Independence Day Celebration: Sanwo-Olu urges Nigerians to shun sentiment, religion while picking Leaders

Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu has urged Nigerians to shun sentiments and religion when electing leaders but must ponder about the future of the country and elect their leaders wisely.

Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the state Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, said this at the special prayer organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs, as part of activities to mark the 62nd Independence Day celebration in Lagos.

The state Deputy Governor, who was in attendance along with other top government functionaries, expressed gratitude to Almighty Allah for continued peaceful co-existence in the state and the grace over the country and its citizens.

In a statement, on Saturday, Sanwo-Olu said that “the general public should consider what the different candidates have done in their various communities, looking at who has done what before, who has sustained a state and who has raised people”.

He advised Nigerians not to listen to bogus statistics but should consider the plan the candidates have especially in the areas of security, economic development, and social and physical infrastructure provisions.

Bemoaning the religious distractions within the country, Governor Sanwo-Olu stated that the election should be based on capacity, and achievement instead of religion and other inconsequential considerations, adding that there is no point in elevating religion instead of the virtues required of productive leadership.

The Governor said, “if we can put our lives in the hands of doctors without asking for their religion before surgery why then are we neglecting what we are supposed to do and doing otherwise in the name of religion”.

He admonished Nigerians to seek to fix the country and make it better, reiterating that every developed nation has been lucky to have good leaders at a point in time and Nigeria cannot be an exception. He cited Singapore having Lee Kuan Yew or America having Abraham Lincoln at the right time which led to the rapid development of the different countries.

The Governor however thanked Allah that at the 62nd National Independence, the country is intact and prayed that Nigeria does not miss the opportunity of choosing a good leader at this time, should be peaceful and all the violence should go down.

Earlier in his sermon, Sheikh Saheed Abdul Razak Aro admonished Nigerians to be more responsible in their deeds, adding that the citizens have roles to play in the development of the country just as the government also have theirs.

The Sheikh stated that individual issues cannot be associated with government shortcomings, mentioning that a sixteen-year-old child who engaged in ritual killings is an individual problem and not the government.

Prayers were offered by the clerics at the very for the peace of the state, Nigeria, leaders across different strata and a successful transition, especially as the country moves towards another electioneering period.