Governor
Babatunde Raji Fashola of Lagos State, said Nigeria came into being on
October 1, 1960, and not in 1914, advising the Federal Government not to
distort history by its planned centenary celebration next year.
Fashola
spoke at the Nigeria’s 53rd Independence anniversary parade which
involved the Police, voluntary organizations, school children and
Para-military agencies, led by Superintendent Chris Nwokolo, at
the Police College, Ikeja.
The governor while addressing the
gathering said “For me, Nigeria was born as an independent sovereign
nation on October 1st, 1960. Perhaps she was conceived in 1914 but as we
race towards this, it is important not to distort history.”
He
said the reason was that “a generation is coming behind us they need to
be sure about the history of their fatherland. I will seek better
understanding and explanation by those who are behind the centenary
celebration.
“This is because if we roll out the drums three years
ago to celebrate the 50 years of Nigeria’s nationhood, the independent
that we fought for and our nationalist went to jail for.
“Many of
our prominent leaders lost many things. Some lost their lives, some lost
their dignity. Some lost their freedom. The scars of those years of
colonial dominion are firmly etched and preserved in the freedom Park on
Broad Street in Lagos. It was built with bricks imported from England
with money earned in Lagos in order to keep our nationalists in
confinement.”
“Let us be very clear October 1, 1960 was the day of
nationhood for Nigeria. My teachers and parents thought me that
history. I used to come out as a child to participate in the
Independence Day parade exactly as the children that here today.
Culled from Vanguard
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