As Nigerians warm up for the nation 50th anniversary celebration, elder statesman and the Presidential candidate of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) in the botched 1993 election, Alhaji Bashir Tofa has called for prayers and sober reflection rather than spending huge resources to celebrate.

In an exclusive interview with Channels Television in Kano, northern Nigeria, Alhaji Tofa said Nigeria's progress in the last five decades falls short of expectations given the nation's huge natural endowment.

He described as "incongruous" a situation where the nation is rich while its people are poor, stressing the need for governance that is anchored on clear vision and transparency.
He also denied media report of political animosity between him and the Kano State Governor, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau. The Presidential aspirant who spoke on a number of national issues emphasised he was offering himself for election into the highest office in the land in order to launch the country on the path of rapid growth and development.