By DEJI ABDULWAHAB

The Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, says the unveiling of its ‘#puttingnigeriafirst’ programme is aimed at promoting peaceful co-existence, governance and nation building.

Runsewe said this at the inauguration of the programme on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said that the programme also aimed at re-awakening the consciousness of Nigerians on the need to move the country forward.

The director-general, who said that the 2023 general elections and the inauguration of a new government had come and gone, appealed to Nigerians to support President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

According to him, the elections and inauguration of a new government are over and we are still talking hate speeches.

“In fact, look at what happens in south eastern part of the country, where they are flogging young children who went to school with the instruction of their parents.

“So, I felt that the time has come that we must all come and put Nigeria first. That is why we called this programme #puttingnigeriafirst and this will continue to be our theme in all our programmes this year.

“I like to appeal to all Nigerians to allow governance to take place after the elections and inauguration had been held and over.

“If anybody is aggrieved, let him go to court but we cannot continue to wait because Nigeria must move to the next level.

“That is why we organise this programme to re-awaken the consciousness of every Nigerian that the task to put Nigeria forward is the task for all irrespective of your religion and tribe,’’ he said.

Runsewe said that Nigerians must begin to put Nigeria first before anything.

“we must have a Nigeria before we have a bank, hospital, engineer, Doctor or anything. So, Nigeria must be put first,” he said.

In his remarks, Mr. Gbenga Aruleba, a media practitioner who presented a paper titled “Media and Politics” urged the media to discharge their responsibility to support the present government.

According to him, this is imperative until the court handling elections matters proves otherwise.

Also, Mrs Susan Akporiaye, a resource person, urged women to play a role in putting Nigeria first in their fields of endeavours.

Akporiaye described women as helpers, adding that women’s role in nation’s building was not to compete with men but to complement their efforts. (NAN)

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