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The federal
government has urged the organizers of this year’s Argungu Fishing
Festival-Golden Jubilee Unity Motor Rally to directly reach out to car
manufacturers for a successful hosting of the event.

The Vice President,
Namadi Sambo, disclosed this at a de-briefing session with the
organizers of the rally at the State House in Abuja yesterday.

He commended the
initiative of the organizers as a good one, adding that the event will
not only further bolster the celebrations but will provide an “avenue
for motor vehicle manufacturers, like Peugeot Automobile Nigeria
Limited, to showcase the durability, stability and ruggedness of their
vehicles to prospective Nigerian buyers.” He, therefore, enjoined the
organizers to source for competent personnel to see to the successful
hosting of the occasion. Mr Sambo assured the organizers that he will
use his close contact with the state governors to reach out to them, to
ensure they fully participate in the programme.

He advised them to
also liaise with the office of the Secretary to the Government of the
Federation, the office of the Director-General of the Nigeria@50
celebrations, for its inclusion in the programmes.

Earlier, the Deputy
Governor of Kebbi State, the hosting state of the Argungu fishing
festival, and Chairman of the Unity Motor Rally, Ibrahim Aliyu,
disclosed that the special motor rally is part of the contributions of
Kebbi State, in collaboration with Anambra, Bauchi, Ogun and Sokoto
States and in conjunction with Benue, Enugu, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina,
Kogi, Nassarawa, Niger, Ondo, Oyo, Plateau, Zamfara and the Federal
Capital Territory, to celebrate the occasion of Nigeria’s 50 years of
independence.

Founding fathers

He said the rally
was also to commemorate four of Nigeria’s founding fathers; the
Sardauna of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo and
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. To this end, he said the flag-off centres of
the rally have been chosen “to be the ancestral home states of these
fallen heroes, namely, Sokoto, Bauchi, Anambra and Ogun, adding that
the four teams were named after them as a mark of appreciation for
their earlier contributions to the nation.

Mr Aliyu lamented
the inadequate response for sponsorship from the private sector, which
he adduced to “the media misinformation on the amount purported to have
been released for the golden jubilee celebrations by the federal
government”.

He, therefore,
appealed to the federal government for funding support and donation of
40 motor vehicles. He used the occasion to urge the Vice President to
flag-off the second leg of the event. He also told the VP that the
two-leg rally, which will be simultaneously flagged off on October 1 at
the four centres, will transverse the 36 states of the federation, with
the first leg terminating at the FCT, and the second leg, which will
start from Abuja, will end at Argungu, Kebbi State on October 8, 2010.

The group also
said, as a mark of respect to late President, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, the
Sardauna team will perform a special rally to Katsina, the home state
of the late president, commencing from Sokoto.

Also present at the occasion were the Deputy Governors of Niger and
Sokoto States, Ahmed Musa Ibeto and Mukhtari Shagari, the
Director-General of Nigeria@50 Celebrations, B. K. Kaigama, other top
federal and state government functionaries and entrepreneurs from the
private sector.