KeyNote Address delivered by Chief Okey Ralphs Nwosu, Ikolo Dike Awka;
National Chairman African Democratic Congress ADC, at the inaugural
Conference of JESUS ARMI at Awka, on 31st August, 2019.
Protocols.
Permit me to say a few things about Barrister Okpalaukwu. Is he an enigma? You can say that again. Okpalaukwu is a great guy with multiple parts and ways. He is a powerhouse, and once he focuses on a thing, he goes after it with great determination, an endearing vigor, and with such an infectious spirit that would unnerve anyone. Whatever anyone may think of this inspiring Igboman, he is a leader who is driven with great passion to make Nigeria right for all of us. My dear brother, OkpalaEzeUkwu, Dike Ndigbo Ohaneze, Ebube Agu Ndigbo, I salute you and your team for putting this program together.
Nigerians are annoyed; Ndigbo are annoyed. South South, South West, Middle Belt, North East and North West are not at peace in their soul either. The Nigerian environment has remained so toxic for at least the last four years. Not to bore us all with distant history, I intend not to go too far. I will only cite recent evidence that justifies our state of mind. Just 2 days ago, it was reported that over 20 million young persons are out of school. Nigerians were bewildered when it was reported last week that a court judgment awarded $9.0 billion against our country for a bad contractual agreement due to the failing of the Federal government to act in appropriate manners; I am sure that if this case were fully examined, some Nigeria government officials and business elites would be complicit. Within the last two weeks, over 200 persons have been kidnapped, with a greater number losing their lives; last weekend our country's government, a country with 200 million persons, was not invited to an August meeting in France where the seven leading nations of the world were dealing with affairs of the world. It was put to our face that we have become irrelevant in world affairs. I can go on and on. Any discerning mind would wonder that all this was only in two weeks. If we went back further, it would be worse, and if we count forward, there is little hope that the leadership will make our country and lives any better.
It is doubly annoying when people in government, executives or legislators sermonize or criticize any other persons, especially the young ones be it IPOB, MOSOP, Oodua Movement, Avengers etc. People in government can trump any agitations by giving the people good governance; providing jobs, and other opportunities, and structuring Nigeria to work. If we pay no attention, any lives lost, translates to murder by persons who run our government.
The Fulanization agenda has become a major discuss in our daily lives. In that pursuit, a lot of dastardly acts are committed against the citizens. Killings and rapes have become everyday stories and these raise curious questions. When a people cannot boast of modern industries and cannot do any form of farming because AK47-carrying killer squads have taken over the land, what is left for them? This privileges no state or tribe.
The idea that President Buhari is promoting both Islamization and Fulanization agenda leaves much to be desired. I maintain that when elites of any tribe become insensitive to the need to promote diversity values, they undermine the country and all the ethnicities, but endanger their own most especially. The Igbos still suffer from the perception that the 1966 coup was staged to privilege the Easterners. The parochialism of the leadership in place has completely disoriented the North East and Northwest of Nigeria. The political and business elites from these two regions cannot go home any more. They live in Abuja and Lagos, and have their properties in Dubai. The states and the people are in ruins. Even Daura the home of President Buhari is not spared. Many persons from Katsina and Daura swear openly that a Presidency of their own has brought them more calamity. I wish our political leaders can learn.
The Buhari government has created unnecessary tension and toxicity within the environment, brought unnecessary attention and difficulty to the Fulani people and herdsmen, and created discord amongst the different religious groups in the country. When democratic power is used for parochial interests, it creates eternal division, instability, and results in crime, poverty, and insecurity, at times war. With these come a consequential lack of development, industries, and employment. The country and the people suffer when national leaders think small and take their people for granted.
Cattle rearing is a good business. As President of Nigeria I would make multimillionaires of the young men in this business, and I would get world class animal breeders and consultants to teach our people to do the business in dignity and wealth.
The youths of our country from all the regions are vexed, annoyed. Nnamdi Kanu, Sowore, and IPOB, all the regional movements are not the cause of Nigeria’s predicament, rather they are consequences of leadership failure, and continued attempt to navigate the national concourse with a faulty compass. We must restructure our systems, and construct our states as true federating entities. There is no better way. The country struggled to hold tight until the Nigerian Airways fell apart; the Nigerian National Shipping Line, Nigeria Railways, NEPA etc struggled from federal might and died. It is foolhardy for us to believe that we can run a much bigger human ecosystem efficiently from Abuja as to make sense in the world. It is time we free up, and allow our multifaceted potentials and limitless opportunities to come alive.
