The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 23rd election, former vice president Atiku Abubakar has used the occasion of the International father’s day to pay tribute to all Nigeria’s founding fathers and soldiers who are fighting hard to defend the country.
As contained in a statement issued by his media adviser, Paul Ibe on Sunday Waziri Adamawa wishes a happy Father’s Day to every father in Nigeria and beyond.
The statement reads in parts: “Even in death, he also wishes a happy Father’s Day to our Founding Fathers, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, and Sir Nnamdi Azikiwe. May the labors of these our heroes past remind us that this nation was built on a quartet of Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress, founded on Justice.
“He prays that their labors and the labors of all fathers in Nigeria never be in vain and may God’s blessings be on the nation and the children they birthed. May extreme poverty depart our land and in the words of the late great Chief MKO Abiola, may we soon bid “farewell to poverty” as a nation.
“He enjoins us to take a minute to acknowledge those fathers who have left their wives, children and loved ones, to take up residency in bushes, highways, and byways in order to fight terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other threats to our nation. He greets every father in our armed forces, police and paramilitary forces.
“As a father, he admonishes us to remember that the greatest gift we can give our children is to believe in themselves. And so, today, he is asking you to believe in Nigeria, to believe in yourselves and to believe in your children. And finally, to believe that our Founding Father’s vision for Nigeria would come to pass by God’s grace, through our hard work”.
