President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday led top government officials and diplomats to observe a low-key, but colourful 63rd Independence Anniversary at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
It was the first independence anniversary celebrated by the Commander-in-Chief.
The day was marked with a presidential broadcast to Nigerians at 7:00am, the change of guards/cutting of cake/release of pigeons at Aso Villa by mid-morning and a church service at the Christian Ecumenical Centre in FCT Central Business District.
The mid-morning event took off with symbolic military parade and entertainment by military and civilian troupes.
President Tinubu was ushered into the Forecourt, the venue of the event, at exactly 10:15am by a 14-man Presidential Pipers dressed in Scottish attire.
He took the national salute, after which he inspected the guards on parade mounted by the members of the Presidential guards.
President Tinubu, who was decked in a traditional agbada in the national colours of green and white, signed the anniversary register, cut the cake, and released white pigeons into the air.
Another significant event of the day was the ceremonial Change of Guards, which is regarded as the symbolic hand over of state’s control from the colonial British authorities to indigenous rulers.
At the ceremony were Vice President Kashim Shettima; Senate President Godswill Akpabio; House of Representatives Speaker Abbas Tajudeen; the Chief Justice of the Federation, Olukayode Ariwoola; ministers, and some National Assembly members.
There were also numerous diplomats from various countries, including those of the United Kingdom (UK), Morocco, India, Turkey, Burundi, Ireland, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Argentina, Poland, South Africa, and Kenya.
The Forecourt event replaced the regular full military parade, drills and other sundry entertainments, which used to hold at the popular Eagle Square in Abuja.
Since 1st of October, 2010 when the anniversary celebration was disrupted by bomb blasts at the Eagle Square, the former President, Goodluck Jonathan, marked all subsequent anniversaries under his administration in the Forecourt at the Presidential Villa.
However, former President Muhammadu Buhari broke the jinx by marking the 58th anniversary at the Eagles Square.