Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has said that Nigeria will surmount all  odds on its road to nationhood.Atiku made the declaration in a tribute to Mr. Uti Nwachukwu, winner of the Big Brother All Stars reality TV show, which ended on Sunday in Johannesburg, South .

Atiku while congratulating Uti for coming tops in the continental TV reality competition, urged Nigerians, especially the young to emulate his patriotism. He said Uti’s victory against all odds including the tragedy of the death of his father represents the ability of our nation and its peoples to surmount challenges on the march to a greater Nigeria.

 A statement by the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation in Abuja yesterday quoted the former Vice President and presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as recommending Uti’s passion to Nigerians, especially the young in his Facebook page.“I’m proud to identify myself with Mr. Uti Nwachukwu, the Nigerian winner of the groundbreaking Big Brother All Stars competition that climaxed on Sunday in Johannesburg, South Africa. Against all odds, including the tragedy of the passing on of his father, the young man persevered to clinch the trophy,” Atiku said.

He said Uti’s victory was indeed a victory for Nigeria and the continent, which are in the throes of a search for unity in diversity.

“In winning the $200,000 prize money of the reality TV programme that pitched 14 contestants from 14 different countries on the African continent, Mr. Nwachukwu displayed values that are uniquely Nigerian and that have stood our country and its peoples out.“His Nigerianess shown throughout the 91 days that the young men and women were sequestered in Big Brother House that became a metaphor for the envisaged unity even in diversity in Nigeria and on the continent.“There could not have been a better opportunity at rebranding our dear country as that exemplified by Uti. Here I’m still singing long after the curtain had  been drawn on the event,” he said.