the service economy, which attracts investments and creates jobs for the people.

“What we are trying to do here is to build an ecosystem, a hub for conferencing. You have sold the idea of conferences in just a few words.

“But why are we building a conference centre here? People really need to understand that a conference centre and hotels are a catalyst for national development as it births a strong service economy,” the governor said.