By Victoria Onehi
The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has said that in spite of current challenges bedeviling the country at 63, there is still hope for a new dawn of greatness for Nigeria as a nation.
In his Independence Day message to Nigerians, the President of NIPR, Dr. Ike Neliaku, said that Independence is a priceless treasure obtained through huge sacrifice by the heroes past, which we must continue to cherish, collectively defend and patriotically uphold.
He noted that the vices of greed, tribalism, nepotism and mediocrity have undermined the importance of Independence.
“The strength of Independence lies in a nation’s ability to create wealth, reduce poverty and become self-sufficient through effective planning, systematic harnessing and efficient management of its resources. Sadly, current reality shows that Nigeria is still heavily dependent on foreign countries for survival in almost all spheres of human endeavour”.Neliaku said.
He stated that God gave us a country that can easily become the best in the world, emphasising that considering our human and material resources, there is hope for a better Nigeria.
“NIPR sees hope. Great hope that Nigeria will turn around and rise. A new dawn is indeed possible! However, turning this hope to reality requires all hands working together in tandem”.
The NIPR President further revealed that the Institute’s recent Citizens Summit for National Integration, Peace and Security has provided viable local approaches to the nation’s problems.
“Rebooting Nigeria 2.0 which also contains the first ever Citizen’s Charter is NIPR’s strategic document for the rebuilding of a new Nigeria in line with aspirations of majority of Nigerians.
“We believe that full implementation of the content of this carefully designed roadmap to a new Nigeria is crucial. This requires the collaboration and active participation of all critical stakeholders in the Nigeria project. NIPR will support the efforts of governments at all levels to lead the way in patriotism, values reorientation, productivity, service delivery, fairness, equity and justice”.Neliaku said.
