By Gabriel Enogholase

BENIN-Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has urged Nigerians to renew their hope in the nation, saying “the challenges of the moment are not insurmountable.”

In his 51st independence anniversary speech, Oshiomhole said: “This year’s independence anniversary provides another opportunity to reflect on the state of the Nigerian polity, economy and society.

“I acknowledge that Nigeria in its current state is neither the Nigeria of our dream nor of the founding fathers. Many Nigerians, especially younger people, are clearly disenchanted with many aspects of the country, particularly the performance of key functionaries and institutions involved in governance. Life remains unbearable for a majority of Nigerians, a fact that is evident in the rising unemployment and generally acknowledged deepening poverty level.

“While Nigeria is passing through tough times, I believe that the challenges of the moment are not insurmoun-table. Fixing Nigeria calls for all of us to redouble our efforts, especially to restore broken bridges and unite the people. These times call for leaders across the spectrum to moderate their utterances and desist from orchestrating sentiments that tend to be divisive.

“Compared to other nations that attained statehood at the same time as Nigeria, far less progress had been made in economic development, especially in the areas of infrastructure.

“Indeed, the robust gains and solid foundations for development laid by the immediate post-independence leaders have been eroded over the years through ill-conceived policies, incompetence and corruption.

“With the recent upsurge in sectarian violence and the growth of ethnic and religious tensions in some parts of Nigeria, it is now obvious that we need to do more to manage our diversity.”

But the challenge is not to despair or to dismiss the country as a failed state as a few had tended to do out of frustration or mischief. Even in advanced democracies today, we still see evidence of social, economic and political explosions, some of them of severe magnitude.

However, such chains of events have not provoked their citizens to dismiss their countries or re-draw their maps, as some sectarian elements often do here in Nigeria.