Nigerians have been
charged to use the opportunity provided by the nation’s 53rd Independence Anniversary to celebrate the successes recorded rather than the mistakes, failures and unattained targets in the country’s march toward greatness.
The Country Chairman, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Mutiu Sunmonu, who gave the admonition at the dance night last Monday to usher in the 53rd Independence Anniversary of Nigeria in Port Harcourt, also challenged Nigerians to seek more of what contribution they can make to enhance the nation’s pace towards speedy transformation in all sectors.
Sunmonu said that the independence anniversary celebration creates an opportunity for all well-meaning Nigerians to reflect on what they could do to lift the nation out of the woods, saying that blaming leaders only for the nation’s woes was unpatriotic and shows lack of nationalistic consciousness.
The managing director noted that the problem with Nigeria was in majority of Nigerians’ inability to appreciate the sacrifices of their leaders,  saying that if every Nigerian puts in his or her honest best, the nation would be on the fast lane of sustainable development.
According to him, “every October 1, as a Nigerian citizen, I like to reflect on where we have come  from – our mistakes and our great accomplishments, our failures and our many successes – in order to plan for a better tomorrow for my country, my children and the generations to follow.
“As the country chair of Shell Companies in Nigeria, I also go through that exercise of taking stock to see how we have fared as partners in progress with this great nation,” he said.
“We should be proud of what our companies have accomplished in partnership with the federal and state governments over the past 53 years since Nigeria gained independence.
“Shell companies have been a reliable partner fuelling the progress of our great nation in the areas of technology, building human capital development and awarding contracts to indigenous companies, fuelling their growth. We ought to be particularly proud of our contributions to the Nigerian youth through various scholarship schemes.
“We are committed to being a part of Nigeria’s future and building upon our great partnership with the nation in order to achieve her great economic, political and sustainable development potential,” Sunmonu added.
Also speaking, the President, Shell Club, Port Harcourt, Princewill Obi, said the event was designed to create a platform for staff members, their families and special guests to have a feel of the special independence anniversary mood, and thanked all those who played a part in the successful organisation of a series of events to mark the nation’s 53rd anniversary celebration for their dedication and team spirit.
Obi said that the organisers of the events had made every effort to put together a team of musicians from across the country, including Olamide,  Wizkid, Inyanya, Donna Diva, among others, to entertain staff, families and friends in the spirit of Nigeria’s 53rd Independence Anniversary celebration.