By Sam Eyoboka, Victor Ahiuma-Young, Ben Agande, Dayo Johnson, Vincent Ujumadu
AS Nigerians join the rest of the world to mark the dawn of a new year, 2011 politicians, in their goodwill messages have called on them to remain hopeful despite the myriad of challenges currently facing the nation.

The Senate President, Senator David Mark in his message, charged Nigerians not to despair despite the myriad of challenges facing the country, saying that “we still have opportunities to rediscover ourselves and make progress”.

Senator Mark said with the abundant human and material resources available to the country, it was a path to greatness if these could be harnessed, noting that with the availability of oil, gas and untapped solid mineral deposits in virtually all parts of Nigeria, there are clear indices of prosperity if well harnessed.

Decrying the incessant sectarian crisis in some parts of the country which had claimed thousands of innocent lives, the Senate president opined that such situation has continued to put our economy in the reversed gear.

On the Jos crisis, Senator Mark noted that life could be brutish and meaningless if people can no longer trust each other and live harmoniously, pointing out that “no one is an island, we all need each other to survive as an individual and as a group”.

On 2011 general elections, the Senate president cautioned that it should be a game and not war, saying that the desperation of some politicians and the tendency to see the polls as a do-or-die affair does not suggest anything maturity.

Let’s  make Nigeria work in 2011, says NLC

Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, said 2010 was demanding for Nigerians as it began with the uncertainty about the health of late president, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and ended with the insane massacres in Jos which came few months after the 50th Independence Anniversary bombings in Abuja. NLC president, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, however, urged Nigerians to make the country work in 2011, saying the “general elections hold a lot of promise for the country, especially the promise that the people would choose freely their leaders for the next four years.”

In the message titled “Our duty is to make Nigeria what we want it to be”, NLC called on the elite not to politicise the Jos crises, arguing that “bombing innocent people has no basis in religion, regionalism or politics and that government has the duty to bring the culprits to justice.”

Congress noted that judiciary has become a redeeming agency; delivering justice and ensuring that the political will of the people as expressed through their votes prevails, stressing that “the 2011 elections will pose new challenges and we appeal to the judiciary to be prepared and courageous enough to deliver justice.