Wife of Enugu state Governor, Mrs Nkechinyere Mbah, Wednesday, joined Nigerians across the world in celebrating the 2025 Nigeria’s 65Th Independence Day anniversary, calling on youth to contribute meaningfully to national development.
She made the call while delivering her speech at an event, tagged, “Tales of Freedom” organised by her office to commemorate the Independence Day anniversary , held at the International Conference Centre ( ICC) Enugu .
Encouraging the students at the event to focus on their studies to build a better society, Mrs Mbah said , “the freedom we honour today is the foundation of your education”.She advised students to, make use of every opportunity they had to contribute to national development.
“Use every opportunity, technology, or curriculum to your best because your dedication to school development contributes to our nation’s growth. it’s a reminder of the power of movement” , she said .
The Governor ‘s wife observed that ‘students from all parts of Enugu coming together for the event “shows the strength of our diverse unity, united community.
.Pix: An elder telling the story of independence and Biafran war
“Nigerians have the capability to learn, play, and grow side by side without less of background. You are the custodian of our dreams.You inherit the challenge of maintaining and elevating the nation of our founders’ education
.”Your commitment to integrity, innovation, and service will help bring the dream of the legacy to life in your lifetime.We celebrate you because of your works and the future of Nigeria.
“So, I urge you all to embrace the greater sense of purpose, knowing that you play a vital role in individuals journeying towards peace and prosperity, ” she said.
The event which was also.put together to mark the 2025 International Day of the elderly brought together, two generations(the elderly and the younger generations.) The elderly told stories of the Nigerian independence, the story of the Biafran war and folklore , while the younger ones sat on the floor listening to the stories as was done in the olden days during the moonlight play.
There were presentations of cultural dances , native games namely, ” ncho, oga,” , poems, among others. Gifts were presented to elders and students present at the event.
Participants were drawn from the 17 local government areas of Enugu state. Enugu East , Enugu north, Udi, Udenu, Nkanu East, Awgu, Ezeagu, Isi-Uzo Local government areas made presentations respectively.
From the tales of the Biafran war, some elders who shared their experiences warned against disunity and war. They said there were severe hunger, death, sicknesses during the war, urging people to embrace peace and unity.
Pix: Some of the participants at the event
Earlier in an opening remarks, the Senior Special Assistant to the wife of the Governor on Special Duties, Mrs Chidinma Egeonu recalled that at the midnight of the 1st October,1960, the Union Jack of the British colonial rule was lowered in Lagos and replaced with the Nigerian’s Green- White -Green flag and Queen Elizabeth who was represented by Princess Alexandra handed over the constitutional instrument of independence . Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe became the Governor -General while Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, , the Prime minister, read the national address. hence, the birth of the independence of Nigeria.
She added that the event was to honour the elderly in our communities,”acknowledging them as pillars of wisdom, strength, resilience in our journey of progress.”
Author: Maureen Ikpeama