The Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Amb. Ibrahim Gambari, has expressed confidence that Nigeria will emerge from its security and economic challenges with a more united and prosperous outlook, given the approach being adopted by government to tackle the challenges.
Gambari, who stated this in Abuja on Friday at a book presentation by a former Vice Chancellor of University of Maiduguri, Prof Njida, Gadzama, said Buhari is best president to take Nigeria out of its economic and security challenges.
The former Ambassador called on all Nigerians to support the government to pull the country out of the doldrums, stressing that overcoming the challenges of Covid-19 and insecurity deserve the support of all.
“We are going through difficult times in our country, economic, security but let us recognise that the whole world is going through the same fate, Nigeria is part of the world. But the leadership under which we operate shows we shall indeed overcome all these.
“If we keep united, keep building, we cannot be ignored by any other country in the world. I am convinced that under the leadership of president Buhari, there is going to be a better future. He belongs to all Nigerians,” he said.
Speaking on the book, he described Gadzama as “one of Nigeria’s best and brightest,” adding that “those who wield power are indispensable to the society and equally indispensable are those who speak the truth.”
Chairman of the occasion and Former Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, lamented that Africans have not risen up to the culture of documenting their experiences.
Shettima described the author as an international scientist and accomplished professor, and praised him for mustering the strength to write his autobiography at the age of 80 years.
He also called for power shift to Southern Nigeria as the country prepares for the 2023 general elections.
While stressing that the hope of Nigeria rest on the mindset of her people, he said “our problem is not religion or ethnicity, but people using it to achieve their goals.
“I believe in equity, justice and fairness. After power has resided in the North for eight years, there is need for a power shift in the South,” he said.
Also speaking, the book reviewer, who is also a former Vice Chancellor of Federal University, Wukari, Taraba State, Prof. Abubakar Kundiri, described the book as a reference material for history and culture.
Kundiri noted that Gadzama, in the book, which is divided into six parts with fourteen chapters, also provided evident based narrative on the lassa fever in Nigeria and absolves lassa people from being the source of the disease.
In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Prof Suleiman Bogoro, described the author as a man with towering credentials and an accomplished scientist.
Bogoro noted that as Chairman of the TETFund research and development standing committee, he was engaged in activities that will transform the outlook of research in the country.
Gadzama, in his remarks, noted that Nigeria is a beautiful country which should not be divided, adding that the country has some of the most intelligent people in the world.
“As a member of a minority tribe in the North, I invariably would learn Hausa language early.
But if I were younger I would want to learn to speak Igbo and Yoruba languages so that I would move around as a local native freely in Nigeria. Members of the major tribal languages too should learn one major language with one minority language, as there are many (250) to pickfrom. That way in 100 years maybe we would evolve a language that is owned by all of us.
“Beautiful! Nigeria is a beautiful country that nothing should divide us on ethnic lines. The intelligent people of Nigeria have great potential to together develop this country,” he said.
He also noted that the book is a story of his life and also for remembering details of special events in his life.
According to him, the experience at the 13 Working Groups of the TETFund Research and Development Committee has deepened his faith in Nigeria that “we can make it,” adding that “we are still on going for timely establishment of National Research and Development Foundation for Nigeria.”
