Abuja — President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua yesterday said Nigeria requires great sacrifices, tightening of belts and innovations combined with effective leadership in order to use the vicissitudes of the global economic meltdown to redirect and reintegrate the nation's economy.

President Yar'Adua said this at the 10th National Programme of Commemoration of the death of his late brother, Major General Shehu Musa Yar'Adua at the Yar'Adua Centre Abuja, an occasion which former minister of works, Chief Tony Anenih turned to an avenue for canvassing a second term for Yar'Adua in the coming 2011 election.

Yar'Adua told the large gathering of political, business and diplomatic elite that with the challenges the world is faced with today, Nigeria should "draw inspiration from the ideals for which Shehu Yar'Adua lived and died - courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable difficulties, loyalty, love, diligence, and abiding faith in God and country."

He said that rather than spurn isolationist tendencies, the global crisis calls for more robust partnership between Africa and its development partners.

"The stark realities of globalisation and the unfolding global economic crisis facing the world today call for clear-headed courageous, visionary and disciplined leadership. This is the essence of the challenge to the political leadership not only in Nigeria but on our continent today. We cannot run away from the centrality of good governance to the realisation of our vision of a stable secure and prosperous Africa to the extent that current economic engagements are technology and knowledge driven. The degree of Africa 's competitiveness in the global marketplace will be determined in the long run by the quality of human capital which the continent can mobilise.

"Our administration's prioritisation of human capital development and one of the major pillars of the development agenda for Nigeria stems from our recognition of the fact that our human capital fully harnessed, effectively nurtured and maximally utilised affords us the requisite competitive advantage in facing up to the new opportunities that challenges presented by the global economy today.

"While acknowledging the fact that the manifestation of the global economic downturn has altered the variables, I dare avow that rather than spurn isolationist tendencies, the times call for even more robust partnerships between Africa and our development partners. At the same time, we also must look inwards and evolve ways and means of effectively unleashing the creative and productive energies of our people toward the positive transformation of our country and African continent in general.," he said.

While restating that the challenges of the global economic meltdown are real, the President called on Nigerians to take advantage of it and the opportunities it presented "rather than be defeated by the problems it creates."

Anenih used the occasion to seek divine assistance for the re-election of Yar'Adua in 2011.

Anenih had, in his opening prayers, specifically, asked God to grant the President good health to complete his current term and also deliver a second term to Yar'Adua.

In his remark at the occasion, Yar'Adua's predecessor,, Olusegun Obasanjo, who cracked several jokes while making his speech, said the late Yar'Adua who he described as a colleague "and brother left a legacy that everybody should emulate".

Obasanjo also threw jibes at Anenih, when he jocularly said during his closing prayers that he did not know that the former Board of Trustee (BOT) Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was also a pastor.

He said: "I have always known you (Anenih) to be a politician and I don't know you to be a pastor."

Although President Yar'Adua did not make any comment on the controversial prayers by Anenih, Obasanjo added that things were indeed changing in the country if Anenih could pray the way he did.

The occasion also provided opportunity for Obasanjo and his former deputy, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to consolidate their recent reconciliation when they heartily hugged one another.

The President of MacArthur Foundation, Dr. Jonathan Fanton, who used the occasion to x-ray the state of the Nigerian nation, said there is cause for hope that Nigeria would emerge a strong nation as it has reached a "point of extraordinary promise."

Fanton, who was the guest lecturer at the commemoration programme, said despite the news of "the strife in the Niger Delta, examples of corruption and imperfections in the electoral process", "the signs are encouraging: back to back elected civilian leaders, prospective educational reforms, an increasingly independent judiciary and economic gains."

"Nigeria is growing. Foreign reserves are up, debts have been cancelled, GDP is rising and the country is more fiscally sound than it has been in decades. Second, Nigeria is developing. Infrastructure is improving, telephone coverage has expanded as has primary school enrolment, the number of universities has tripled over the past decade, key health indicators such as the rate of HIV/AIDS are moving in the right direction," he said.

He said "Nigeria is strengthening the rule of law. Through aggressive enforcement, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has restored the credibility of Nigerian-manufactured drugs. MacArthur is working with the CLEEN Foundation, the Network for Police Reform and Access to Justice to improve Police performance. And there has been concerted action against corruption through determined leadership, stronger laws and help from the private sector. Finally, Nigeria is playing the role of international leader. Last decade, your government helped bring an end to the bloody civil war in Sierra Leone and peace to Liberia.

"More recently, your diplomats worked to resolve crisis in Togo, Cote d'Ivoire and Sao Tome & Principe. Nigeria continues to lead UN and AU peace operations," he said.

Chronicling the MacArthur Foundation's partnership with some select Nigerian universities, Fanton said that studies have shown "a direct link between improvements in higher education and a rise in national prosperity. Such gains are essential to help this country harness its most valuable asset: knowledge, a source of energy found not in Nigeria's soil, but in its people."

Calling on the operators in the Nigerian education sector "to cultivate in young people a capacity for critical thinking, a comfort with complexity and a commitment to civility. These qualities are essential to the democratic process and a bulwark against closed ideologues of all kinds."

Among others who attended the ceremony were President of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete (represented by former President of Tanzania, Mr. Benjamin Mkapa), Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, Senate President, Senator David Mark, Obasanjo, Abubakar, members of the National Assembly, Ministers and members of the diplomatic community.

The occasion also had in attendance friends and political associates of the Yar'Áduas including the governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, former minister of Agriculture, Alhaji Adamu Bello as well as the Governor of Katsina State, Alhaji Ibrahim Shema.

Many invited guests were locked out because President Yar'Adua arrived at exactly 10.00am, the time the programme was to start. Then, security operatives locked the outer gate and asked all the invited guests who were late to leave. Among those turned away were a convoy of members of the executives of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by its national chairman, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor; former Minister of Communications and Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi; former Minister of Finance, Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, members of the National Assembly, top politicians and diplomats among others.