Senate President Godswill Akpabio has said that Nigeria will soon return to a period when prosperity is not just a word but a reality for all.
This he said would be marked by Nigerians’ ability to buy new cars.
The Senate President said this in a speech delivered at his 61st birthday celebration held at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on Saturday.
Nigeria is a haven for used, and often decrepit, automobiles.
A recent report indicated that the market for used cars, also known as Tokunbo, has hit 500,000 per year, against 13,000 for new cars in Nigeria, a situation linked to harsh economic conditions in the country.
However, Nigeria’s economy would soon experience a turnaround that would make Nigerians easily afford new automobiles, if Akpabio’s words are anything to go by.
“Friends and compatriots, In the face of adversity and challenge, I dare to envision a greater Nigeria. A Nigeria where prosperity is not just a word, but a reality for all; where education is available and affordable; where basic necessities aren’t luxuries, but are guaranteed to all citizens.
“I believe that our country shall rise again. I believe we will go back to those days when it was the norm, not the exception, to buy new cars. I believe that the days are at hand when our children in public institutions will finish four-year courses in four years. Things can and will get better,” Akpabio said.
The Senate President stated that for Nigeria to build a brighter and more inclusive future, dialogue, cooperation and understanding must be enthroned as pillars.
“Let us come together and beat our swords into plowshares, and our spears into pruning hooks. Let us turn party lines into intersecting lines and let them intersect with our common humanity, our patriotism and our sense of justice.
“To get there, though, we must unite. The work ahead isn’t easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is. We have before us the opportunity to transform ourselves, our communities, and to transform Nigeria. We owe it to all those who have dreamed of a better Nigeria, and we owe it to the generations yet to come,” Akpabio said.