EXTRA: Nigeria is spiritually challenged, says Gombe senator

Joshua Lidani, senator representing Gombe south, says Nigeria is spiritually challenged.

Lidani said this on the floor of the senate on Thursday while contributing to a motion sponsored by Ike Ekweremadu, deputy senate president, on the country’s 57th independence anniversary.

The senator said the country had recorded a lot of progress in spite of the challenges that it has faced.

“A lot of progress has been recorded in spite of the challenges… Nigeria is spiritually challenged,” Lidani said.

“With all these crimes, where is the spirituality in us? We should come back to God, so God can have mercy on us.”

Earlier, Ekweremadu appealed to the lawmakers to continue entrenching the value of justice in the society.

“Before the election in 2015, we had the largest economy in Africa. We are one of the country’s that overcame the civil war. Therefore we should continue to entrench the value of justice,” he said.

Also contributing to the debate, Shehu Sani, senator representing Kaduna central, said Nigerians should use the opportunity of its independence anniversary to make the necessary adjustments that would further strengthen the country.

“Nigeria has been through a lot of challenges, the journey has not been easy for Nigeria and the world, we should use this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment and do all the necessary adjustment socially, politically, and every means to strengthen our nation,” Sani said.

“We have faced challenges that have shaken our solidarity. We should use what we have before as a lesson and move forward.”

Also speaking, Abiodun Olujimi, senator representing Ekiti south, said whichever way we look at, we are always one”.

“The leadership of Nigeria, including the leadership of the national assembly needs to sit together and talk about the country,” she said.

“The time has come at 57 to take stock of all we have been through. We need congratulate ourselves because lesser nations would not have made this far.”