From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari Friday in Paris, France, said the world has an opportunity to count gains of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in the last 75 years, while exploring the historic moment for building solidarity and enthroning peace.
He said this at a ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of UNESCO, noting that “Nigeria felicitates with UNESCO and remains proud of its close association with the organization since its establishment. Seventy-five years of building together a more advanced, knowledgeable and prosperous world through education, science, culture, communication and information.
“Today calls to mind the words of Federico Mayor, Director-General of UNESCO from 1987-1999 and I quote: ‘Any history begins when human beings have to draw from their knowledge of the past in order to better understand the present and look ahead to the future, when they come to realize that they must look into the facts, events and trends that have pre-figured their own era. It is only when their background and their links with the past are brought to light that the present ceases to be incomprehensible, gratuitous and meaningless.’ These are profound words, and they stand the test of time.