Thursday 10 October 2013

NIGERIA @ 53 ( A NEW REVOLUTION……,WE MUST NOT SURRENDER)


There is power in hope, there is power in dreams, there is power in conviction’’; avers Barrack Hussein Obama. Beneath all the differences in tribe, language, region, race, faith and religion, we are one people, one nation; we must make a new beginning and redefine our nation.

It’s a vision worth struggling for, even as we keep our hope alive, as a testament to the struggles of those who has gone before, as a legacy to generations who will come later, as a tribute to the patience and endurance of our forefathers, as an assurance that their prayers are being answered, that their works has not been in vain, and that hope is eternal.

We must join hands, interest and ideas to make a standing decision; shall we find peace unity and progress; shall we find freedom and independence, even after so many years of claimed independence or do we still want to continue suffering division and impotence?.
We may have had so much misguided leadership, more abandonment and neglect, a false sense of independence, when we as a nation cannot boast of inter-dependency amongst ourselves. But above all odds, we must make a commitment to new priorities that insures that hope will be kept alive.

We need a common ground and unity in our nation, let’s work together for peace and unity in our nation; a nation where religious crisis thrive- we need a common ground and unity. A nation where bribery and corruption thrive- we need a common ground and unity. A nation where students struggle to gain a paper degree, rather than study to develop their potentials- we need a common ground and unity. A nation where a starved graduate goes in search of a job which does not exist - we need a common ground and unity. A nation where at the hospital admitting room, somebody is dying, because of lack of good medical care, while some privileged few are being flown abroad for proper medical treatment- we need a common ground and unity.

Let’s stand today and be committed to a new direction; for almost 50 years, we’ve been led by those who view social good coming from private interest, who view public life as a means of increasing private wealth, they sacrifice the common good of the masses to satisfy the private interests and wealth of a few.

 Let’s form and believe in a government that’s a tool of our democracy in service to the public, not an instrument of aristocracy, in search of private wealth. We must emerge into a new era with a new direction; leadership must meet the present challenges of this day. What is the present challenge of this day? It is to end economic violence and misguided leadership. What change will we make? We must change direction; leadership must face the moral challenges of our day.

 And then, to our youths; you are the power, strength and future of our nation, hold your head high, we can win, let’s say no to drugs, violence, prostitution, kidnapping, bribery and corruption. We can win; wherever you are today, I challenge you to hope and dream. Don’t submerge your dreams, Robert Schuler posits,’’ don’t kill your dreams, execute it’’, never stop dreaming; don’t stop with the way things are, dream of things as they ought to be, dream even when you face pain, for love, hope and faith will help you rise above the pains. Dream of peace because war and violence is unreasonable, keep dreaming young Nigerians.
Dream of teachers who teach for life and not for a living, dream of doctors who are concerned about public health than private wealth, dream of  lawyers concerned about justice than being a judge, dream  of  preachers who are more concerned  about the pulpit and prophecy than profiting.

Nigeria!! we must never surrender to poverty, malnutrition, violence, unemployment, bribery and corruption when we have all it takes to make us a great nation. We can feed the hungry, and cloth the naked, we must never surrender, we must go forward, we must never surrender to illiteracy, we must never surrender to inequality, don’t surrender my friends. Just hope and dream ; though we cannot buy bread cheaper, we cannot buy meat cheaper, we cannot buy cloths cheaper, we cannot buy milk cheaper, we cannot even get water cheaper, we deserve to be paid well for the jobs that we do, but we must not surrender. You may say, Eze Victor Obinna don’t understand our situation, but I do, we all do, we are all in this together, even our leaders do, our bankers, doctors, civil servants and all others in this nation do, but we must not surrender; the solution is to hope and dream.

HOPE in the face of difficulty and uncertainty, let’s believe in things not seen, let’s believe in better days ahead, let’s believe we can provide job for  the jobless, home for the homeless, cloths for the naked, food for the hungered and reclaim our young people in cities across Africa. I believe we can reclaim our people from violence, we can make the right choices and meet the challenges that we face.

My brothers and friends in the north, south, east and west, in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I have a dream, it’s a dream shared by our heroes of freedom. I have a dream that one day my children will live in a nation where they will not be judged based on religion, class, language, region or race but by the content of their character.

I have a dream that one day; our nation will be transformed into an oasis of unity and justice; I have a dream that one day, the sons and daughters of Mohammed, Ibrahim, Musa, and Kayode will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood with the sons and daughters of Chukwu, Okafor, Okon, Tamuno and Okorie.
 I have a dream that one day, every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain and the crooked places will be made straight and the glory of God shall be revealed and all ethnic groups in this nation shall see it together.

This is our hope, with faith we will be able to come out of this mountain of despair, with faith we will be able to transform the discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.

Nigeria!! If you feel the same energy that I do, if you feel the same urgency that I do, if you feel the same passion that I do, if you dream the same dream and feel the same hopefulness that I do- then I have no doubt that all across the country, from the north to the south, from the west to the east, the people will rise up and embrace their dream and hope of a better nation. WITH THIS STRONG AFRICAN SPRIRT, LET’S STAND UP TO A NEW REVOLUTION.