Osinbajo assures citizens country will overcome challenges

• Hegemonic tendencies, the bane of Nigeria, says Wike
• Okowa tasks elite on progress, growth
• Rivers, Edo govs release 102 prisoners, pardon three convicts
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has assured that Nigeria will overcome her myriad of challenges and move on to witness tremendous prosperity in no distant time.

Osinbajo gave the assurance at the 2017 Independence Day Interdenominational Church Service held at the National Christian Centre, Abuja.

The Vice President prayed that the nation would blossom and overcome its challenges, just as he assured that the glory of the former days would be nothing to be compared to the glory of the latter days.

In another development, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has said that the hegemonic tendencies of Nigerian rulers, and their failure to acknowledge the depth of injustice against other sections of the country, especially the minority resource-bearing communities, is the bane of Nigeria.

Wike, in his Independence Day speech at the Sharks Stadium in Port Harcourt, said there was a country – a country with great future, a country that believed in the ideals of economic, social and political justice. And irrespective of ethnic, cultural or religious backgrounds, Nigerians were committed to promote fraternity among themselves.

In the same vein, Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has challenged Nigerian elite to rededicate themselves to the progress and growth of the country.

Okowa, who spoke yesterday at an interdenominational thanksgiving service to commemorate the nation’s 57th Independence anniversary, said Nigeria’s independence was a product of sustained struggle by its founding-fathers.

Meanwhile, Wike has paid the fine for 19 convicts to regain their freedom, commuted 32 death sentences to life imprisonment, approved unconditional release of 32 convicts from prison and granted pardon to three convicts.

Also, Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, yesterday approved the release of 70 inmates from various prisons across the state.

The governor said the gesture was a step towards improving the justice delivery system in the state as well as reducing the number of awaiting-trial inmates by 50 per cent, which is part of Federal Government’s policy on decongesting prisons.

Besides, the Edo State governor and his Delta State counterpart, have called for concerted efforts to strengthen the bond of unity in the country.

The duo, who spoke at a joint press briefing yesterday after a breakfast meeting held at the Governor’s Lodge, Benin City, Edo State, stated that there is a lot to celebrate as a country.