Hello friends! It's the dawn of a new day in our nation, Nigeria. Today marks another milestone in the history of Democracy in our nation and indeed, Africa as we swear in a new democratically elected President in the person of Rtd Gen. Muhammad Buhari.
We as the citizen wished for a change in governance and it seems that wish became a reality today. However, on this session on #ListenUp, Toye Sobande took us down memory lane in the history of our nation before enumerating the kind of CHANGE we really need in Nigeria.
This is a must-read for every patriotic Nigerian. #ReadRestRelaxAndReflect on the compiled tweets even as we begin the process of healing and nation building. God bless Nigeria!
1. Every Nigerian has an idea of what we should do to change Nigeria. Yet Nigerians wonder why Nigeria is not really changing. #ListenUp
2. Many months before the Nigerian 2015 Elections, I listened to a foreign media report stating that the average Nigerian is corrupt. #ListenUp
3. The Nigerian elite don't care. The leaders steal from the people. Everything is falling apart & nobody is doing anything about it. #ListenUp
4. Corruption is endemic, citizens are disenfranchised, greed & fraud have profoundly impacted our nation for years. #ListenUp
5. All these has resulted in a country that is operating well below its full potential in virtually every area of life. #ListenUp
6. There is no doubt that these are valid complaints about Nigeria and Nigerians. #ListenUp
7. Nigerians can provide a litany of opinions about what's wrong with the country & what its problems are. #ListenUp
8. Indeed, analyzing the Nigerian problems has become something of a national sport. #ListenUp
9. However, if analyzing our problems led to a solution, Nigeria's issues would have been solved a long time ago. #ListenUp
10. Nigeria's transformation is deeper than changing leadership, building new roads, creating new policies or even having consistent power. #ListenUp
11. As we inaugurate the Buhari led government, we are hopeful that a major social & political transformation will happen soon. #ListenUp
12. Despite that I insist that it will take more than a new government for Nigeria to experience any meaningful Change. #ListenUp
13. No doubt we can't deny that there are loads of serious unresolved issues that Nigeria is contending with. #ListenUp
14. As a nation we are still contending with many of the issues raised by the Late Chief Ojukwu before the Civil War. #ListenUp
15. These issues have been with us way back in 1951 when we began intense negotiations for our Independence as a Nation. #ListenUp
16. It was these same issues that led to the Kano Riots of 1953 which strained the relationship between the North & South. #ListenUp
14. These issues played out in the 1962 crisis in the Western Region which led to the Incarceration of Chief Awolowo in 1963. #ListenUp
15. It further sparked up violence in the Western Region tagged "Operation Wetie" in 1965. Which earned the region the name "Wild Wild West" #ListenUp
16. As these issues deepens & we experienced one political crisis to the other, Major Kaduna Nzeogwu led the 1st military coup d'état in 1966 #ListenUp
17. The partial success & ultimate failure of that coup rest on these issues. It led to the death of top politicians from the North & West & none from the East. #ListenUp
18. These issue inspired a counter coup by young officers from the North, which led to the assassination of General Aguiyi-Ironsi along with Brigadier General Adekunle Fajuyi. #ListenUp
19. These issues were responsible for the dissension among military men over who should succeed the slain Aguiyi-Ironsi. #ListenUp
20. While Col. Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the military governor of Eastern Nigeria, insisted the most senior military officer #ListenUp
21. Brigadier-General Babafemi Ogundipe, be installed as head of state, Northern officers refused. #ListenUp
22. Hence, General Ogundipe offered to be posted out of Nigeria as an ambassador. #ListenUp
23. After days of contention, Northern officers resolved to install Yakubu Gowon as Nigeria's 2nd military head of state after Aguiyi-Ironsi. #ListenUp
24. Gowon emerged the youngest ruler of Nigeria, whether military or civilian, till date. He became head of state as a bachelor. #ListenUp
25. And then the issues won't go away, the civil war began in 1967, better known as the Biafran war. #ListenUp
