Abuja – As Nigeria celebrated its 58th Independence Anniversary, Mr Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), called on citizenss to live in peace in spite of their religious and ethnic differences.

Mustapha said this in an interview on the sideline of the 58th Independence Parade at the Eagle Square on Monday in Abuja.

Mr Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF)

He said that the parade of Nigeria’s Armament by the Military and Paramilitary showed the effort President Muhammadu Buhari was putting into ensuring that peace returned to the country.

“I want all Nigerians to be united; we should be grateful to God that we have been able to celebrate in the manner that we did today.

“We lined up activities for one week telling Nigerians that prosperity and peace are returning to this country and the President has been able to demonstrate that.

“Virtually all the armaments displayed today were acquired in the last three and half years.

“I can assure you that with the current leadership we will get to the root of this insurgency and secure this nation.

“Also people can pursue their different enterprises and there will be calm in the country,’’ Mustapha said.

Also Mr Winifred Oyo-Ita, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, in a separate interview commended Nigerians for their efforts in living peacefully amongst themselves.

She stated that in the 58 years of the country’s existence Nigerians had done very well in promoting unity considering the many ethnic and interest groups the country was made up of.

She noted that the nations we usually compared Nigeria to had enjoyed over 100 years of nationhood and expressed the belief that the country would still achieve greater milestones.

“The celebration is wonderful; this is the best independence anniversary we have had for years and it really shows the depth of hard work and commitment that Mr President is giving to this nation.

“I believe that with what we have seen today we Nigerians especially the civil servants have to really sit up and prove that what Mr President has invested in this nation is not in vain.

“What we have seen today is really heartening and it gives me a lot of joy and I am proud to be a Nigerian.

“Nigeria is just 58 and there is still a lot for us going forward; so I want us to be patriotic and work hard for the greatness of Nigeria,’’ Oyo-Ita said.

The parade entailed match past display by the Army, Nigeria Police Force, Navy and all paramilitary agencies.

It also included display of some strength of Nigerian Army, Navy, Police and Air force as they showcased their various armoured vehicles, Air Shows (which had a total of 22 Aircraft) among others.

The high point of the event was the K9 Dog display by the Nigeria Police Force, where a trained dog was able to detect an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and apprehended the culprit through sniffing. (NAN)