We are still in the independence mood and if you missed the first part of this write up, READ HERE.
Re-Creating Our Future, Why Should You Care
More Nigerians are recognizing the importance of addressing real issues instead of just leaving our future to chance, only demanding for dividends of democracy which offer neither hope nor guarantees. At 55, please let’s get it right this time, let’s leave the pains of the past, learn from it, and while dealing with today’s tensions, let’s set our sight on the future because that’s the only hope we’ve got. And the future, though fleeing, is not very far.
However, since the future is moving, the rules of engagement need to indeed change. What got us here won’t get us there. For those of us who have tasted neither the chunk of the national cake nor its crumbs, why should we care? I’ve got good news for you as we celebrate the 55th independence anniversary. In today’s world, real power is changing hands and the rules are fast changing. More than ever before, we can stop agonizing and start organizing to get a seat at the table, make a new table or even bake our own national ‘non-oily’ cake –a fantastic and federal fortune independent of oil. Of course the baking-new-cake approach may not be very novel but there are few key differences this time around. With the new tools of engagement suitably utilized, our capabilities can match our ambitions. The truth is that the exchange that guarantees a real change is not only about marching down the streets; it’s about matching the streets with the new tools of engagement. If we get it right, within a generation we can radically transform and significantly improve the living standards of every Nigerian. Let me warn you though: simultaneously inspiring and empowering a whole nation is not for the fainthearted. We need to be brave enough to change our thinking, change our speech, change our attitude…maybe even change everything!
For those of us whose living standards are already comparable with the basics of the developed world, why should we care? Why should we really waste our time in collaborating to create a more prosperous nation in the face of escalating issues of unemployment and insecurity? Humanitarian reasons aside, the long and short answer is: Yes, we should care because a time is coming and now is, when the poor would have nothing else to eat but the rich.
As we are all already aware, the days of isolation are behind us. In today’s world, what happens ‘down there’ impacts ‘up here’. The point is: solving one problem here, solves one problem everywhere. Therefore, we have to join good forces for good. Moreover, the greatest tested tool we have for breaking our strongest shackles and tackling our grandest challenges is the human mind; a shared resource for blacks and whites, the rich and the currently poor. So, when new people, others like you and us join the #nationalprosperity conversation and contributions, your ideas – ideas we’ve never earlier had access to – will result in new paths, new paradigms, new projects, new programs and new products that will benefit us all.
It’s time for a more prosperous Nigeria.
Featured image via The Guardian
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