By Clifford Agugoesi, Editor-in-Chief

HRM, Mohammed Sanni Haliru Dantoro , Kitoro IV(Mai Borgu) in his capacity as Patron of the Lagos Motor Show(LMS), was billed to grace the occasion on Friday, February 16, but missed it for parallel engagements in Lagos, but showed up the following day and largely compensated for this by his spirited royal message, laden with appeals to critical stakeholders of the Nigerian Project to synergise to make Nigeria  great again.

HRM, Dantoro’s address is reproduced below:

1. I feel honoured to have been invited to grace this occasion.  Engr Gbenga Adebayo , let me tell you a bit about him: I came to know him through my late father, he was so close to him.  My late father seemed to have seen something unique in him.  Each time he visited, we were told a very important personality was visiting Borgu and we all had to be in the palace to receive him from Lagos.  When he came in, the reception our father gave to him was just like receiving a governor or President of the country.  This showed the great respect my late father had for him as  a young man, son of our late father, because he regarded him as his son.  For him  to have given him that recognition  means he might have seen something in him. So today, what that man had seen in him is what we are celebrating today.
2. And immediately I ascended the throne, after his demise, he was one of the closest persons to me. He kept his promise and I also hold him in trust for  my late father. And I told him that whatever you are doing today, as long as I remain alive, please, I am part of you. Whatever you are going to do be sure that you let me know about it; if I will attend personally,  that I would try my best to ensure that I attend personally.  That is the reason why today I am here.  I was supposed to be here yesterday, but unfortunately, there was some clash, yesterday was a Friday,  and I had to go to Mosque.  I have to apologise for not being here yesterday .  So to those of you that expected me yesterday, I apologise.  Instead of him thanking you, I am supposed  to be the one thanking all of you. For those of you who have found time to come for this occasion, on behalf of him,  I say thank you to all of you. 
3. Let me use this opportunity to say a few words about Nigeria and Nigerians.  I know we are all going through hard times.   But there is nothing that happens without the knowledge of God.  If all of us commit ourselves to our dear country, this country will be much better for all of us.  And this is exactly what Engr. Gbenga Adebayo is doing.  Irrespective of the challenges, he is also contributing his quota to the development of Nigeria.  The Electric Car Shows…these are something we see outside the country, but if we see such things coming into our country, it is such a great thing. Last year, I was in USA, Atlanta.  And I met with some Nigerians who had made up their minds they were not coming back to this country.   They told me so.  But after sitting with them, discussed with them, that wherever we were, home was the best, they felt  they would have to look at Nigeria again, think of Nigeria and come to Nigeria to contribute their own quota, just as Dr  Dapo Akanbi has done.  And after our discussion, they saw the reason why they should come together to contribute their quota to the development of Nigeria.  The President cannot do it alone.  Everyone in government cannot do it alone. We need ourselves, we need our collective resolve  to make Nigeria great, again!
4. Some of these things are cars of the past but today, history is being made because some people are seeing this for the first time.  And I am sure they are happy.  A society that has no history is not a society.  Engr Gbenga, for what you have done today, may God  Almighty Allah, reward you for this. 
5. Let me also use this opportunity to call on Nigerians to be patient because of the increasing hardship we are all facing, security challenges, economic challenges, all we need to do is to pray for our leaders because God in one way or the other placed them in those positions.  All we need for them is prayers.  If we curse them it will surely come down.  We should pray for God to give them the ability to do their best for this country.    If God answers our prayers, it will come down to all of us.  All we need is prayers for this country.  Prayers for our leaders-the President, our Governors, our Ministers, our House members, for God to direct them .. If things are okay, all of us will benefit.  If it is bad, we all suffer it and mostly it is the masses that suffer because whatever they say the rich will still have their way.  It is not also by demonstrations that we solve the problems, because if they go on demonstrations, at the end of the day, they still suffer it.  But if we appeal to the leadership conscience, they see what Nigerians are going through, from the President down to whoever is responsible to see what Nigerians are going through. To have a feeling  of the masses  that we all look happy in our country. 
6. The Leaders of the various Labour Unions are also called upon to face the problems-demonstrations in any form will not solve the problem. But please, give government the opportunity to discuss and come up with better solutions so that Nigeria and Nigerians will not suffer.  If everybody sits at home and do nothing,  because they want to demonstrate, at the end of the day, what are we going to achieve?  It is not only the workers in the civil service what of those go have no jobs again? Where do they go? 
7. Also I will call on the government to not only see traditional institutions as a tool during campaigns  The traditional institution represents the entire community.  In terms of security challenges, the institution is key, in terms of family challenges, the institution is key.  Therefore, it shouldn’t  be during elections that that we are recognized, it should be throughout before, during and after elections. We must sit together and address the challenges of our people. We as an institution are supposed to be supportive to government and we are also supposed to be representing  our people. So therefore, it should be a collective responsibility so that all of us will ensure that our people have a new thinking. 
8. For the youths, this government has also tried to bring youths to government. But youths also have to understand that they  arerepresenting their people, their constituents.  In whatever they do in office, reflect firstly the other youths.  If they are given positions of responsibility, they should see it as service to the nation and not a way of enriching themselves… The President means well for the country, I believe, and I know, but he alone cannot do it.  We have to support him.  Those he has appointed into office have to have the feelings of Nigerians in the discharge of their responsibilities.  Let them look at the oaths they have taken when given these appointments so that the President can be proud in making such appointments.  The governors are also to be supported in their states so that at the end of the day it will be better for all of us.   
9. We have security challenges; we need to all come together so that we see it as our responsibility  to expose those we think don’t mean well for the country and to also ensure that we all carry ourselves together.  So once again, let me use this opportunity again to thank those who have attended this occasion and supported the Lagos Motor Show .  I pray that Almighty God Allah  take each and everyone of us back to our destinations, safely.