_Rauf Kazeem Isaac (Human Rights Activist), Lagos State Cordinator of Nigerian Youths' Rights Association (NYRA)_ October 01, 2016 at 12:00 am in Letters Facebook•|Twitter|SMS|WhatsApp - @NYRA2016
_A Speech Delivered at NYRA's Conference, Lagos Chapter on 1st October, 2016_
Readers, don't mind me, I would have publish this article early hours of today, but I need to get some facts and figures right beside, the speech must have been spoken before the broadcast
The hoisting of the Green, White, Green flag on October 1, 1960 symbolically marked Nigeria's attainment of independence. And today, we are celebrating Nigeria National Independence.
Uhmmmm....
*Celebration?*
Imagine, the whole 36 states of Federal Republic of Nigeria were celebrating this day, I witnessed on after NYRA's conference, Ogun State Precisely, but comments reserved.
_What are they/we even ecelebrating?_
*I would have listed out 56 things Nigeria is celebrating today, but it's a shame* but time and ink won't permit me, I'll only list few.....
1. We are celebrating Inequality
2. We are celebrating Injustice
3. We are celebrating Budget Padding
4. We are celebrating Kidnapping
5. We are celebrating Oppressive
6. We are celebrating Economic Recession
7. We are celebrating Educational Backturn
8. We are celebrating Massive Hungerbeat
9. We are celebrating Inflation
10. We are celebrating ASUU and ASUP Strike
11. We are celebrating Boko Haram
12. We are celebrating Fuel Scarcity
13. We are celebrating Bad Road
14. We are celebrating Poor Electricity
15. We are celebrating Unemployment
16. We are celebrating Insecurity
17. We are celebrating Megalomania.
18. We are celebrating Funali Heardmen
19. We are celebrating Pipeline Blasting
20. We are celebrating Slavery and Victimization
21. We are celebrating corruption
22. We are celebrating Bad leadership
23. We are celebrating Outrigth mismanagement
24. We are celebrating Unfair and rigged election
25. We are celebrating Nepotism, Tribalism?
_among others...And you call it Independence Day?!_
Upon the announcement at midnight of September 30, 1960 by Sir Emmanuel Aghanjuebitsi Ewetan Omatsola, OON, an ace broadcaster and radio commentator who died 2013 at the age of 83 that "Nigeria is a free, sovereign nation", many then had thought it was the beginning of good things to come for the country.
Fifty-six years down the line, we cannot beat our chests and say we are where we should be as a nation, especially when one considers the abundance of natural and human resources Nigeria is blessed with.
Nigeria is like a man who has everything and lacks nothing, yet, he is still seen to be suffering and in serious pains. Corruption, bad leadership and outright mismanagement of our God-given wealth have kept us crawling, even though we have since been released from the clutches of colonialism through the actualization of independence. We have become more like a crawling giant.
*At 56? Nigerians not yet in promised land?*
If a country's greatness is determined by the promises and rhetorical prowess of its leaders, Nigeria of course would have become one of the most powerful and economic vibrant nation. Since 1960 the agenda to transform the country into a developed nation has never been lacking.
The pledge and desire to make Nigeria a formidable force to be respected in international community by every Commander-in-chief can never be overemphasized. Every inauguration of new President presents a wind of hope across the length and breadth of the country. But after a while the national interest becomes optional and citizens betrayed as the leader in charge usually blazes through a solo path of self-enrichment and compensation of cronies. As a result Nigerians have been placed in a permanent state of expectations.
Nigerian as a country is blessed with abundant human and natural resources. It is no longer news that Nigerian is the most populous black nation and one of the largest exporters of petroleum on earth. Ironically, there is no gainsaying to state that in spite of these natural gifts, Nigerians are still suffering from endemic poverty, epileptic power supply, dilapidated infrastructure, ethno-religious and resource control crisis.
In essence Nigeria's problem is not paucity of resources, but rather the inability of successive governments to convert the windfalls into public good.
Some school of thought relates poverty with large population and therefore blames population growth in Nigeria as a major setback to human and economic development whereas China the largest populated country is indisputably the fastest growing economy in the world.
In as much as we recognize the efforts and sacrifices of our leaders to get things done the right way, it is however pertinent to state categorically that apart from natural disasters and war, the major causes of poverty and underdevelopment are bad governance, corruption, injustice, mismanagement and lack of diversification.
Just as a deaf person needs no warning at a troubled market, every Nigerian knows without recourse to economic indicator that hard times are here. However, since a day is not criticized until nightfall, there could be hope of a better and prosperous Nigeria if government should guarantee observable progressive difference in social, judicial and political setting.
It is also expected that government should reduce unemployment and inequality, create conducive political space to accommodate eligible Nigerians without regard to their creed, tribe and party affiliation.
While we commend government on relative security and the courage to declare war against corruption, it should also declare state of emergency on food security and fight corruption without any trace of vendetta or favour. Another challenge before the government of Nigeria and the people is that the world attention is still on the fate of the Chibok Girls (I am yet to conclude that this is a SCAM) and the Internally Displaced Person (IDPs).
