Graduates of Morehouse College react to President Obama’s remarks

Image credit: White House

President Barack Obama delivers remarks during the May 2013 commencement ceremony at Morehouse College

Image credit: White House

Below is the transcript of President Obama’s remarks at Morehouse’s May 2013 commencement ceremony.

“THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Morehouse! (Applause.) Thank you, everybody. Please be seated.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: I love you!

THE PRESIDENT: I love you back. (Laughter.) That is why I am here.

I have to say that it is one of the great honors of my life to be able to address this gathering here today. I want to thank Dr. Wilson for his outstanding leadership, and the Board of Trustees. We have Congressman Cedric Richmond and Sanford Bishop — both proud alumni of this school, as well as Congressman Hank Johnson. And one of my dear friends and a great inspiration to us all — the great John Lewis is here. (Applause.) We have your outstanding Mayor, Mr. Kasim Reed, in the house. (Applause.)

To all the members of the Morehouse family. And most of all, congratulations to this distinguished group of Morehouse Men — the Class of 2013. (Applause.)

I have to say that it’s a little hard to follow — not Dr. Wilson, but a skinny guy with a funny name. (Laughter.) Betsegaw Tadele — he’s going to be doing something.

I also have to say that you all are going to get wet. (Laughter.) And I’d be out there with you if I could. (Laughter.) But Secret Service gets nervous. (Laughter.) So I’m going to have to stay here, dry. (Laughter.) But know that I’m there with you in spirit. (Laughter.)

Some of you are graduating summa cum laude. (Applause.) Some of you are graduating magna cum laude. (Applause.) I know some of you are just graduating, “thank you, Lordy.” (Laughter and applause.) That’s appropriate because it’s a Sunday. (Laughter.)

I see some moms and grandmas here, aunts, in their Sunday best — although they are upset about their hair getting messed up. (Laughter.) Michelle would not be sitting in the rain. (Laughter.) She has taught me about hair. (Laughter.)

I want to congratulate all of you — the parents, the grandparents, the brothers and sisters, the family and friends who supported these young men in so many ways. This is your day, as well. Just think about it — your sons, your brothers, your nephews — they spent the last four years far from home and close to Spelman, and yet they are still here today. (Applause.) So you’ve done something right. Graduates, give a big round of applause to your family for everything that they’ve done for you. (Applause.)

I know that some of you had to wait in long lines to get into today’s ceremony. And I would apologize, but it did not have anything to do with security. Those graduates just wanted you to know what it’s like to register for classes here. (Laughter and applause.) And this time of year brings a different kind of stress — every senior stopping by Gloster Hall over the past week making sure your name was actually on the list of students who met all the graduation requirements. (Applause.) If it wasn’t on the list, you had to figure out why. Was it that library book you lent to that trifling roommate who didn’t return it? (Laughter.) Was it Dr. Johnson’s policy class? (Applause.) Did you get enough Crown Forum credits? (Applause.)

On that last point, I’m going to exercise my power as President to declare this speech sufficient Crown Forum credits for any otherwise eligible student to graduate. That is my graduation gift to you. (Applause.) You have a special dispensation.

Now, graduates, I am humbled to stand here with all of you as an honorary Morehouse Man. (Applause.) I finally made it. (Laughter.) And as I do, I’m mindful of an old saying: “You can always tell a Morehouse Man — (applause) — but you can’t tell him much.” (Applause.) And that makes my task a little more difficult, I suppose. But I think it also reflects the sense of pride that’s always been part of this school’s tradition.

Benjamin Mays, who served as the president of Morehouse for almost 30 years, understood that tradition better than anybody. He said — and I quote — “It will not be sufficient for Morehouse College, for any college, for that matter, to produce clever graduates… but rather honest men, men who can be trusted in public and private life — men who are sensitive to the wrongs, the sufferings, and the injustices of society and who are willing to accept responsibility for correcting [those] ills.”

