A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Ahmed Raji, has urged citizens not to lose hope and to support the government to ensure national stability and progress.

Mr Raji gave the advice during an interview while reflecting on Nigeria’s 66th independence anniversary.

The senior lawyer said 66 years was still a relatively short period in the life of a nation, acknowledging that the country had experienced a lot of ups and downs.

“66 is a small number in the life of a nation and it is true we have had a lot of ups and downs but my advice to us as a people is that we should not lose hope.

“We should encourage and support our leaders to do the right thing,’’ the senior lawyer said.

He also urged Nigerians not to allow leaders to stray too far before calling them to order.

“We should not condone our leaders straying too far before we call them to order, no doubt the world is facing a lot of challenges but they are not problems that cannot be surmounted,” he said.

He further expressed confidence in the resilience of Nigerians, saying the country could overcome its challenges with good leadership.

“I believe with the resilience of Nigerians and with good leadership, we will get there by the grace of God,” he said.

He also called on leaders across political, religious and civil service spheres to show greater empathy and consideration for the people.

“I call on other leaders to show more empathy and be considerate and to realise that nothing will be taken away from this world,” he said.

Mr Raji said the level of poverty and want in the country was unimaginable and he urged leaders to prioritise the welfare of the people.

“Everything we have met here, we are going to leave behind so we should please. I am not talking about any party now; I am talking of all our leaders, whether political leaders, religious leaders or civil service leaders, they should please think about the people,” he said.

He wished Nigerians well and prayed for divine intervention in the affairs of the country.

“I wish all Nigerians well and I pray that God intervenes in the most dynamic way,” he stated.

Nigeria gained independence from British colonial rule on October 1, 1960, becoming a sovereign nation.

The country has since marked the anniversary annually as a national occasion to reflect on its journey and development. 

(NAN)