FG shelves Independence Day awards

The Federal Government will not be giving the annual Independence Day awards due to the state of the economy, Daily Trust gathered yesterday.
Tomorrow marks the 56th anniversary of the nation’s independence and the annual event usually featured awards to deserving Nigerians. While the official spokesmen of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and their Head of Service of the Federation (HoCSF) counterparts were not available for comment, other officials at the two offices told Daily Trust that the state of the economy was partly responsible for the cancellation of the segment. The award segment was not included last year as well.
“Though there are reasons for celebration of the independence anniversary, the state of the nation, especially the economy, does not give room for an elaborate celebration,” an official who pleaded anonymity said.
When asked that the federal government through the SGF had announced a time table for a kind of elaborate celebration, the official said the time table if carefully looked at showed that it is going to be low-keyed.