It was that mission — not just to educate men, but to cultivate good men, strong men, upright men — that brought community leaders together just two years after the end of the Civil War. They assembled a list of 37 men, free blacks and freed slaves, who would make up the first prospective class of what later became Morehouse College. Most of those first students had a desire to become teachers and preachers — to better themselves so they could help others do the same.

A century and a half later, times have changed. But the “Morehouse Mystique” still endures. Some of you probably came here from communities where everybody looked like you. Others may have come here in search of a community. And I suspect that some of you probably felt a little bit of culture shock the first time you came together as a class in King’s Chapel. All of a sudden, you weren’t the only high school sports captain, you weren’t the only student council president. You were suddenly in a group of high achievers, and that meant you were expected to do something more.

That’s the unique sense of purpose that this place has always infused — the conviction that this is a training ground not only for individual success, but for leadership that can change the world.

Dr. King was just 15 years old when he enrolled here at Morehouse. He was an unknown, undersized, unassuming young freshman who lived at home with his parents. And I think it’s fair to say he wasn’t the coolest kid on campus — for the suits he wore, his classmates called him “Tweed.” But his education at Morehouse helped to forge the intellect, the discipline, the compassion, the soul force that would transform America. It was here that he was introduced to the writings of Gandhi and Thoreau, and the theory of civil disobedience. It was here that professors encouraged him to look past the world as it was and fight for the world as it should be. And it was here, at Morehouse, as Dr. King later wrote, where “I realized that nobody…was afraid.”

Not even of some bad weather. I added on that part. (Laughter.) I know it’s wet out there. But Dr. Wilson told me you all had a choice and decided to do it out here anyway. (Applause.) That’s a Morehouse Man talking.

Now, think about it. For black men in the ‘40s and the ‘50s, the threat of violence, the constant humiliations, large and small, the uncertainty that you could support a family, the gnawing doubts born of the Jim Crow culture that told you every day that somehow you were inferior, the temptation to shrink from the world, to accept your place, to avoid risks, to be afraid — that temptation was necessarily strong.

And yet, here, under the tutelage of men like Dr. Mays, young Martin learned to be unafraid. And he, in turn, taught others to be unafraid. And over time, he taught a nation to be unafraid. And over the last 50 years, thanks to the moral force of Dr. King and a Moses generation that overcame their fear and their cynicism and their despair, barriers have come tumbling down, and new doors of opportunity have swung open, and laws and hearts and minds have been changed to the point where someone who looks just like you can somehow come to serve as President of these United States of America. (Applause.)

So the history we share should give you hope. The future we share should give you hope. You’re graduating into an improving job market. You’re living in a time when advances in technology and communication put the world at your fingertips. Your generation is uniquely poised for success unlike any generation of African Americans that came before it.

But that doesn’t mean we don’t have work — because if we’re honest with ourselves, we know that too few of our brothers have the opportunities that you’ve had here at Morehouse. In troubled neighborhoods all across this country — many of them heavily African American — too few of our citizens have role models to guide them. Communities just a couple miles from my house in Chicago, communities just a couple miles from here — they’re places where jobs are still too scarce and wages are still too low; where schools are underfunded and violence is pervasive; where too many of our men spend their youth not behind a desk in a classroom, but hanging out on the streets or brooding behind a jail cell.

My job, as President, is to advocate for policies that generate more opportunity for everybody — policies that strengthen the middle class and give more people the chance to climb their way into the middle class. Policies that create more good jobs and reduce poverty, and educate more children, and give more families the security of health care, and protect more of our children from the horrors of gun violence. That’s my job. Those are matters of public policy, and it is important for all of us — black, white and brown — to advocate for an America where everybody has got a fair shot in life. Not just some. Not just a few. (Applause.)

But along with collective responsibilities, we have individual responsibilities. There are some things, as black men, we can only do for ourselves. There are some things, as Morehouse Men, that you are obliged to do for those still left behind. As Morehouse Men, you now wield something even more powerful than the diploma you’re about to collect — and that’s the power of your example.