26. The war represented the aspirations of the people of Eastern Nigeria. #ListenUp
27. Its leadership felt they could no longer coexist with the Northern-dominated federal government. #Listen Up
28. The war resulted from ethnic, political, religious & economic tensions which preceded the independence in 1960. #ListenUp
29. The Immediate causes of the war in 1967 remains with us till date. #ListenUp
30. The control over the Production of Oil in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria also played a strategic role in the war. #ListenUp
31. After the war, Gowon announced a 9 point agenda for Nigeria's return to civil rule, promising to hand over power in 1976.#ListenUp
32. Gowon dampened the nation's spirit, saying the proposed 1976 handover of power was no longer feasible. #ListenUp
33. From then on, Nigeria continually experienced one counter-coup to another till 1979 when Obasanjo handed over to Shagari. #Listen Up
34. As these issues repeatedly played out during the coup & counter-coup.The Politicians amplified it without caution in 1979-1983 #ListenUp
35. In 1980, Maitatsine religious crisis broke out in several parts of the North, resulting in wanton destruction of lives. #ListenUp
36. The riot in Kano alone resulted in the death of over 4,177 people. #ListenUp
37. The crisis was orchestrated by a religious extremist, Mohammed Marwa Maitatsine, a Camerounian. #ListenUp
38. He was deported to Cameroun by the Nigerian government over acts of religious extremism but found his way back to the country. #ListenUp
39. He was killed in one of the riots in Kano. Maitatsine riot was believed to be the worst religious crisis in the North. #ListenUp
40. Some of those issues played out during the 1993 Presidential Elections that saw the elections annulled. #ListenUp
41. Yet these issues rare it's ugly head during the 2015 elections and remains unresolved after 54 years of independence. #ListenUp
42. The critical issues remains the suspicion and mistrust amongst the different ethnic groups & religious groups. #ListenUp
43. Each religious & ethnic group practically lives in fear of political & economic domination by the other. #ListenUp
44. You will always see this mistrust & suspicion play out during the Elections & Sports. #ListenUp
45. This mistrust & suspicion plays out in our inter-tribal marriages, resource allocation & control. #ListenUp
46. Our ministerial & other political appointments reflects this mistrust and suspicion amongst every tribe & religion. #ListenUp
47. This mistrust & suspicion has led to the election/appointment of several incompetent rulers in this Nation. #ListenUp
48. Our national policies & strategies has been hampered severally as a result of this mistrust & suspicion. #ListenUp
49. Even our nation's progress, development prosperity has been scuttled by mistrust and suspicion. #ListenUp
50. Nothing in this country is earned by merit & competence simply because of the mistrust amongst us. #ListenUp
51. Little wonder we lack the capacity for a clear vision & direction for this country, as we are blinded by mistrust. #ListenUp
52. Mistrust breeds Hatred & Bitterness; where there is hatred there can be no capacity for vision. #ListenUp
53. Vision only thrives in an atmosphere of Unconditional Love. Love for fellow human beings & for the Country. #ListenUp
54. The seed of hatred & bitterness is often passed from one generation of Nigerian Parent to another. #ListenUp
55. Some Nigeria parents raise bitter & hateful children, rather than envision them to love other Nigerians. #ListenUp
56. Don't go too far the mistrust exists in our Churches. We have Yoruba Christians different from Igbo Christians. #ListenUp
57. We have the Orthodox Christians different from the Pentecostal Christians. #ListenUp
58. We have Northern Muslims with a different belief system from the Southern Muslims. #ListenUp
58. Even amongst the Yorubas of same origin, there is mistrust. Between the Ijebus & Ekiti people. #ListenUp
59. That one thing we need to change in this country is our Mistrust & Suspicion for one another. #ListenUp
60. Trust is the foundation of any successful, healthy, thriving relationship amongst any people. #ListenUp
61. Without trust the leadership of any dynamic nation like ours is doomed. #ListenUp
62. There must be trust between the leadership and citizen of a nation, for there to be progress. #ListenUp
