President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday stressed the need for the country to be self-reliant, saying no amount of aid from foreign countries can replace the role of Nigerians in building the nation.
The president also disclosed that a supplementary appropriation bill for 2024 will soon be presented to the National Assembly.
The President announced this during a joint session of the National Assembly commemorating Nigeria’s 25 years of unbroken democracy.
The president was joined by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, first female Speaker of the House of Representatives, Patricia Etteh, Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, ministers and top government officials.
The president who walked to the floor of the green chamber at exactly 12:28 pm was welcomed to the tune of the new national anthem.
Earlier before the president’s arrival, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, announced that the president had assented to National Anthem Bill 2024 seeking Nigerians to revert to the old Nigerian National Anthem.
The President, lawmakers and those presents sang the new national anthem for the first time during the joint session.
National Assembly clerk, Magaji Tambawal, had said on Tuesday that Tinubu will deliver an address on the “state of the nation” at the joint sitting.
He also said Femi Gbajabiamila, who served as speaker of the 9th house from 2019 to 2023, will deliver a paper on ‘Reflections on the House’; while David Mark, president of the 6th and 7th senate from 2007 to 2015, will speak on ‘Reflections on the Senate’.
Abdulsalami Abubakar, former head of state, was also expected to deliver a paper on ‘Reflections on the Journey to Democracy’.
