As the nation marks the 66th independence anniversary, the Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Oludaisi Elemide, has urged Nigerians to take responsibility and demonstrate accountability in their respective roles, saying the country is on the right track despite the challenges confronting it.

Rt. Hon. Elemide stated this while fielding questions from journalists ahead of the celebration of the nation's 66th independence anniversary at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

He noted that the country's journey into nationhood was generally regarded as having commenced in 1960, despite the 1914 amalgamation, and that the country had recorded both positive and negative aspects of development since independence.

The Speaker said that Nigeria was not doing badly in its journey towards nation-building, stating that although the country still had a long way to go, its overall development could be rated far above average and remained on the right path towards achieving its aspirations.

He noted that Nigerians would naturally have concerns about the pace of development, but stressed that impatience should not overshadow the progress recorded by the nation over the years.

He identified the quality of leadership and followership, as well as the inability to accept responsibility, as some of the areas requiring greater attention, positing that there was often a tendency for the masses to blame the leadership, while the leadership blamed the masses.

The Speaker therefore called on the leadership and the citizens to take responsibility for the situations they found themselves and demonstrate accountability by playing their respective roles adequately and effectively towards moving the nation forward.

Rt. Hon. Elemide expressed optimism about Nigeria’s future, stressing that there was still some considerable room for improvement.

He urged Nigerians to remain hopeful, as there was light at the end of the tunnel in the nation’s continued journey to achieving socio-economic and technological development.