Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo says Nigeria is “not without hope” despite its challenges, as the country marks its 62nd independence anniversary on October 1. He urged Nigerians to “listen to the government of the day” and “find out if her story is good.”

Mr Uzodimma said this on Sunday at the Maria Assumpta Catholic Cathedral Owerri during a special church service to mark the 62nd independence anniversary of Nigeria.

The governor called for proactive measures to tackle the nation’s challenges, noting that identifying the cause of a problem was the first step in solving the problem.

He identified the challenges to include poor leadership, insecurity, poverty and unemployment and called for concerted efforts by Nigerians to nip them in the bud.

“We must take time to study how countries overcame their challenges and deplore proactive approaches in confronting the challenges of our time. We must begin to do things differently, listen to the government of the day, (and) find out if her story is good; if yes, embrace it for the interest of our state and the country at large because we have no other place to go,” the Imo governor explained.

He added, “How many of us are interested in how Nigeria can be better, and if yes, what have we done in that direction? All hands must be on deck. Each of us should contribute his quota to make our country a better place to live.”

(NAN)