konknaijaboy | On 23, May 2015

“Today is the moment that makes great feats possible, yesterday is history, thefuture scores the moment, we must work hard in the NOW such that posterity would say of this generation of Nigerians, when the moment of change came agreat band of patriots rose up and took it.” – Prof Chris Nwaokobia Jnr.Since the March 28 and the April 14, 2015 General Elections our nation has recorded about 23 Trekkers and Bikers, the young and the old alike, traversing the nation, doing unimaginable distances with glee, some in support of Buhari,some  pro  Goodluck  Jonathan  for  his  presumed  love  for  peace  ditto  the concession of defeat at the polls, and some for peaceful coexistence, unity and progress.  In  all  of  this  the  score  is  manifest;  democracy  is  the  winner  and Nigeria the victor. By this Nigerians have said in no uncertain terms that wewant to remain together and make our Fatherland great.The profound euphoria that inundates the public space makes the template fora  better  Nigeria  less  tenuous,  it  leaves  our  nation  with  great  faith  in  the oneness or so of our people. The truth is that we have more reasons to stay united than the scores that disunite us. We have shown an unrivalled bond for national affinity and consanguinity than we have of our differences. Yes we can make  the  best  of  this  halcyon  moment;  we  can  like  the  Phoenix  recreate Nigeria.A  new  national  orientation  paradigm  must  seek  inclusivity  and  genuine brotherhood  predicated  on  no  less  a  margin  than  the  development  of  the human capital, excellence must be the watch word. We must cease to permit and pardon mediocrity on the altar of the Federal Character normative.  We must  begin  a  rework  of  our  morals  and  mores  such  that  all  Nigerians  will embrace  patriotic  proclivities  and  enable  a  progressive  redefinition  of citizenship.  We  must  sediment  values  that  confer  pride  in  this  collective constituency knowing that we have got no other but Nigeria.The zoning and power sharing normative are only stop-gap measures, they are values that appear conciliatory and inclusive but in actuality they divide us and deepen our differences. The defeat of the PDP at the last General Polls and the fact that for the first time since the Nigerian Civil War we saw an ethnically divided and polarised polity is a lucid manifestation of the failure of the zoning,power sharing cum Federal Character ordinance and normative. It is a copiousminus for  debaters  who insist  on zoning and power sharing as the path to effective national integration.Thankfully with a CHANGE driven regime I’m confident that we shall begin the excavation of the needed pebbles that must unite us as one great people. I’m convinced  that  when  we  make  the  development  of  the  human capital  the major trust of governance every other thing will follow. With sound education and technological growth comes the realisation of a universe without bounds,and by Jove a nation with fewer dichotomies, bias and variegation, and such is the minimum template. When we  begin  to  see  Nigeria  as  our  major  collective;  when we begin a collective overhaul of our morality in and out of power; when service to nation becomes the narrowest permissible margin for leadership; when East, West, North  and  South  or  if  you  like  our  six  geo-political  zones  make  dedicated service  to  the  people  the  governmental  minimum;  when  making  real  the promises of democracy becomes the summum bonum; when creed and clanregresses to personal loyalties rather national mantra; and when CHANGE deals with all  Nigerians as equals then the profound voyage to our Isles of Good Hope shall have commenced.As a people we have reached that turn in history where quick fixes and stop-gap measures at enhancing national cohesion must be jettisoned. We cannot afford the luxury of un-researched response to serious national questions. The greatest threat to our nationhood is not in our differences but in the politics thereto, it is in corruption and in the corruptive demolition of our values, it is in the egocentric invocation of ethnic prejudices, it is in the devaluation of the allowable leadership minimum, and it is in the deficiency of organisational quidpro quo such that mediocrity and compromise have become the benchmark fora successful climb on the ladder of power.

We must begin a rework of the values on which we predicate our National Honours. We must remove our National Honours from the platform of political freebies. We must deepen the measure of value and price the Green-White-Green as our grandest prize. We must not only insist on political appointments that adhere to the ‘round peg in a round hole or square peg in a square hole’ normative but on appointees whose love and passion for nation is manifest and profound.

The urgency of the now is hinged on the vote for change which the Nigerian people  made  when  a  new  order  was  thumb-printed  into  time,  we  cannot overlook or undermine this reality, Nigerians are congregated at the mount of great hope where it will no longer be business as usual, anything short of this will fuel a national angst that may just fritter away the pervasive goodwill that the GMB magic enjoys. The Leaders of our great Party the APC may well takeheed of this profound urgency; we must hit the ground running and rightly so.I have chosen faith over despair; I have elected change over business as usual; I have studied the Nigerian resilience and the Nigerian brotherhood; I have more than enough reason to conclude that  it  may not yet be Uhuru, but we are getting there.  It was said that incumbents scarcely lose elections in Africa but Goodluck  Jonathan  lost.  It  was  said  that  only  a  moneybag  can  win  a Presidential election in Nigeria but GMB isn’t a moneybag. In all of this none of the chief gladiators is the winner or the loser, Nigeria is definitely the winner,so I cannot be more hopeful.

We must take the National Orientation Agency and its message to the streets;we must encourage the emergence of national corps and volunteers to whom our  national  flag  and  memorabilia  will  count  hugely.  We  must  raise  our National Anthem and the pledge to the status of our national prayer such that the Christian,  and or  the Muslim opening and closing prayer normative will cease to occupy our socio-political stage; creed should be treated as personal and  denied  its  national  vehemence,  that  way  we  can  diminish  all  political allegiance to faith, and that way our politico-social allegiance will be to Country first.

In  my  voyage  across  the  country  whilst  campaigning  for  the  high  office of President in 2011, I discovered chiefly that those who believe in this collective patrimony  and  are  hopeful  of  the  best  for  Nigeria  remain  in  massive preponderance. I won the greatest chunk of votes in my entire haul from the Northern States of Katsina, Kano, Kaduna and Sokoto, my home State of Delta

perhaps felt  that I  was too young at 40 to vie for that office, however thatexperience taught me a great lesson, one that fuels my faith in the great nationthat we can weave when the things that work littleness are made Shibbolethand those that work for greatness made prime.Countrymen  and  women,  we  cannot  continue  to  trade  blames,  we  cannotoverlook the fact that every region has its share of guilt in the national drift.We  cannot  excuse  the  collateral  damage  that  un-studied  policies  and  un-researched  cum  emotive  programmatic  has  brought  Nigeria,  what  Nigerianeeds  is  responsible  and  responsive  leadership  not  ethnic  jingoists  andreligious  fundamentalists.  What  Nigeria  needs  are  good  men  who  mustredefine our values and deepen our morals.  What Nigeria needs are leaderswho will kill corruption and give life to committed service to Fatherland. Andwhat Nigeria needs is a new regime of rectitude and patriotism.

God bless Nigeria.

Prof. Chris Nwaokobia Jnr

Director General CHANGE AMBASSADORS OF NIGERIA CAN.

Lawyer, Writer &Humanist.

46 Adegoke Street, off Masha Road, Surulere, Lagos.

Email: chrisnwaokobiajnr@gmail.com

Tel: 08023361983, 08038604312, 08173958013, 08056359127.

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