From George Onyijiuwa, Owerri

Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has assured Nigerians that the glory of the country is by the corner, urging that all hands be on deck to realise the full potential of the country.

She noted that though times are tough for Nigerians, the situation is not one that cannot be surmounted if everyone shows sincere commitment.

The First Lady spoke in Owerri, the Imo State capital, at the weekend, where she was treated to a grand reception by the traditional rulers at the Eze Imo Palace in Owerri, ahead of the conferment of an honorary doctorate degree on her by the Federal University of Technology Owerri, yesterday.

Addressing the galaxy of traditional rulers from the 27 local government areas of the state, their wives, as well as other government functionaries and leaders, Mrs Tinubu hinted that she was also in the state to thank the monarchs for the support they extended to her and her husband, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu before, during and after the election that brought them into office in 2023.

“Remember that when I came here last year, with the wife of the vice president, we told you we will come back. Now, we are back, and we have come to thank you. Nigeria will be better because God is with us, and this Christmas will be sweet,” she promised.

She commended the Imo people for their sense of tolerance, emphasising the need for Nigerians to live together in peace wherever they found themselves, noting that it was a thing of joy that heads of the Yoruba and Arewa in Imo came out happily to join their Igbo counterparts to receive them.

Mrs Tinubu also commended the leadership quality of Governor Hope Uzodimma, which she said has left Imo more developed in all facets of human endeavour.

“We saw the roads while coming, beautiful roads, and your governor is doing very well,” she said.

She, however, encouraged Nigerians to devoted their time to hard work and the training of their children, saying “hard work does not kill, rather it pays.

“We should inculcate the spirit of hard work in our children as well as take agriculture seriously. Nigeria is blessed and we need to unlock the potential of the blessing with hard work and commitment.”

Addressing the audience, Governor Uzodimma said he has not seen a dedicated, compassionate, generous First Lady like Senator Tinubu since he started playing politics more than 40 years ago.

The governor told the First Lady to feel at home in Imo with her entourage because the love which Imo people have for her and her husband is genuine.

He used the opportunity to remind the audience that President Tinubu’s government was doing a lot to make Nigeria a better place for all, noting that the circumstances that have brought difficult situation in the country are global and surmountable.

He, therefore, urged them to continue with their support for President Tinubu whom he said has been working tirelessly to surmount the economic problems the country is facing currently with the removal of fuel subsidy and the wars in Ukraine and other parts of the world.

Drawing from Mrs Tinubu’s earlier promise to the monarchs that the year’s Christmas will be sweet, Governor Uzodimma said that the state has received some trailer loads of rice that will require Imo people to buy a bag of rice at N40,000 during this Yuletide season.

He commended the Federal Government for her interventions in different areas where Imo State sought for her assistance, and the First Lady, for “adopting” his wife, Chioma, as her daughter.

Earlier in his address, the Chairman, Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers cum Chairman of South East Traditional Rulers Council, HRM, Eze E.C Okeke, thanked the First Lady for her thoughtfulness in fulfilling her promise to come to thank the monarchs.

Eze Okeke also thanked her for taking the governor’s wife as her own daughter while her husband, President Tinubu adopted Governor Uzodimma as his son.

Eze Imo assured the First Lady that Imo people will continue to support the government of her husband, insisting that the president is doing his best to change the narrative of the country for the better.

Eze Okeke also congratulated the First Lady on the honour she will receive from FUTO on yesterday.

On the entourage of the First Lady were the wife of the Vice President, Hajia Nana Shettima; wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hajia Yusuf Abbas; wife of the Governor of Imo State, Mrs Chioma Uzodimma and her colleagues, ministers’ wives, among others.