63. Without Trust Creativity is stifled, innovation grinds to a halt, & reasoned risk-taking is forsaken. #ListenUp
64. With trust, all things are possible. #ListenUp
65. With trust productivity, development & ingenuity flourish. Commitment, loyalty, & excellence become our reality. #ListenUp
66. Trust has been called the "magic" ingredient of human life. #ListenUp
67. Trust acts as the bonding agent that keeps everything together as well as the lubricant that keeps things moving smoothly. #ListenUp
68. Stephen Covey says while high trust won't necessarily rescue a poor strategy, low trust will almost always derail a good one. #ListenUp
69. Trust amongst the different ethnic & religious groups in Nigeria is essential to our success as a nation. #ListenUp
70. But trust doesn't come easy and it doesn't happen by accident. #ListenUp
71. The question is can we trust the Buhari/Osinbajo led government if our hopes are deferred ? #ListenUp
72. Our old defunct way must be replaced with a new way, based on collaboration amongst all citizens. #ListenUp
73. Lets focus on the greater good & bottom-up, citizen oriented approach to leadership that will propel the country to greatness #ListenUp
74. The real wealth of a country lies in its people and people is one resource that Nigeria has in abundance. #ListenUp
75. The real transformation lies in the hearts & minds of every Nigerian, regardless of the tribe or religion. #ListenUp
76. Lee Kuan Yew's transformation of Singapore to the most developed nation in Asia was based on his ability to unite his people #ListenUp
77. He built in them a sense of trust & pride in themselves as the ones to make the difference for their country. #ListenUp
78. Singapore provides a good example for Nigerians to take the focus off the country's problems. #ListenUp
79. Lets start talking about & working towards the country's possibilities. #ListenUp
80. It is time to start looking at Nigeria's gifts rather than its deficiencies. #ListenUp
81. It's about what can be done, what works, what is possible & what resources are available right now. #ListenUp
82. The real wealth of a country lies in its people & people is one resource that Nigeria has in abundance. #ListenUp
83. It is with the people, that Nigeria's real promise for the future lies. #ListenUp
84. Lee Kuan Yew has often said that the country's most valuable resource is its people & their work ethic. #ListenUp
85. Ironically, what Nigeria has in abundance is a disempowered & disenfranchised people #ListenUp
86. People who are despondent, resigned and cynical about their country. #ListenUp
87. This continued focus on problems has led many Nigerians into what psychologist Martin Seligman calls "learned helplessness." #ListenUp
88. This is a sense of despondency & resignation whereby people come to relate to themselves as victims #ListenUp
89. They are locked into a mindset in which they are unable to make any difference or have any control. #ListenUp
90. In that state, the situation becomes self-fulfilling, apathetic citizens do not take the actions needed to make a difference #ListenUp
91. This allows those who do not have the country's best interests at heart to continue doing business as usual #ListenUp
92. And thereby reinforcing the powerlessness felt by the average person. #ListenUp
93. Hope for a better life awakens people to the opportunities, resources and openings for action #ListenUp
94. Which can be hidden from view when we are feeling helpless. #ListenUp
95. People are awakened to the knowledge that each of us must take personal responsibility for having our communities work. #ListenUp
96. Empowered people take empowered actions. Focusing on problems has never been proven to empower anybody. #ListenUp
97. It's now time for all of Nigerians to commit to looking at what is possible for Nigeria #ListenUp
98. We need to envision her future & to commit to working towards that beyond our tribe or religion. #ListenUp
99. We need to change our attitude towards fellow human beings. we need to value the life of a Nigerian & determine its worth. #ListenUp
100. We need our Leaders to genuinely love, care & be sensitive to the people they govern at all times. #ListenUp
101. Government policies & economic systems may fail but a leader who genuinely loves his people will never fail. #ListenUp
No comments:
Post a Comment