Nigeria is a diverse country with many ethnicities, and religions. Nigeria's leaders must be sensitive and mindful. The British may have made mistakes by bringing all the various peoples together. But 105 years after the amalgamation, we should be able to pave our path. Holding unto the faulty politics and military misadventures of the nineteen sixties to deny Nigerians of the development, security and prosperity opportunities that the present Nigeria is capable of, is to say the least thoughtless and wicked. It is really unfortunate that this country has small thinkers leading our affairs, not only at national level, but at state, local government and communal levels.
Nigeria is a very special country. I dare say there is no country like Nigeria in the whole world. It is significant in three distinct and endearing ways. First, Nigeria has the seventh largest human population in a world with almost 200 countries. Second, Nigeria has the largest population in Africa; most African countries are like a single of Nigeria’s 36 states. Nigeria has the greatest number of a whole black race of the world. In a democratic reign therefore, people who aspire for political leadership at any level must be mindful that Nigeria defines Africa and defines the black people. Leading this nation is not about ethnicity or religion, it means the world to every African and Black person.
As a people, we must arise above pettiness, bigotry, and tribe. All the other continents, the Americas, Europe, and Asia, have become giants, while our elites bicker. We are so self-conceited, and our nation is in disarray, and Africans appear to be the laggards of the world. Leaders of other nations call us names. Believe it or not, but as a race, the black people may continue to suffer some complexes for as long as all nations of Africa seek aid from the other continents to survive. The backwardness happens because we fight each other, one ethnic group against the other; when family members are in competition with each other, the family will fail. We must stop chasing shadows, hurting ourselves; we must start envisioning Nigeria future in the world.
This is why the African Democratic Congress, ADC, has taken the big picture strategy approach. As a founding member, and the National Chairman, I ensured we chose as our symbol, an inclusive and welcoming Handshake that has embedded in it the ideology, philosophy, and diversity values of the party. The party has a mega spectrum worldview. We may be struggling, but with time and it will not be long, Nigerians will come to realize that that is the kind of vision and outlook that will privilege our people. So I encourage the JESUS ARMI to look beyond the closet and embrace a global view and long term planning.
Thank you all for listening and God Bless all of us.
Protocols.
Permit me to say a few things about Barrister Okpalaukwu. Is he an enigma? You can say that again. Okpalaukwu is a great guy with multiple parts and ways. He is a powerhouse, and once he focuses on a thing, he goes after it with great determination, an endearing vigor, and with such an infectious spirit that would unnerve anyone. Whatever anyone may think of this inspiring Igboman, he is a leader who is driven with great passion to make Nigeria right for all of us. My dear brother, OkpalaEzeUkwu, Dike Ndigbo Ohaneze, Ebube Agu Ndigbo, I salute you and your team for putting this program together.
Nigerians are annoyed; Ndigbo are annoyed. South South, South West, Middle Belt, North East and North West are not at peace in their soul either. The Nigerian environment has remained so toxic for at least the last four years. Not to bore us all with distant history, I intend not to go too far. I will only cite recent evidence that justifies our state of mind. Just 2 days ago, it was reported that over 20 million young persons are out of school. Nigerians were bewildered when it was reported last week that a court judgment awarded $9.0 billion against our country for a bad contractual agreement due to the failing of the Federal government to act in appropriate manners; I am sure that if this case were fully examined, some Nigeria government officials and business elites would be complicit. Within the last two weeks, over 200 persons have been kidnapped, with a greater number losing their lives; last weekend our country's government, a country with 200 million persons, was not invited to an August meeting in France where the seven leading nations of the world were dealing with affairs of the world. It was put to our face that we have become irrelevant in world affairs. I can go on and on. Any discerning mind would wonder that all this was only in two weeks. If we went back further, it would be worse, and if we count forward, there is little hope that the leadership will make our country and lives any better.
It is doubly annoying when people in government, executives or legislators sermonize or criticize any other persons, especially the young ones be it IPOB, MOSOP, Oodua Movement, Avengers etc. People in government can trump any agitations by giving the people good governance; providing jobs, and other opportunities, and structuring Nigeria to work. If we pay no attention, any lives lost, translates to murder by persons who run our government.