So what I ask of you today is the same thing I ask of every graduating class I address: Use that power for something larger than yourself. Live up to President Mays’s challenge. Be “sensitive to the wrongs, the sufferings, and the injustices of society.” And be “willing to accept responsibility for correcting [those] ills.”

I know that some of you came to Morehouse from communities where life was about keeping your head down and looking out for yourself. Maybe you feel like you escaped, and now you can take your degree and get that fancy job and the nice house and the nice car — and never look back. And don’t get me wrong — with all those student loans you’ve had to take out, I know you’ve got to earn some money. With doors open to you that your parents and grandparents could not even imagine, no one expects you to take a vow of poverty. But I will say it betrays a poverty of ambition if all you think about is what goods you can buy instead of what good you can do. (Applause.)

So, yes, go get that law degree. But if you do, ask yourself if the only option is to defend the rich and the powerful, or if you can also find some time to defend the powerless. Sure, go get your MBA, or start that business. We need black businesses out there. But ask yourselves what broader purpose your business might serve, in putting people to work, or transforming a neighborhood. The most successful CEOs I know didn’t start out intent just on making money — rather, they had a vision of how their product or service would change things, and the money followed. (Applause.)

Some of you may be headed to medical school to become doctors. But make sure you heal folks in underserved communities who really need it, too. For generations, certain groups in this country — especially African Americans — have been desperate in need of access to quality, affordable health care. And as a society, we’re finally beginning to change that. Those of you who are under the age of 26 already have the option to stay on your parent’s health care plan. But all of you are heading into an economy where many young people expect not only to have multiple jobs, but multiple careers.

So starting October 1st, because of the Affordable Care Act — otherwise known as Obamacare — (applause) — you’ll be able to shop for a quality, affordable plan that’s yours and travels with you — a plan that will insure not only your health, but your dreams if you are sick or get in an accident. But we’re going to need some doctors to make sure it works, too. We’ve got to make sure everybody has good health in this country. It’s not just good for you, it’s good for this country. So you’re going to have to spread the word to your fellow young people.

Which brings me to a second point: Just as Morehouse has taught you to expect more of yourselves, inspire those who look up to you to expect more of themselves. We know that too many young men in our community continue to make bad choices. And I have to say, growing up, I made quite a few myself. Sometimes I wrote off my own failings as just another example of the world trying to keep a black man down. I had a tendency sometimes to make excuses for me not doing the right thing. But one of the things that all of you have learned over the last four years is there’s no longer any room for excuses. (Applause.)

I understand there’s a common fraternity creed here at Morehouse: “Excuses are tools of the incompetent used to build bridges to nowhere and monuments of nothingness.” Well, we’ve got no time for excuses. Not because the bitter legacy of slavery and segregation have vanished entirely; they have not. Not because racism and discrimination no longer exist; we know those are still out there. It’s just that in today’s hyperconnected, hypercompetitive world, with millions of young people from China and India and Brazil — many of whom started with a whole lot less than all of you did — all of them entering the global workforce alongside you, nobody is going to give you anything that you have not earned. (Applause.)

Nobody cares how tough your upbringing was. Nobody cares if you suffered some discrimination. And moreover, you have to remember that whatever you’ve gone through, it pales in comparison to the hardships previous generations endured — and they overcame them. And if they overcame them, you can overcome them, too. (Applause.)

You now hail from a lineage and legacy of immeasurably strong men — men who bore tremendous burdens and still laid the stones for the path on which we now walk. You wear the mantle of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, and Ralph Bunche and Langston Hughes, and George Washington Carver and Ralph Abernathy and Thurgood Marshall, and, yes, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. These men were many things to many people. And they knew full well the role that racism played in their lives. But when it came to their own accomplishments and sense of purpose, they had no time for excuses.

Every one of you have a grandma or an uncle or a parent who’s told you that at some point in life, as an African American, you have to work twice as hard as anyone else if you want to get by. I think President Mays put it even better: He said, “Whatever you do, strive to do it so well that no man living and no man dead, and no man yet to be born can do it any better.” (Applause.)

