A former governor of Borno State and Senator representing Borno Central, Kashim Shettima, on Saturday bemoaned continuous trooping out by Nigerians out of the country to the European countries in search of greener pastures.
Shettima, who spoke in his remarks as the chairman of the Investiture Ceremony of the 11th President of the Rotary Club of Abuja-Maitama, Mr Yusuf Alli, said the country must be made to work in order to put a stop to the trend.
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“We have to make this country work. Nigerians would not need to go through Libya to get to Europe for survival. I believe if we are united, Nigeria will survive and that is why I am proud of the Rotary club.
In his speech, “Giving back to the givers,” Shettima admonished privileged Nigerians to cultivate the habit of giving in order to mitigate the socio-economic challenges faced by the downtrodden in the country.”
He added: “We must never yield to the temptation to believe that giving back to the society that produced us is a favour to the needy. While this is mainstream thinking, we can’t afford to understate the circumstances that gave us our good start in life and that doing so would come at great risk.”
Shettima described the new Rotary President, who is the Managing Editor, Northern Operations of The Nation newspapers as a man who “symbolises the hope of a nation yearning for self-denying and free-giving heroes.”
“Mr Yusuf Alli, who takes over today as the 11th President of the Rotary Club of Abuja-Maitama, has set himself apart in the society and earned this trust to map the way forward for this club, this collection of patriots dedicated to offering our world a reason to believe in the kindness of man,” he said.