Better days are coming - Senate President Akpabio to Nigerians

Senate President Akpabio described this year as another time to renew hope about a better Nigeria.

He congratulated Nigerians for making it to 2024 in a New Year message by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Eseme Eyiboh, in Abuja.

Akpabio expressed optimism that with President Bola Tinubu in the driving seat, the country would regain its enviable place in the comity of nations.

In their messages, Senate Leader Bamidele Opeyemi, House of Assembly Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu assured that better days were coming for Nigerians.

Urging Nigerians to keep hope alive, Akpabio said: “I wish to use the occasion of this New Year to congratulate our countrymen and women for successfully stepping into 2024.

“I wish to reassure you that things will turn for the better in the year 2024. Keep believing in us and we shall surely deliver on our promises.

“The Executive arm of government and indeed members of the National Assembly are not oblivious of the sacrifices you are making. I still appeal to you not to lose faith in Nigeria but to be hopeful and prayerful.


“I want to assure you that it will not be long before you will start reaping the benefits of voting the present government to power. The president is committed, the National Assembly is intentional and the Renewed Hope Agenda is real and we will not fail you.”

He added: “We understand the plight of the average Nigerian and every decision we make is aimed at improving your standard of living and making things easy for you.

“We appreciate the confidence you have entrusted in the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration and we will not fail to reciprocate your kind gesture.”

Abbas: prosperity imminent

House of Representatives Speaker Abbas and his Deputy, Benjamin Kalu, said prosperity was imminent, urging Nigerians to keep hope alive.

They said 2024 promises to be a better year.

Abbas said with the Renewed Hope Agenda and the Legislative Agenda of the 10th House, Nigeria would witness massive growth and development.

However, he said for the country to be great again, the people must support the policies, projects, and programmes of the government.

The Speaker urged political, religious, and traditional leaders to work towards a common goal of an indivisible and prosperous nation.

He also urged the citizens, especially the youth, to remain patriotic and law-abiding, and shun ethno-religious sentiments.

Deputy Speaker Kalu said the 2024 budget will substantially meet the expectations of Nigerians when assented to by President Tinubu.

He also commended security agencies for their sacrifices and untiring efforts to rid the country of insurgency, crime and criminality, urging them to be more vigilant and diligent in the protection of lives and property.

Kalu urged the people of the Southeast to embrace the recently launched Peace In Southeast Project (PISE-P) as a life-improving programme.

He expressed optimism that Nigeria would come out better and stronger from its current economic challenges.

Kalu said: “It’s a new dawn. The new year, 2024 is here. I congratulate Nigerians. I appreciate God Almighty for His Grace. I enjoin all Nigerians to remain committed to the task of building a strong and virile economy.

Sanwo-Olu urged Nigerians, particularly Lagos residents, to live in peace and harmony

He urged them to remain hopeful about greater prosperity, saying that the government would continue to tackle the myriad challenges facing the state and the nation.

Sanwo-Olu, in his New Year message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Gboyega Akosile, said his administration was committed to making life better and more prosperous for all Lagosians.

The governor assured Lagos residents that greater accomplishments will happen across the sectors in line with the THEMES agenda of his administration.

He said: “I wish every Lagosian a Happy and Prosperous New Year. We are thankful to God for the grace to see the New Year and we welcome 2024 with hope and faith.

The year 2023 was one of great strides for us in Lagos. It was indeed a significant year for our administration. We are happy and grateful to Lagos residents for coming out in large numbers to re-elect us for another four years. We will not disappoint you.

“I want to assure millions of Lagos residents that 2024 is the year we will act with speed to deliver more good governance and dividends of democracy that you voted us in for. As your Governor, I promise to continue to provide leadership that will usher in greater opportunities and a more prosperous life for Lagosians.

“We will work for Lagos better and faster this year and the remaining years of our second term in office to accelerate developments across the identified areas in our THEMES+ agenda.

“My New Year message to all Lagosians is not to despair and remain hopeful of greater prosperity for Lagos. I want to assure you that better times are ahead of us. We are committed to ensuring that we can give hope to the hopeless. This was our solemn promise and we’re committed to achieving it. We wish all Lagosians the very best this New Year.”

Bamidele: current travails temporal

Bamidele welcomed Nigerians into the new year with optimism, saying that the current travails will never truncate God’s plan for Nigeria.

He urged Nigerians to walk by faith and not by sight, adding that 2024 “is not a year to live our lives according to proclamations and prophecies of some religious merchants, who are fond of foretelling evil about Nigeria.”

In a New Year message, Bamidele urged Nigerians not to be discouraged by the economic, political and social challenges that have threatened the peace, progress and unity of the country.

He said: “God’s plan for Nigeria is neither doom nor evil as evident in the Scripture. His plan for us as a people is peace, prosperity and a great future. And it is divinely ordained that His plans shall definitely come to pass if we hold fast the profession of our faith.

“As a people, we have a part to play in realising God’s plan for Nigeria. Our part is to daily trust in God Almighty for the fulfilment of all His promises; pray without ceasing for those He had ordained to rule over us and support the Government of Renewed Hope.

“We should all know that we have God who created us only for His glory, plan and purpose. We should therefore not walk by sight. We should walk by faith in God the Omniscient and Omnipotent.

“If we are obsessed with the present conditions of our economy, we will not see the glorious and great future that God has already set before us. If we cannot see such a glorious future, then we will find it to walk confidently into it.

“God did not create us to punish us. He did not create us to languish on earth. He did not create us to be at war. Rather, God created us in His own image, for His glory and according to His divine will. As I always say, our past is a story already told. Yet, our future can be written in gold.”