Former Vice President of Nigeria and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has urged his family, friends, and associates to withhold from placing adverts to congratulate him on his 72nd birthday coming up on November 25.
Atiku stated this in a message issued to the press and signed by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, stating that he could cherish if funds to be used for media adverts and congratulatory messages are used for charity particularly orphanages.
He pointed out that although birthdays are a time of celebration but many Nigerians have nothing to celebrate stressing that this is a time for sober reflections and prayer.
He said: “He is also painfully aware that, at this time, many Nigerians have little to celebrate: the millions who are out of jobs, the civil servants who are owed months of salaries, the indigenes of villages and towns across Nigeria whose daily reality is violent insurgency or spontaneous attacks, the tens of millions whose dire economic circumstances have earned Nigeria the shameful title of the world’s extreme poverty capital of the world to mention but a few.
“These times call for sober reflection and prayer, rather than merriment and jollification. These times require laser sharp focus on rescuing Nigeria from economic crisis and global ignominy. These times must be dedicated solely to the task of getting Nigeria working again, on JOBS (Jobs, Opportunities, Being United and Security). The time for celebration will definitely come. But, first of all, the battle for the soul of our nation must be won.”
The Waziri Adamawa thanked Nigerians for their support in his quest to become Nigeria’s president and lead the country “out of darkness into light in 2019” calling for prayers as the battle “belongs to “Almighty God”.