And I promise you, what was needed in Dr. Mays’s time, that spirit of excellence, and hard work, and dedication, and no excuses is needed now more than ever. If you think you can just get over in this economy just because you have a Morehouse degree, you’re in for a rude awakening. But if you stay hungry, if you keep hustling, if you keep on your grind and get other folks to do the same — nobody can stop you. (Applause.)

And when I talk about pursuing excellence and setting an example, I’m not just talking about in your professional life. One of today’s graduates, Frederick Anderson — where’s Frederick? Frederick, right here. (Applause.) I know it’s raining, but I’m going to tell about Frederick. Frederick started his college career in Ohio, only to find out that his high school sweetheart back in Georgia was pregnant. So he came back and enrolled in Morehouse to be closer to her. Pretty soon, helping raise a newborn and working night shifts became too much, so he started taking business classes at a technical college instead — doing everything from delivering newspapers to buffing hospital floors to support his family.

And then he enrolled at Morehouse a second time. But even with a job, he couldn’t keep up with the cost of tuition. So after getting his degree from that technical school, this father of three decided to come back to Morehouse for a third time. (Applause.) As Frederick says, “God has a plan for my life, and He’s not done with me yet.”

And today, Frederick is a family man, and a working man, and a Morehouse Man. (Applause.) And that’s what I’m asking all of you to do: Keep setting an example for what it means to be a man. (Applause.) Be the best husband to your wife, or you’re your boyfriend, or your partner. Be the best father you can be to your children. Because nothing is more important.

I was raised by a heroic single mom, wonderful grandparents — made incredible sacrifices for me. And I know there are moms and grandparents here today who did the same thing for all of you. But I sure wish I had had a father who was not only present, but involved. Didn’t know my dad. And so my whole life, I’ve tried to be for Michelle and my girls what my father was not for my mother and me. I want to break that cycle where a father is not at home — (applause) — where a father is not helping to raise that son or daughter. I want to be a better father, a better husband, a better man.

It’s hard work that demands your constant attention and frequent sacrifice. And I promise you, Michelle will tell you I’m not perfect. She’s got a long list of my imperfections. (Laughter.) Even now, I’m still practicing, I’m still learning, still getting corrected in terms of how to be a fine husband and a good father. But I will tell you this: Everything else is unfulfilled if we fail at family, if we fail at that responsibility. (Applause.)

I know that when I am on my deathbed someday, I will not be thinking about any particular legislation I passed; I will not be thinking about a policy I promoted; I will not be thinking about the speech I gave, I will not be thinking the Nobel Prize I received. I will be thinking about that walk I took with my daughters. I’ll be thinking about a lazy afternoon with my wife. I’ll be thinking about sitting around the dinner table and seeing them happy and healthy and knowing that they were loved. And I’ll be thinking about whether I did right by all of them.

So be a good role model, set a good example for that young brother coming up. If you know somebody who’s not on point, go back and bring that brother along — those who’ve been left behind, who haven’t had the same opportunities we have — they need to hear from you. You’ve got to be engaged on the barbershops, on the basketball court, at church, spend time and energy and presence to give people opportunities and a chance. Pull them up, expose them, support their dreams. Don’t put them down.

We’ve got to teach them just like what we have to learn, what it means to be a man — to serve your city like Maynard Jackson; to shape the culture like Spike Lee; to be like Chester Davenport, one of the first people to integrate the University of Georgia Law School. When he got there, nobody would sit next to him in class. But Chester didn’t mind. Later on, he said, “It was the thing for me to do. Someone needed to be the first.” And today, Chester is here celebrating his 50th reunion. Where is Chester Davenport? He’s here. (Applause.)

So if you’ve had role models, fathers, brothers like that — thank them today. And if you haven’t, commit yourself to being that man to somebody else.

And finally, as you do these things, do them not just for yourself, but don’t even do them just for the African American community. I want you to set your sights higher. At the turn of the last century, W.E.B. DuBois spoke about the “talented tenth” — a class of highly educated, socially conscious leaders in the black community. But it’s not just the African American community that needs you. The country needs you. The world needs you.

