66th Independence: Gov Mbah urges thanksgiving, courage, and optimism

…Says Tinubu’s reforms have created opportunities for states

…Bishop Onaga commends Mbah for good governance, improved security

As Nigerians mark the nation’s 66th Independence anniversary, Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has urged citizens to embrace courage, optimism and thanksgiving, stressing that nation-building is not always accompanied by fanfare.

Mbah spoke on Thursday at a thanksgiving Mass held at the Enugu Government House Chapel to mark Nigeria’s 66th Independence Day.
He noted that although this year’s commemoration was largely low-key and devoid of fanfare across the country, the quietness of the celebration should not diminish the significance of the occasion.

“Nation-building is not always accompanied by fireworks,” the governor said.

He observed that some of the most consequential work in the country was being done quietly in classrooms, hospitals, farms, construction sites, factories, businesses, laboratories and security formations, as well as in countless places where Nigerians wake up every morning and continue to contribute to the country’s progress.

“There are moments in a nation’s journey when the difficulties are so immediate that it becomes difficult to see the possibilities beyond them. But dawn does not announce itself with noise. It begins quietly.

“So, even as we acknowledge the difficulties that confront us, we must also acknowledge that Nigeria’s journey has not been an underwhelming one,” he stated.

Continuing, Mbah recalled that Nigeria had survived crises that tore other nations apart, while noting that the reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu were beginning to create new opportunities and conditions for economic growth.

“Let us acknowledge honestly the challenges before us. But let us also refuse the temptation to define Nigeria only by her difficulties. A nation is not measured only by the problems it faces, but also by the courage with which it confronts them.

“That is the spirit with which we must approach Nigeria at 66 – not with blind optimism, and certainly not with despair, but with faith, courage, honesty and work.

“It is heartwarming that the President’s policies and reforms have created remarkable opportunities for states that are prepared to take advantage of them.

“Today, there are also indications that some of the difficult reforms undertaken at the federal level are beginning to create conditions for greater economic stability and production,” he said.

Mbah described Enugu State as living proof of the promise of independence, resilience and self-belief, saying the state had moved from a narrative of decline to one of renewal.

“There was a time when the dominant conversation about Enugu was about what had been lost – about a city and a state whose best days were behind them.

“Today, a different story is being written. A renaissance is taking place – across our schools and hospitals, our roads and even in the skies, in once moribund factories, our agricultural communities, and our tourism space.

“This is why the story of Enugu is a story about what becomes possible when a people refuse to surrender to the limitations of yesterday. And that, for me, is the optimism that Independence Day should stir in every Nigerian,” he added.

The governor thanked the people of Enugu State for their support, reassuring them of his administration’s determination to remain focused on its development agenda.

“We will not be distracted from the work. We will remain faithful to the policies and projects that have changed the trajectory of our state and earned Enugu a more respectable reckoning, both within Nigeria and beyond.

“We will remain committed to the welfare and security of our people. We will continue to invest in education because the greatest infrastructure we can build is the human being.

“We will continue to strengthen our economy because prosperity must ultimately be measured by the quality of life of our people.

“And we will continue to build a state in which our children do not have to leave home to find a future,” he concluded.

Bishop Onaga commends Mbah for good governance, improved security
In his homily, the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev. Callistus Onaga, expressed regret that Nigeria, despite its enormous potential, had yet to fully realise the promise of independence, particularly in the face of persistent security and economic challenges.

He, however, emphasised that Nigerians had many reasons to give thanks to God.

Onaga commended Mbah for what he described as significant progress in the state, particularly in the area of security, stressing that sustainable investment and development could not take place in an atmosphere of insecurity.

“My dear brothers and sisters, if you were here between 2021 and 2023, the security situation was terrible.

“Those who may not know why I say this, let me tell you. Within that period, I buried four priests, killed. Some were kidnapped. But thanks to God; when the present government of the state came in, something was done immediately.

“I feel it. I think Enugu is the most beautiful state to have in Nigeria.

“Of course, it is not to say that it is all over. No. We need to do more,” he said.

The bishop urged leaders to deploy the mandates entrusted to them for the public good, stressing that political and public authority should be exercised as an opportunity to serve and care for the vulnerable.

“It is the power to love, to serve, and to care for the weak and the poor – those on the fringes of existence,” he said.

Onaga further called for a stronger moral foundation for the country, saying Nigeria’s progress should be anchored not only on material development but also on justice, holiness and truth.

“Our national map will not rest on purely material foundations. It will rest on a new moral condition built on justice, holiness, and truth,” he concluded.

The Mass was attended by heads of other arms of government, senior government officials and other leaders.