Nigerians in the Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), Singapore chapter, have urged their compatriots not to give up hope on their fatherland but work closely together to move the nation forward.

The president of NIDO-Singapore, Birinengi Harry, gave the advice in his address at the virtual conference been put together by the organisation to commemorate Nigeria 61st independence anniversary in the country.

According to him, just like any other country in the world, Nigeria has peculiar challenges, therefore the need for the citizenry to work closely together to achieve desired goals.

“Do not despair. Every industrialised nation passed through different difficulties, but our similarities far outweigh our differences,” said Mr Harry. “There are indeed deep-seated differences among the Singapore and China close to us, but I believe they equally went through difficult times before they became great.”

He added, “I plead with Nigerians at home and all over the world to give the occasion of the 61st Nigeria independence celebration cause to rewrite our story.”

Mr Harry disclosed that measures taken by the organisation included the re-orientation of Nigerians on moving Nigeria forward amidst meagre resources and creating a platform to bridge gaps between compatriots living 1,000km apart in Singapore.

Also speaking, Moshood Olaniyan, NIDO-Singapore vice president, explained that the organisation had developed a website to achieve targets.

According to him, this is to enable their members to positively impact Nigeria, especially in the healthcare and education sectors.

Yahya Ebira Dauda, the NIDO-Singapore treasurer, decried the lack of access to sources of raw materials in Nigeria to hinder trade growth.

“Some goods cannot even find their way to the market, due to bad roads; thereby contributing to poor harvest year in, year out,” Mr Dauda added.

(NAN)