As Morehouse Men, many of you know what it’s like to be an outsider; know what it’s like to be marginalized; know what it’s like to feel the sting of discrimination. And that’s an experience that a lot of Americans share. Hispanic Americans know that feeling when somebody asks them where they come from or tell them to go back. Gay and lesbian Americans feel it when a stranger passes judgment on their parenting skills or the love that they share. Muslim Americans feel it when they’re stared at with suspicion because of their faith. Any woman who knows the injustice of earning less pay for doing the same work — she knows what it’s like to be on the outside looking in.

So your experiences give you special insight that today’s leaders need. If you tap into that experience, it should endow you with empathy — the understanding of what it’s like to walk in somebody else’s shoes, to see through their eyes, to know what it’s like when you’re not born on 3rd base, thinking you hit a triple. It should give you the ability to connect. It should give you a sense of compassion and what it means to overcome barriers.

And I will tell you, Class of 2013, whatever success I have achieved, whatever positions of leadership I have held have depended less on Ivy League degrees or SAT scores or GPAs, and have instead been due to that sense of connection and empathy — the special obligation I felt, as a black man like you, to help those who need it most, people who didn’t have the opportunities that I had — because there but for the grace of God, go I — I might have been in their shoes. I might have been in prison. I might have been unemployed. I might not have been able to support a family. And that motivates me. (Applause.)

So it’s up to you to widen your circle of concern — to care about justice for everybody, white, black and brown. Everybody. Not just in your own community, but also across this country and around the world. To make sure everyone has a voice, and everybody gets a seat at the table; that everybody, no matter what you look like or where you come from, what your last name is — it doesn’t matter, everybody gets a chance to walk through those doors of opportunity if they are willing to work hard enough.

When Leland Shelton was four years old — where’s Leland? (Applause.) Stand up, Leland. When Leland Shelton was four years old, social services took him away from his mama, put him in the care of his grandparents. By age 14, he was in the foster care system. Three years after that, Leland enrolled in Morehouse. And today he is graduating Phi Beta Kappa on his way to Harvard Law School. (Applause.) But he’s not stopping there. As a member of the National Foster Care Youth and Alumni Policy Council, he plans to use his law degree to make sure kids like him don’t fall through the cracks. And it won’t matter whether they’re black kids or brown kids or white kids or Native American kids, because he’ll understand what they’re going through. And he’ll be fighting for them. He’ll be in their corner. That’s leadership. That’s a Morehouse Man right there. (Applause.)

That’s what we’ve come to expect from you, Morehouse — a legacy of leaders — not just in our black community, but for the entire American community. To recognize the burdens you carry with you, but to resist the temptation to use them as excuses. To transform the way we think about manhood, and set higher standards for ourselves and for others. To be successful, but also to understand that each of us has responsibilities not just to ourselves, but to one another and to future generations. Men who refuse to be afraid. Men who refuse to be afraid.

Members of the Class of 2013, you are heirs to a great legacy. You have within you that same courage and that same strength, the same resolve as the men who came before you. That’s what being a Morehouse Man is all about. That’s what being an American is all about.

Success may not come quickly or easily. But if you strive to do what’s right, if you work harder and dream bigger, if you set an example in your own lives and do your part to help meet the challenges of our time, then I’m confident that, together, we will continue the never-ending task of perfecting our union.

Congratulations, Class of 2013. God bless you. God bless Morehouse. And God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)”

Culled from www.whitehouse.gov

What are you thinking?

President Jonathan’s Aide, Kingsley Kuku stretches his hands to accept funds at a meeting with Mr. Rex Anighoro’s led Movement for the Advancement of Urhobo Nation (MAUN)
Image credit: Rex Anighoro

What are you thinking?

President Goodluck Jonathan

Below are excerpts from an interview Nigerian newspaper, Vanguard conducted with President Jonathan’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati regarding issues affecting Nigeria.

