Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has asked Nigerians not to lose hope despite the challenges bedevilling the nation.
Atiku in a statement also said Nigeria’s future depends on stakeholders’ commitment to a common destiny.
“We may have missed countless opportunities to reset our mindset moving forward as prosperous people, but this 60th anniversary of the life of our nation offers introspection.
“For Nigeria to work for the millions of its people, and to be reckoned with as a global competitive force in the nearest future, we must come up with a development plan that will have our youth at the centre of the plan.
“The times of idle, lame promises are over! We urgently need to build a new Nigeria where every dream would be embraced and the potentialities of our youth could be unleashed without the usual fears that have dragged us.
“I also call on those who have taken up arms against Nigeria to have a rethink. Whatever differences they may have with the rest of Nigeria, whether religious, ethnic or political: terror, violence and separatism are not the way.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan also urged Nigerians to keep hope alive.