But wait.....
I said wait....
Let me call your attention...
*The constitution outrightly says, at 18, you can vote and be voted for?! Why then are the youth neglected and deprived?* Should be say self interest, covetousness? Whatever!
We, some Intellectual Youths, Vibrant Youths, Human Rights Activists has come up with a movement name *"NIGERIAN YOUTHS: RIGHTS ASSOCIATION - NYRA"*
What is NYRA for?
Do you want to know?
Then click on this link »»» https://nyransblog.wordpress.com/about-us/
Now, do you wish to join us?
If so, send a request to any of these contacts to join the whatsapp group
1. Prof Samuel (National Leader) - +234 806 815 5490
Eb
2. Comrade Josh (Interim President) - +234 903 454 3184
3. Comrade Tope (Acting General Secretary) - +234 816 630 9787
4. Comrade Rauf (Lagos State Coordinator) - +234 813 138 8834
Follow NYRA on twitter: @NYRA2016
All these problems of Nigeria I outlined started from the very first coup when the military left their constitutional responsibility to take up new responsibilities they were ill-prepared for. They came with the excuse of restoring peace and curtailing corruption and ended up creating further unrest and corruption.
Today, our 'elected' leaders in most cases are still tolling the path set by those military henchmen that ran Nigeria like their family business.
To them, some of them have sold your birthright and solving the problems of the citizens who see them as small god and to them, they think there is no longer a priority, Illiteracy and lack of knowledge and understanding of our civil rights which would have helped give the weak ones more boost to continue treating themselves like say... They are completely ignorant of it, isn't that a shame?....
Nigerians the way they like and nobody says anything about it. For people we claim we 'voted' them into power, the indiscriminate use of sirens and abuse of our rights by using security men to chase us from their way tells a very different story. That, is just a tip of the iceberg and nothing compared to the suffering our 'elected' leaders are subjecting Nigerians to.
For a country so well blessed, our heroes past will turn in their graves when they look at how our leaders have succeeded in mis-managing our God given natural resources. Our heroes past will regret fighting for our independence when they see how greed and monetary gains have turn this great nation apart resulting in the unrest (BOKO HARAM, Kinappers, Fulani Herdsmen, Oil Vandalism) we are experiencing in this country today.
For a country so blessed, our leaders should all be ashamed of themselves; but then, they have no shame as long as their pockets and bank accounts are overflowing with their loot. Because we have not fully understood our powers as citizens of this country, that is why government will formulate policies that aren't obtainable in Nigeria and force it down on us knowing that nothing will happen.
Because we do not know our rights, government can afford to give us tit-bits, substandard facilities and rather than demand for standard facilities, we praise them for giving us the worst facilities.
Somebody said, whatever is done should be done well. If government will give me a road that will crumble before two years, then government should not give me the road at all let me understand that government has done nothing rather than trying to fool our intelligence into believing they have done something. As far as I can tell, Nigeria should be the richest and most blessed nation on the face of the planet. Nigeria is one of the few countries in the world endowed with many types of natural resources apart from oil which has become the source of our downfall.
Many of the great nations in the world do not possess a quarter of what we have yet with the little they have, they have turned their economy and people around making them greater than 'rich' countries like Nigeria. With what we have, our brothers and sisters will not be scampering away from this country to go and become taxi drivers and waiters in countries of which Nigeria is clearly richer than.
It's a pity, our sons and daughters run to a country like England which is virtually devoid of natural resources and are turned into slaves in another man's land when God have given them one of the richest nations in the world as their home.
Ah!!!
I have to stop here....
To conclude, I therefore call on government to quickly initiate the release of our girls and provide adequate security and food to the IDPs in short term and subsequently resettle them in their ancestral homes.
The Federal Government should as a matter of urgency revive the economy, dialogue with the aggrieved persons or groups, improve health standard and standard of education, then Nigeria could stand shoulder high again in the comity of nations.
I also want to call on our present crop of leaders to do everything within their reach to get us out of this quagmire, which is a product of our handiwork. They must leave no stone unturned to renew the confidence of the people of this great country called Nigeria.
This is the time for them to put in place all necessary machineries that will make us to stop crawling and start walking as a truly self-respecting nation. Our leaders must go beyond their lamentation on the state of affairs in the country and use their good offices to help change the situation in the interest of all Nigerians.
So, it's high time we walked the talk and show the world the stuff we are made of and champion the course once again. Because I believe Nigeria will be great again.
May the labour of our heroes past not be in vain!
#StandUpNigeria
#ItIsWellWithYou
#GodBlessFederalRepublicOfNigeria
#GodBlessGCRF
#GodBlessNigerians
#GodBlessNYRA
#GodBlessNYRAns
#HappyIndependenceDay
I am:
Comrade Rauf Kazeem Isaac
NYRA, Lagos Chapter Cordinator
(C) October, 2016
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN
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