“Your assessment of the performance of the Jonathan administration which you have put at above average has not affected the scathing criticism from Nigerians. Why do you think Nigerians are very critical of this administration despite the sterling performance as you have consistently said?

This being a democracy, there will never be a time when people won’t criticize government. The positive freedom that democracy offers includes the right to complain about everything including the weather. But even this must be done responsibly. Freedom does not mean the right to be irresponsible. Under the Jonathan administration, there has been real freedom. Nigerians have never had it so good. But what is bothersome is the tendency by some people to insist on promoting falsehood. I have read articles based completely on false premises, and even when the ignorance is pointed to the authors of such articles, they claim that this is a free country. Now, that is not the exercise of freedom. It is sheer irresponsibility.

Second, we have a President that is humble and accessible; focused and disciplined and a system that supports fundamental freedoms. In exercising their freedom, the people ask for more; they want more. Thus, expectations are high. There is a fast food mentality that has over-conditioned our conception of democracy. That is another reason why there is so much criticism. But democracy is not a fast-food recipe. It is a process, like putting a building together or bringing a child to life. And this government respects due process. Our own expectation is that people will come to understand this point in due course.

The good news is that the majority of Nigerians knows and appreciates the fact that this government has been very productive in delivering on President Jonathan’s transformation agenda. They are happy with what has been done in the agricultural sector to diversify the economy, create jobs and add value through a value-chain, business oriented approach to agriculture.

Are you sure they are happy with the value chain?
In the agric sector, this government has ended the season of tractor and fertilizer scam and re-energized the private sector and state governments, to take agriculture more seriously. Our aviation sector is different today. The airports have been upgraded, facilities for air traffic control, which used to be a major issue in the past, have been provided. International best practices are being enforced. The Jonathan administration has placed more emphasis on capital expenditure, resulting in massive investments in infrastructure.

Electricity supply has improved in many parts of the country; the power sector privatization process, abandoned by previous administrations has been revived, and there is every indication that in due course, the interest and commitment that this has generated among private sector investors will yield the desired goal of an effective, modern, and competitive electricity sector and market. At the moment, generation is up, distribution is up; things can only get better.

The railway sector is alive again. The trains are moving, moving goods and persons from North to South, North to East, and West to North. When you consider the fact that the railway sector practically died and became a poster case for abandonment, inertia, and mismanagement, you’d appreciate what this administration has done. At the same time, the roads are being fixed across the nation. There is a total road network of 200,000 km in Nigeria. About 65, 000 of that is paved with bitumen; 54% of which belongs to the Federal Government. The Federal Government is working on its roads. The states and local governments must also do theirs otherwise the Federal Government will continue to get blamed for roads that do not fall under its care.

Industry, trade and investment is another area where this government is doing well. Investment flows into the country keep rising every day because there is renewed confidence in this economy. The capital market has stabilized; our economic outlook is good, with the economy growing at an average of 7% per annum, and in 2013, IMF has projected that the country may record up to 7.2% growth rate. In this case, we are talking about inclusive and real growth. When last did you hear of any company relocating to neighbouring countries? That used to happen in the past, not anymore.

The ports have been sanitized. I mean, sanitized, because duplication of agencies resulting in real terms in the duplication of artificial toll gates at the ports has been checked. The gain is measurable in terms of the growing efficiency of ports operations. Before this President assumed office, there used to be long queues at fuel stations, universities used to be shut down for months. That has changed. The fuel queues have vanished. School sessions have become regular. This is the case because someone has been working hard, relating well, and paying attention.

Our foreign relations is much better. President Jonathan’s diplomacy has strengthened Nigeria’s relationship with its neighbours, the rest of Africa and the world. Our national pride and honour has been restored. I must add that under this President, the integrity of elections has been achieved. Today, Nigerian elections are always considered free and fair. This is a major legacy achievement by President Jonathan.

When you try to transform a system and promote change, it is normal that people who used to benefit from the old, retrogressive system will protest. Those are the ones spewing scathing criticisms to use your phrase. Then you have members of the opportunistic opposition who have declared publicly that their main task is to discredit and pull down the Jonathan administration.

