Erstwhile Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Amb Sarafa Tunji Isola, has charged Nigerians to let the year 2026 be a turning point for all.
The diplomat made the call in his New Year message, circulated among newsmen, on Thursday.
Saying that a new year is more as a change of calendar, Isola said: “The year 2026 must therefore be a turning point-a year when leadership is guided by conscience, competence and compassion; a year when governance truly reflects the aspirations of the people; a year when citizenship is defined not only by rights but by responsibility.”
While extending his greetings to all Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora, as well as all friends of Nigeria across the globe, Amb Isola stated: the new year “invites us to look back with honesty, forward with hope, and inward with responsibility. “
He also touched on the joint responsibilities of the political leadership and the citizenry in nurturing democracy by saying: “Our democracy can only endure when it delivers tangible hope – security for our communities, opportunities for our elders and justice for all.
“Political leadership must listen more and serve better. At the same time, citizens must remain engaged, peaceful, vigilant and constructive in holding leadership accountable.”
Amb Isola stressed: “As a nation richly blessed with cultural diversity, natural resources and human capital, Nigeria’s greatest strength lies in unity of purpose”.
He stressed: “Our differences – ethnic, religious, political – should never be instruments of division, but pillars of balance and mutual respect. “
