Atiku congratulates President Buhari, says Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa

As is the custom on most national holidays, especially one as important as the Independence Day celebration, many Nigerian leaders send out goodwill messages.

A former vice president of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar was not left out. On his official Facebook page, he sent out a goodwill message to all Nigerians.

He began by saying: “On this October 1st, 2017, I congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari and all Nigerians on the occasion of Nigeria’s 57th Independence anniversary.”

Atiku congratulates Buhari, says there is plenty to celebrate on Independence Day
Source: Facebook, Atiku Abubakar

He also said he believed there was much to celebrate in the country. “There are those that may say we have very little to celebrate and I will respectfully disagree with them.

“In 57 years, Nigeria has faced many challenges, but we have overcome many of those challenges and made progress in multiple spheres of human endeavor,” he said.

Speaking on the Nigerian economy, he said: “In 1960, South Africa and Egypt had a larger economy than Nigeria, yet today our economy is the largest in Africa. That is a cause to celebrate.”

Speaking on the quality of life, in Nigeria, he said: “Life expectancy in Nigeria in 1960 was just 37.18 years but today, the average Nigerian has a life expectancy of 53.1 years.”

He also touched briefly on the agitation for secession, saying: “Thankfully, the prevailing sentiment is that we as Nigerians would rather remain together even as we make positive efforts to build a more perfect union along the lines of the vision of our founding fathers.

“We may not be where we ought to be as a nation, yet, we must be thankful that we are not where we used to be.”

“Happy Independence Day to you and your family from my family and I,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, the Fast Forward Nigeria (FFN) said it is supporting Atiku’s ambition to rule the country as well as his warning and suggestion concerning the need to restructure the country.

The FFN said the former vice president’s suggestion on restructuring was the only way for national cohesion.

Orkuma Hembe, the convener of the group, at a press conference in Abuja, emphasised that the Nigerian political space needs to be restructured in order to douse the plethora of agitations around the country.