Thread by @lifeinarewa

The Event Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the famous and historic Arewa House is currently underway in Kaduna.
#ArewaHouseAt50.

Prof. Kabiru Bala, Vice Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, is not giving the welcome address. #ArewaHouseAt50

In his address, Prof. Kabiru Bala summarised the history of Arewa House and highlighted the key role the institution plays in aiding research and development #ArewaHouseAt50

The chairman of the occasion, former Vice President Namadi Sambo, is now giving his remarks. #ArewaHouseAt50

To watch live, please tune in to TVC, Channels or Radio Nigeria. #ArewaHouseAt50

50 years in the life of this institution calls for sober reflection on the journey so far. I am elated to chair today's event which marks a major milestone for us as a people. - Former VP Namadi #ArewaHouseAt50

I wish to thank the management of Arewa House and the Vice Chancellor of ABU, Zaria. Namadi Sambo #ArewaHouseAt50

Society requires lessons from history to understand the immediate and remote causes of today's events.

Arewa House has been a centre of national harmony and cohesion...
#ArewaHouseAt50

I wish to specifically commend the management and staff of Arewa House. Arewa House has preserved our memories over the course of 5 decades. I urge us all to continue to support the Centre in order to enable it continue to fulfil this noble goal. #ArewaHouseAt50

The Royal Father of the Day, His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Saad Abubakar is now delivering his address. #ArewaHouseAt50

Today is a day we thank Almighty Allah for His numerous blessings on us. #ArewaHouseAt50

This programme could not have come at a better time than now, and we could not have picked a better speaker than the one we have this morning, the governor of Ekiti state, the chairman of the NGF and my dear brother whom I call JKF. - Sultan of Sokoto#ArewaHouseAt50

Today is a day we thank Almighty Allah for His numerous blessings on us. #ArewaHouseAt50

Fmr VP Sambo expressed hope that the Centre will be able to carry on with its great work in nation building and documenting history. #ArewaHouseAt50

We challenge our governors to do much more in areas like education and health. Sultan of Sokoto #ArewaHouseAt50

We should not allow poverty to make us wicked, and what happened in the last couple of weeks was wickedness by some disgruntled hoodlums. #ArewaHouseAt50

The Chief Host, Gov Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State is now giving his address. #ArewaHouseAt50

I'm passionate about what constitutional framework will best enable the full potential of this country to manifest. #ArewaHouseAt50

On this day, I pay tribute to the six northern governors in 1970, who decided to establish this centre which is now a research institute of international repute. #ArewaHouseAt50

Governor of Ekiti and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi, is now delivering the anniversary lecture titled Unfinished Greatness: Towards a More Perfect Union in Nigeria #ArewaHouseAt50

I will like to start by thanking the leadership of Arewa House for the great honour of inviting me to speak at the golden jubilee of this great institution. @kfayemi #ArewaHouseAt50

I also want to congratulate you, both for this historic moment, and for the wonderful work you have done in the last fifty years - @kfayemi #ArewaHouseAt50

It is the duty of all well-meaning Nigerians to leverage progressive avenues and platforms to interrogate the issues to determine where we are on our journey to greatness, our historical missteps, achievements, and... imperatives towards a “more perfect union”. - @kfayemi

60 years may be a long time in the life of an individual. But a sixty-year-old nation, is a nation yet in its infancy. Rather than despair over the failures of the past, I would rather we look ahead with great hopes at the infinite future that lies ahead of us.. - @kfayemi

The colonialists may be culpable for creating the country that we call Nigeria, without consulting us, but the task of forging a nation out of this colonial invention, rests squarely in our hands. - @kfayemi #ArewaHouseAt50

Embedded in the notion of “unity in diversity” is a distinct awareness that sameness is not necessarily a precondition for oneness. - @kfayemi @govekiti #ArewaHouseAt50

We are Muslims, Christians, animists...we are Idoma, Tiv, Angas, Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, Kanuri, Fulani... We don’t need to apologise for these differences or hide them. The problem starts when social categorisations become the boundaries for inclusion or exclusion. - @kfayemi

In the days of the Sardauna, respect for each other’s faith was a norm. The late Ambassador Jolly Tanko Yusuf once shared a story of how the Sardauna supported them to establish the Northern Christian Association... - @kfayemi @govekiti #ArewaHouseAt50

The more diverse the cultures within a nation, the more resources they have for development and for progress. In essence, homogeneity is not necessarily a blessing and diversity needs not be a curse. - @kfayemi @govekiti #ArewaHouseAt50

"..with all of these qualities and virtues, we must also acknowledge that nation building is a slow and dynamic process. It involves experimentation and learning, trial and errors, setting and resetting."- @kfayemi @govekiti #ArewaHouseAt50

The integrity of our governance and administrative system must be continually measured in terms of its ability to deliver the greater good to the greatest number of our people. - @kfayemi @govekiti

"True greatness lies in building a country that works for everyone, regardless of the language they speak, or how they understand and worship God." - @kfayemi @GovEkiti #ArewaHouseAt50

From the language of their protests, we can see clearly that our youths feel pushed to the margins of our nation’s socio-political and economic structures. It is incumbent on us to listen to what they are saying and a lot more that they are probably not saying yet. - @kfayemi

"...the more contentious parts of our quest for a more perfect union resonates/revolves around devolution of powers – that is, reallocation of powers and resources and reconfiguring the country’s federating units." - @kfayemi @govekiti

In the context of the proposed new Federal structure, Governors’ have argued for a formula along the lines of 42% to states, 35% to the Federal and 23% to Local Governments. - @kfayemi @GovEkiti #ArewaHouseAt50

Remaking Nigeria through devolution of powers and re-organisation of the federating units is an idea whose time has come. - @kfayemi @govekiti

The African experience, among others, has shown that the quality, vision, patriotism and competence of the political leadership is critical to the transformation of African states and the possibilities of good governance. - @kfayemi #ArewaHouseAt50

Yet, important as the power of leadership by example is, until and unless we re-compose the Nigerian State and make it to derive her original consent and legitimacy from the people, then we labour in vain. - @kfayemi @GovEkiti #ArewaHouseAt50

Those of us in public office may delude ourselves, but the events of the past few weeks have brought the contradictions of the Nigerian state into a sharper focus. - @kfayemi @GovEkiti #ArewaHouseAt50

Equity, fairness and justice are imperatives of a prosperous and progressive society. Peace is definitely not the absence of conflicts within a polity but indeed the presence of social justice. - @kfayemi @GovEkiti #ArewaHouseAt50

I leave you with another famous quotation from Shehu Usmanu Dan Fodiyo, “A kingdom can endure with unbelief, but it cannot endure with injustice.” May we have the courage and the conviction to confront injustice in our country. - @kfayemi @GovEkiti #ArewaHouseAt50

Award presentation to Chief Sunday Awoniyi, and Mallam Gidado Idris by Former VP Arc. Namadi Sambo.

Mallam Tanko Yakassai now giving a goodwill message on behalf of the older generation. #ArewaHouseAt50

He commended the management of Arewa House and encouraged governors to invest more in education and Agriculture. #ArewaHouseAt50

Vote of Thanks to Popular Northern Musician Aminu Ala for volunteering to sing a song for Arewa #ArewaHouseAt50

The vote of thanks was given by Dr. Shuaibu Shehu Aliyu, Director, Arewa House. #ArewaHouseAt50