The director general of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe has said some Nigerians must make sacrifices for a better Nigeria.
The DG spoke during the council’s flag-off of the advocacy programme #putnigeriafirst, aimed at reawakening the conscience of Nigerians to put their grievances and differences over the just concluded elections, and support the Bola Tinubu presidency, in order for Nigeria to move forward.
The culture ambassador who was responding to the media’s question of how a widowed mother of three, surviving on a one-square meal per day can be asked to put Nigeria first said, “some people have to go through some form of pains, but that will not stop us from putting our country first. I want to assure you that with this strategy of putting Nigeria first, so many things will unfold, and so many things corrected, and Nigeria will be a better place; a great place for all of us to live.”
On the timing of the programme, which will remain the council’s theme throughout the year, Runsewe said it had to wait for the completion of campaigns, elections and presidential inauguration to do so. On the other hand, he said with the continued hate speech and bickering amongst Nigerians over divided lines of politics, religion and ethnicity, the message is urgent.
“Unfortunately, our country is where it shouldn’t be. We have had campaigns. Elections are over. Inauguration is over, and we are bickering and exchanging hate speeches here and there. at the south eastern part of the country, children are being flogged for going to school. I felt that the time has come that we all come and put Nigeria first.
“I will like to appeal to all Nigerians, elections are over, why don’t you allow governance to take place? If anybody is aggrieved, they go to court, but we cannot continue to wait. Nigeria must move to the next level.”
Currently, the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) is ongoing, of which proceedings from the court indicate that President Bola Tinubu did not win the very contentious and decisive 25% of voters in the FCT. Not to mention that the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) BVAS machine has failed to upload the presidential election results.
Nigerians are looking on the judiciary to deliver just judgment based on the evidence presented in the court, hence, it will take the outcome of PEPT for people to move on.
Participating in the #putnigeriafirst programme were students of Kevad International Academy, Koroduma, Government Secondary School, Garki, and Glisten International School, Jahi, who were lectured on the Religion and Ethics, Role of Women in National Unity, Media and Politics, and the importance of putting Nigeria first. The event ended with the awarding of certificates to the students, the media and incumbent officials – such as Director General of NIHOTOURS, Nura Sani Kangiwa, and the Chairman, Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN), Nkereuwem Onung.
