By Adejola Adeyemi Crown
Abuja – Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, GCON, has urged Nigerians to embrace justice, integrity, and collective responsibility to build the nation envisioned by the late General Shehu Musa Yar’adua.
The call was made on Monday at the 28th anniversary of Yar’adua’s passing.
Speaking at the memorial, Atiku described Yar’adua as “a mentor, a brother-in-arms, a partner in vision, a trusted confidant, and a moral compass.”
He added, “Shehu would remind us that every generation must pay its price for freedom. He never asked others to take a risk that he himself was unwilling to bear. He led from the front – fearless, thoughtful, and deeply humane.”
The former Vice President noted that Yar’adua’s vision went beyond politics, emphasizing service, integrity, and inclusion. “His loyalty was to one constituency—the Nigerian people.”
“His faith was in one ideal—the unity and greatness of our nation. And his ultimate ambition was not to govern Nigeria but to help Nigerians govern themselves with dignity, justice, and mutual respect,” Atiku said.
Atiku also acknowledged the contributions of the Yar’adua family, saying, “No Nigerian family has given more towards building the leadership of this nation than the Yar’adua family.”
“Through your family’s sacrifice, our nation has received a lineage of leadership defined by integrity, intellect, and patriotism.”
Highlighting the theme of the occasion, The Union We Hope to Become, Atiku stressed that unity must be actively pursued.
“He believed that no Nigerian should be made to feel small because of his or her faith, tongue, or birthplace. His dream was practical, pragmatic, and deeply patriotic. Yet twenty-eight years on, we see the fragility of that union tested again and again.”
He challenged young Nigerians to take up the mantle of nation-building: “You are not powerless. You cannot be spectators in your own nation’s story. You MUST be the authors, the dreamers, the doers, and the builders of a new Nigeria.”
Concluding his remarks, Atiku called for continued dedication to the principles Yar’adua stood for: “Our responsibility now is to ensure that his labour was not in vain.”
“We must continue the fight for transparent governance, for institutions that serve citizens rather than exploit them, and for a political culture that honours merit above mediocrity. That is the union he hoped to build, and it remains the union we must become.”
