Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has called for concerted efforts at combating violence and crimes which have of recent seized the country by the jugular.

The governor made the call in his goodwill message issued in Ibadan on Monday on the occasion of the 53rd independence anniversary of Nigeria.

The governor called on Nigerians to support the efforts of the leadership at the federal, state and local government levels at eliminating the challenges facing them as a people.

He said that he envisioned a state that was peaceful, caring and a purveyor of good life for the people as well as a state within a nation that is democratic, just and equitable in the sharing of the benefits and responsibilities of the nationhood.

``Most fundamentally, let us combat the demon of violence and crimes that is posturing as part of our clime. We must wean our country from the hands of this unwholesome tag that is a major disincentive to growth and development,’’ he said.

Although the governor noted that the country’s democratic path was not as smooth as hitherto envisaged, he, however, added that the tall walls of challenges which confronted the country at the return to democratic rule had started falling.

Sen. Ajimobi, while urging Nigerians to hold the relative peace in the country very sacred and deepen the confines of peace, said ``we can do this by living peaceably with our fellow men and women and to put Nigeria at the centre of our interpersonal relationships’’.

He, however, expressed the regret that patriotism and the spirit of nationalism were vividly missing today in the relationship between Nigeria and its citizens.

``Right now, many of our countrymen see Nigeria as one alien enterprise from which they are very distant and which has no bearing on their existence, adding that this alienation had led to the recent spate of violence that had put the country on the map of violence-ridden countries.

While congratulating the people of Oyo State on the occasion of the independence anniversary, Sen. Ajimobi acknowledged God’s benevolence in sparing their lives to witness the day.

``The past 53 years have been an admixture of experiences, fascinating and not so fascinating; encouraging and discouraging, plausible and condemnable.

``However, our resilience as a people in the face of monumental challenges has been encouraging and awesome. It is this resilience that has helped us to forge ahead, to this point of celebrating our 53rd anniversary as a people,’’ he said.