By Christiana Ekpa
The Speaker of the House of Representatives Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila has congratulated Nigerians for witnessing the New Year 2023.
The Speaker said the year 2023 will be significant for Nigerians, being the year that citizens will elect new leaders to pilot the affairs of the country.
Gbajabiamila said he is optimistic about the opportunities and possibilities that lie ahead and urged Nigerians to remain resolute and determined as a people.
He noted that 2023 is a defining year for Nigeria, which is why the citizens should be united and speak with one voice.
The Speaker wished Nigerians success individually and collectively in 2023, calling for prayers for successful elections.
Also , The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase has congratulated Nigerians on the new year, urging them not to despair inspite of the challenges facing the country.
Wase, in a New Year message signed by his chief press secretary, Umar Muhammad Puma, urged Nigerians to have faith in their leaders and continue to pray for them at all levels for the wisdom to lead right.
He said: “On behalf of my family and constituents, i wish to heartily rejoice with all our countrymen and women for seeing off the year 2022 and successfully entering 2023. I urged all Nigerians to be prayerful as we prepared to elect new leaders come February 2023.
“I thank the Almighty Allah for keeping us going and keeping Nigeria as one, I urge you not to despair but to remain patriotic as ever and believe that no matter how difficult things may be, there will be light at the end of the tunnel.
Equally, The Minority Caucus in the House, while congratulating Nigerians on the dawning of the New year, 2023, urged them to further unite, brace up and forge a formidable front in the determination to rescue the nation from oppressive forces.
Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, Minority Leader of the House said this one a statement he issued to newsmen in Abuja
He said “Indeed, as a people, we must step into the New Year with thanksgiving to God for the miracle of surviving the suffocating economic hardship, escalated insecurity and myriads of suppressive experiences occasioned by the misrule of the incompetent, insensitive and very corrupt All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The New year presents a fresh opportunity for us as Nigerians to rekindle our sense of patriotism, love, care and commitment to one another as we redirect our productive energies, collective ingenuity, creativity and resourcefulness to reinvent our nation for the good of all.
“The year 2023 is therefore significant, being the year of the much-awaited general elections that will mark the end of eight years of asphyxiating regime of the APC, as Nigerians march to the polls to elect a new people-oriented leadership to commence the onerous task of rebuilding our nation.
“Our Caucus therefore urges Nigerians to set aside all parochial personal, group, sectional, ethnic and religious sentiments, focus on the larger national interest and firmly resist all selfish and anti-democratic forces that might attempt to distract or subvert their will in the elections.
“Against this backdrop, all democracy institutions and security agencies must deploy all necessary measures to guarantee a free, fair, transparent, peaceful and credible electoral process where Nigerians freely participate and in which all votes count at the end of the day.
“The Minority Caucus urges President Muhammadu Buhari to write his name in gold by ensuring that he leaves a lasting legacy of a leader that ensured free and fair election and hand over to whoever Nigerians genuinely elect in the forthcoming Presidential election irrespective of the party the individual belongs to.
“Furthermore, as the nation prepares for a new lease of life under a new Order, our Caucus demands in very strong terms that the APC administration should not continue to worsen the already perilous situation but use the turn of the year to end its unrestrained borrowing and reckless accumulation of debts with which it decimated our productive sectors and mortgaged the future of our nation.
Nigerians earnestly desire a government that truly works in their interest and 2023 holds the promise.
“The Minority Caucus greets Nigerians on the occasion of the New year and wishes the nation many fruitful years ahead under a purposeful and caring leadership” he said
Also, the Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Toby Okechukwu, has urged Nigerians to keep hope alive in the midst of the prevailing economic hardship and security challenges in the country.
Hon. Okechukwu equally called on the citizens to soberly reflect on the nation’s journey so and its national values in order to navigate and overcome the present challenges.
The lawmaker, who represents Aninri-Awgu-Oji River Federal Constituency, stated this in his New Year message to Nigerians on Sunday.
He said: “This is no doubt a tough time for Nigerians, given the economic hardship, security and a myriad of other challenges facing the country at the moment.
“Nevertheless, I urge us to keep hope alive and seize the occasion of the New Year celebration to reflect deeply on and imbibe the themes of love, social justice, equity, unity, and responsible citizenship so that together we can overcome our challenges.
“Importantly, I urge communities to use the camaraderie of the season to find a bottom-up approach to the menace of insecurity that has crawled into our villages.
“For Ndigbo, who are particularly known for communal living and conferring among themselves both at home and in the diaspora, the New Year holiday presents a veritable opportunity for introspection on the incomprehensible and prevalent destruction of lives, property, and economy of Igbo land with a view to building lasting peace and calm in the homeland going forward”.
Okechukwu wished Nigerians a happy and hitch-free New Year celebration.
