President Bola Tinubu has urged leaders across all levels to build bridges of unity and prioritise dialogue as a tool for resolving differences and promoting national cohesion.
Tinubu, represented by the Vice President Kashim Shettima, made the call on Monday in Lokoja at the Kogi Dialogue, which was part of events to mark Gov. Ahmed Ododo’s one year in office.
The president said, “Dialogue is not just an opportunity to air grievances. It is the true path to justice, reconciliation, and understanding.
” Without dialogue, history will pass us by, leaving us abandoned by time and forgotten by progress.”
He commended Ododo for the launch of the dalogue and described it as “a spark of wisdom and a critical step toward fostering reconciliation and progress.”
According to him, unity is the only formula that works for national progress.
The president also urged leaders to draw lessons from the natural confluence of River Niger and River Benue in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.
Tinubu said that the confluence of the two rivers in Kogi was a metaphor for the collective strength required to navigate Nigeria’s challenges, foster unity and collaboration for national prosperity.
He particularly appealed to political and community leaders to be more amenable and unified in their support for the government to create the needed environment for growth.
“Now is the time to reject division and embrace unity as the only formula that works.
“Chaos and discord are ladders for the self-serving, but unity is the bridge that carries us all forward.
“Kogi stands as a testament to what we can achieve when we recognize the strength in our diversity.
” From the confluence of rivers to the convergence of ideas, this state symbolises what Nigeria can become when we come together with purpose and vision,” the president said.
Tinubu, however, said though there weree challenges with governance in turbulent times such as the economic pressures and security threats facing the nation, true leadership was tested in tumultuous times.
He called on the people of Kogi and Nigeria to see themselves as “threads in the intricate fabric of progress.”
Tinubu said,”Each of us has a role to play in weaving a stronger, more united nation.
” Let us ensure that personal desires do not pull against the collective current of unity and development.
” We cannot hope to build a stronger Nigeria if we allow division to fester at home. Leaders must rise above personal ambitions and put the welfare of the people first.”
Earlier, Ododo, thanked Tinubu and the people of Kogi for their support to his government since assumption a year ago
The Governor urged the people of the state to remain committed to the growth and development of the state, leveraging the opportunities and resources available in Kogi.
He paid glowing tributes to Shettima for his.invaluable support and inspiration in all that his government has done since assuming leadership about a year ago.
He said Kogi was blessed with rich human, natural and material resources with an enviable cultural diversity that needs to be harnessed for the prosperity and transformation of the state.
Ododo, therefore ,urged the indigenes of the state to put Kogi first in all they do, especially in the exploitation and management of its abundant resources.
He said the time was rife to recaliberate the socio-economic fortunes of the state and take the area to greater heights.
The governor noted the important developments in the state since his assumption of office, including the upgrade of healthcare centres, and improvement of infrastructure in the education sector.
On his part, the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, applauded the cordial relationship between the current and former governors of Kogi.
He said that a healthy relationship between a predecessor and his successor was necessary for the development of the state.
Ganduje urged other state governors to emulate the example set by Ododo especially in engendering development and improving party politics in the country.
Also, the former Governor of the state, Yahaya Bello, recalled the vision of the founding fathers of the state, noting with satisfaction that the current administration was moving in the right direction.
The highpoint of the event was the inauguration of road projects executed by the Ododo administration during his first year in office.