They should not be taken seriously because they have no useful ideas they are bringing to the table. Ignorance poses a big threat to democracy, and the most vicious brand on our shores is the thinking by opposition elements that the best way to play politics is to destroy the government of the day with any possible means. That is not politics; that is perfidy. Being in the opposition does not mean being congenitally contrarian. And that is why I find it instructive that the attempt by the leadership of the Action Congress of Nigeria to shoot down the President’s proclamation of State of Emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states has been dismissed by many Nigerians as utterly irresponsible.

It is two years since President Jonathan assumed office and I am saying he has done very well, and he is committed to doing even more, and he enjoys the confidence of Nigerians at home and abroad. There are security challenges, yes, and that probably accounts for some of the criticisms, but the administration has demonstrated great resolve and confidence in dealing with the challenges.

The inauguration of the committee on dialogue with members of the Boko Haram sect has not in any way affected the activities of the sect. Is the President discouraged by this development?

He is not discouraged. Rather, he has taken the decision to deploy all necessary and appropriate tools in concert with local and international stakeholders, to ensure that we all overcome the evil of terrorism that is threatening our well-being as a nation. Terrorism is a new kind of threat on our shores. Suicide bombing, nihilism, was something we thought impossible in Nigeria.

But here we are. It is also important to note that there can be no illusion of simplicity where the fight against terrorism is involved. Terrorists strike at will with deadly cruelty. Besides, in Nigeria, there are many sides to the terror, many factions within the group, and now they want to take over the country.

Government’s commitment is to get the factions to lay down their arms, government’s commitment is to enforce the rule of law and justice; government’s commitment is to beat terrorism. The overriding consideration is the peace, security, and stability of Nigeria. While the option of dialogue and peaceful resolution is being pursued, government will also not condone impunity of any sort, or the obvious attempt by terrorists to create and run an enclave within the Nigerian state. Hence, the declaration of a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states by President Jonathan.

If anyone is in doubt, the Commander in Chief of Nigeria’s Armed Forces has made it clear: this government will not tolerate any attempt to violate the sovereignty of Nigeria. Those who are willing to dialogue and lay down their weapons can approach the National Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution on the Security Challenges in Northern Nigeria. The work of that Committee remains significant and relevant, and it is bound to be impactful.

In the South-South, the spate of attacks on oil facilities is on the increase despite the amnesty programme. This is even more worrisome because the President’s home state of Bayelsa has recorded most of these attacks. What is happening?

It is not true that there is renewed insurgency in the Niger Delta. If anything, the amnesty programme in the Niger Delta has been very successful. Thousands of Niger Delta youths have been sent for training in South Africa, Botswana, Europe and elsewhere. Over, 1, 000 of them, ex-militants just returned from South Africa.

In Botswana, I was there when President Jonathan met with a graduating class of ex-militants. Their former leaders, self-styled warlords have been reintegrated back into society. They are now gentlemen, not anarchists. President Jonathan’s focus is to create new role models among Nigerian youths and his administration has done a lot in that regard. The Almajiri Education Programme is one example. YouWIN is another example. There is also the Youth in Agriculture programme.

What is happening at the moment in the Niger Delta are isolated, episodic, and opportunistic cases of criminality including crude oil theft or occasional protest. It is not an insurgency. You have on one hand, militants who failed to take part in the amnesty programme all through Phases One to Three, who have now suddenly woken up and are insisting that they must be accommodated outside the original framework. Then, you have the greedy, attention-seeking “Na my brother dey there” noisemakers who just want to be noticed. And the crude oil thieves. Now, crude oil theft is a serious matter; because it is economic sabotage and an assault on the Nigerian state. Government is dealing with that decisively.

Some people have said that the crisis in the People’s Democratic Party is an indication of the people’s frustration with the President. How will you react to this? Secondly, why is the President fighting the governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, as people have alleged?

