Why Nigeria needs to celebrate its diamond jubilee – Lai Mohammed

In light of the current economic downturn faced by the country, the minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has explained why Nigeria needs to celebrate its diamond jubilee.

He said despite the myriad of socio-economic challenges, the country should celebrate because of the theme of the celebration, ‘Together at 60’.

Speaking today a press conference jointly called with the minister of communication, Isa Pantami, and the minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management, and social development, Sadiya Farouq.

“For a country that has gone through a bitter, internecine civil war, years of political crisis, daunting security challenges, including religious and ethnic crisis, etc, our unity and our resilience (which by the way is what diamond represents) are worth celebrating.

“In certain cultures, the age of 60 is seen as the beginning of a new cycle of life, and is usually well-marked,” he said.

President Muhammadu Buhari had earlier unveiled the nation’s 60th-anniversary logo, saying it depicts the country’s togetherness.

“A country of over 200 million people, whose natural talents, grits, and passion glitter like the precious diamond we are,” he said.

In providing a rationale for the logo, the minister quoted the president as saying, “the neatly encrusted diamond on the Nigerian map symbolises our age of treasure, the worth of the Nigerian people with our sparkle to the admiration of the world. In the same vein, the pear green and dark green colours should respectively remind us of our warmth, welcoming spirit, and love as well as the abundant wealth inherent in our human capital and the richness of our land. All these properties make us unarguably the most prosperous black nation in the world and Africa’s largest economy.”

Mr Mohammed assured that the President Buhari administration is working assiduously to build a new Nigeria, laying the building blocks for industrial and technological development by building massive infrastructures in the areas of power, roads, bridges, rail, etc. and by developing human capital.

“The administration is also fighting corruption, tackling insecurity and diversifying the economy by leveraging ICT, the creative industry, agriculture and mining, among others,” he said.

As already stated by the president, he said the celebration will be low-key because of the Covid-19 global pandemic that has forced some safety protocols on nations around the world.

Activities

The minister said the 60th-anniversary celebration will be celebrated for a whole year, ending September 30, 2021.

He said there will be some activities that may come up during the celebration year.

He, however, announced the activities lined up for the immediate celebration of the 60th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence as follows

– Public Lecture
Date: Friday, September 25, 2020
Venue: National Mosque Conference Hall, Abuja National Mosque
Time: 10.00am

– Special Jumat Prayers
Date: Friday, September 25, 2020
Venue: National Mosque, Abuja
Time: 1pm

– Inter-denominational Church Service
Date: Sunday, September 27, 2020
Venue: National Christian Centre, Abuja
Time: 3pm
NOTE: Members of the public can join the church service virtually by logging on to the Youtube Channel of the OSGF at OFFICIALOSGFNG

– Launch of the National Ethics and Integrity Policy as well as Integrity Award by Mr President to commemorate the 20th anniversary of ICPC
Date: Monday, September 28, 2020
Venue: State House, Presidential Villa, Abuja
Time: 10.00am

– Historical Exhibition
Date: Monday, September 28, 2020
Venue: National Press Centre, Radio House, Abuja
Time: 3pm

– Presidential Broadcast
Date: Thursday, October 1, 2020
Venue: From the Eagle Square

– Guard of Honour/Anniversary Parade
Date: Thursday, October 1, 2020
Venue: Eagle Square, Abuja
Time: 10am

He said the events are strictly by invitation, and that all COVID-19 protocols will be observed at the various venues.

“The media will have free access to the events that are open, like the Jumat and church services. Of course, the events slated for the presidential villa will be covered by the accredited State House media.”