Besides, the governor also charged the Nigerian youth to join hands together in the promotion of honesty, patriotism, discipline, national unity and the war against corruption.
Speaking at the 53rd independence anniversary celebrations at the main bowl of the Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba, Ibadan on Tuesday, the governor noted that the liberty being enjoyed today came with a great price for past heroes.
``For some of them, it was imprisonment; to some others, it was loss of great economic investments and yet to virtually all of them, they became pariahs in a land that their forefathers suffered to bring together,’’ he said.
This, according to the governor, was why Nigerians must protect the national independence and the freedom of Oyo State from the hands of the locusts of the past jealously.
``The significance of Independence Day in Nigeria lies in the fact that today binds with one chord as Nigerians. No matter the imperfections of our nationhood and the mindless savagery ongoing in the Northern part of the country, today brings the hurtful nostalgia of the toils and struggles of our heroes past.
``This is why everyone within the country, and even in faraway lands of Europe, Asia and America see today as a strong symbol of the journey we undertook to get to where we are today. It is for this reason that the survival of our sovereignty must be pursued by all and sundry,’’ he said.
Governor Ajimobi also noted that the greater task of nation-building did not lie in the hands of the leaders alone but in the collective hands of everybody, particular the youth, urging the youth therefore to be fully prepared to surmount the emerging challenges of the 21st century.
Governor Ajimobi gave praises to God for the unalloyed peace being enjoyed as residents and citizens of Oyo State.
``In the same vein, we owe one another a debt of gratitude for our collective resolve and decision to disconnect from the shame of our immediate past where violence and gangsterism were the order of the day.
``The tranquility we enjoy today in Oyo State is borne out of providence’s blessings, our collective decision to shut our state’s door against men of violence and the God-given sagacity He has given us as leaders of the state,’’ he said.
The governor pointed out that were it not for the basic foundation of peaceful coexistence that had been the lot of the state in the last two years, the building blocks of development which his administration had succeeded in erecting on the foundation of peace in the state would have been very difficult, if not a mirage.
He also acknowledged the fact that the transformation agenda of his administration had brought unprecedented infrastructural developments to the state in the last two years.
``Prior to receiving the mandate of the good people of Oyo State to administer this state of lofty pedigree, we had developed a blueprint of how we would bring development the way of our people.
``This necessitated our drawing up a chart of our own paradigm of development which though is not totally peculiar to our state, but which is similar to that of any people seeking a bail-out from the stifling odour of their unpleasant recent history,’’ he stated.
Governor Ajimobi expressed satisfaction that his administration had largely fulfilled its mandate to the people of the state in making a difference in their environmental and individual lives, as well as in stamping its imprints positively on the sands of the state.
While saying that his government was investing in the future of the youth and in building a state that everybody would be proud of, he said that youth empowerment was also being encouraged in all ramifications, thus rustling up the can-do spirit of the youth in all the nooks and crannies of the state towards self-independence and socio-economic emancipation.
Highlights of the celebrations included match past by pupils and students of various private and public schools, non-governmental organizations, interest groups, civil society organizations and award of prizes to deserving students and schools.
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