The Fulanization agenda has become a major discuss in our daily lives. In that pursuit, a lot of dastardly acts are committed against the citizens. Killings and rapes have become everyday stories and these raise curious questions. When a people cannot boast of modern industries and cannot do any form of farming because AK47-carrying killer squads have taken over the land, what is left for them? This privileges no state or tribe.
The idea that President Buhari is promoting both Islamization and Fulanization agenda leaves much to be desired. I maintain that when elites of any tribe become insensitive to the need to promote diversity values, they undermine the country and all the ethnicities, but endanger their own most especially. The Igbos still suffer from the perception that the 1966 coup was staged to privilege the Easterners. The parochialism of the leadership in place has completely disoriented the North East and Northwest of Nigeria. The political and business elites from these two regions cannot go home any more. They live in Abuja and Lagos, and have their properties in Dubai. The states and the people are in ruins. Even Daura the home of President Buhari is not spared. Many persons from Katsina and Daura swear openly that a Presidency of their own has brought them more calamity. I wish our political leaders can learn.
The Buhari government has created unnecessary tension and toxicity within the environment, brought unnecessary attention and difficulty to the Fulani people and herdsmen, and created discord amongst the different religious groups in the country. When democratic power is used for parochial interests, it creates eternal division, instability, and results in crime, poverty, and insecurity, at times war. With these come a consequential lack of development, industries, and employment. The country and the people suffer when national leaders think small and take their people for granted.
Cattle rearing is a good business. As President of Nigeria I would make multimillionaires of the young men in this business, and I would get world class animal breeders and consultants to teach our people to do the business in dignity and wealth.
The youths of our country from all the regions are vexed, annoyed. Nnamdi Kanu, Sowore, and IPOB, all the regional movements are not the cause of Nigeria’s predicament, rather they are consequences of leadership failure, and continued attempt to navigate the national concourse with a faulty compass. We must restructure our systems, and construct our states as true federating entities. There is no better way. The country struggled to hold tight until the Nigerian Airways fell apart; the Nigerian National Shipping Line, Nigeria Railways, NEPA etc struggled from federal might and died. It is foolhardy for us to believe that we can run a much bigger human ecosystem efficiently from Abuja as to make sense in the world. It is time we free up, and allow our multifaceted potentials and limitless opportunities to come alive.
Nigeria is a diverse country with many ethnicities, and religions. Nigeria's leaders must be sensitive and mindful. The British may have made mistakes by bringing all the various peoples together. But 105 years after the amalgamation, we should be able to pave our path. Holding unto the faulty politics and military misadventures of the nineteen sixties to deny Nigerians of the development, security and prosperity opportunities that the present Nigeria is capable of, is to say the least thoughtless and wicked. It is really unfortunate that this country has small thinkers leading our affairs, not only at national level, but at state, local government and communal levels.
Nigeria is a very special country. I dare say there is no country like Nigeria in the whole world. It is significant in three distinct and endearing ways. First, Nigeria has the seventh largest human population in a world with almost 200 countries. Second, Nigeria has the largest population in Africa; most African countries are like a single of Nigeria’s 36 states. Nigeria has the greatest number of a whole black race of the world. In a democratic reign therefore, people who aspire for political leadership at any level must be mindful that Nigeria defines Africa and defines the black people. Leading this nation is not about ethnicity or religion, it means the world to every African and Black person.
As a people, we must arise above pettiness, bigotry, and tribe. All the other continents, the Americas, Europe, and Asia, have become giants, while our elites bicker. We are so self-conceited, and our nation is in disarray, and Africans appear to be the laggards of the world. Leaders of other nations call us names. Believe it or not, but as a race, the black people may continue to suffer some complexes for as long as all nations of Africa seek aid from the other continents to survive. The backwardness happens because we fight each other, one ethnic group against the other; when family members are in competition with each other, the family will fail. We must stop chasing shadows, hurting ourselves; we must start envisioning Nigeria future in the world.
This is why the African Democratic Congress, ADC, has taken the big picture strategy approach. As a founding member, and the National Chairman, I ensured we chose as our symbol, an inclusive and welcoming Handshake that has embedded in it the ideology, philosophy, and diversity values of the party. The party has a mega spectrum worldview. We may be struggling, but with time and it will not be long, Nigerians will come to realize that that is the kind of vision and outlook that will privilege our people. So I encourage the JESUS ARMI to look beyond the closet and embrace a global view and long term planning.
Thank you all for listening and God Bless all of us.
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