Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, on Wednesday said Nigeria has been repeatedly held back by poor choices and failures of leadership, arguing that wrong decisions over the years have affected the country’s potential since independence.

Delivering his address in Umuahia to mark Nigeria’s 65th Independence anniversary, Otti said the country had not become what the founding fathers and the compatriots who fought for its freedom committed their lives to.

“Our nation has been serially betrayed and its potential stunted by bad decisions and our response to the events that have effectively shaped our national experience. We have failed on several scores and, at other points, simply wobbled when we could have moved with decisive intent,” he said.

He said the anniversary offered Nigerians a new opportunity to start afresh by discarding divisive tendencies.

“These include tribal and religious triumphalism, corruption, and behavioural tendencies that raise suspicions and undermine public trust,” he added.

The governor stressed that responsibility for change was not limited to politicians but extended to religious, educational and community leaders, as well as ordinary citizens.

“Leadership is not a title; it is the disposition to create value, drive progress, and apply our peculiar advantages to noble causes,” Otti said. “No one is too small to lead the chorus for change.”

Otti praised Abia residents for their resilience and commitment to the Nigerian project despite heart-breaking disappointments, urging them to continue contributing to national unity and development.

“May I now take a moment to honour the memories of our compatriots, the men and women who devoted their lives and talents to the service of this land, who gave the last full measure of their devotion to forestall the failure of the Nigerian experiment,” he said.

He also paid tribute to security personnel and ordinary Nigerians who lost their lives in the country’s struggles over the decades, calling their sacrifices a reminder of the need to uphold fairness, patriotism, and justice.

“Our gratitude to the soldiers, policemen, and other security agents fighting the scourge of terror and criminality in different parts of the country must never be diminished by the recalcitrance of the challenge we are dealing with,” he added.