There is no connection between the politics within PDP and what the people feel about President Jonathan. Every political party has its own internal dynamics. The PDP as a political party can and will resolve its own internal issues. As a political leader and as Nigeria’s Head of State and Head of Government, President Jonathan’s focus is on service delivery, performance and progress. I am sure that people are able to differentiate between intra-party politics and the very business of governance. And surely, there is no political party anywhere that does not have its own internal issues to deal with. Secondly, the allegation that President Jonathan is fighting Governor Rotimi Amaechi is wrong. There is no rift between the President and the Governor. Amaechi himself has said that much publicly.

The insistence by the president to retain Arumah Oteh, the DG of SEC has created an impasse on the passage of the 2013 budget. Is Oteh so irreplaceable that the country’s budget would be put on hold because of her?

There is no impasse as far as I know over the passage of the 2013 budget. The 2013 Budget is not on hold; it has been passed by the National Assembly and it is already being implemented. I think both the Executive and the Legislature must be commended for ensuring that the 2013 Budget was prepared and passed early. Considering what used to happen in the past, that is indeed commendable.

I am aware that both arms of government had agreed to look into some grey areas and take care of these in a supplementary budget that is now being considered. But nothing has been put on hold. What the Jonathan administration has introduced and has been able to achieve is to make the budgeting process open and transparent, so much that today even masons and motorcyclists pretend to be experts in budget analysis. I like the idea of people taking ownership of something as fundamental as the Appropriation Act, but we must beware of beer parlour economists taking charge.

There are big and serious issues involved. The budgeting process cannot become an instrument for vendetta. It cannot be reduced to the level of personality conflicts. That will amount to a reductio ad absurdum. Arunmah Oteh was head-hunted for the job of Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission. In 2010, her appointment was endorsed by the National Assembly on the basis of merit and the excellent credentials that she brought to the job. She is one of the very many high-fliers in President Jonathan’s team of the best and the brightest and she has acquitted herself very well.

She met a Stock Exchange that had been reduced to a penny stock market and a source of fright for local and international investors. She has rescued that market from the decline slope; she has strengthened it, and reorganized and rebuilt confidence in it. Our stock market is becoming bullish again, it is on the rebound, investors are streaming back in large numbers. That should be rewarded not opposed just because some people don’t like Arunmah’s face. She has a very pretty face by the way, and a sharp brain. Those who are gunning for her head should adjust their lenses.

The leader of one of the groups in Niger Delta, Asari Dokubo, has sensationally asserted that there would be no Nigeria if President Goodluck Jonathan is not elected in 2015. Some people have alleged that he is speaking the mind of the President, that is why he has neither been called to order nor arrested. How do you react to this?

I speak for President Goodluck Jonathan. The last time I checked, I was still his official spokesman, not Asari Dokubo. And I can tell you that President Jonathan has not issued any formal statement with regard to the 2015 general elections, other than to state that he remains focused on the assignment that Nigerians have given him and that the time has not yet come for 2015 politics. INEC has not issued any directive on it. The political parties have not either. When the time is ripe, he will make his position known.

Are you with me? I can also tell you that President Jonathan who is an exponent and champion of the one man, one vote, one woman, one vote, one youth, one vote electoral principle will never play the politics of threat and intimidation. He believes in Nigeria and the right of Nigerians to choose their own leaders. For him, politics is not a do or die affair. It is an opportunity to serve and make a contribution. He sees leadership as a privilege not a birthright. As for Asari Dokubo, I stand by my earlier comments on him. You’d have to google that, because I don’t want to waste precious saliva.

In the next few weeks, this administration would be two years. Some Nigerians have argued that their electoral investment has not been worthwhile because of the myriads problems that have remained unsolved. They cite the increasing insecurity, unemployment and corruption as some of the areas that this government has failed. Would you say Jonathan has met the expectations of Nigerians?

I believe I had answered this question much earlier. But you must have your reasons for bringing it up again and my well-informed, categorical and affirmative answer is yes. The only new thing perhaps is your pointed reference to unemployment and corruption and I will deal with the issues quickly. First, on the matter of insecurity, you must have seen that Nigerians are quite happy that President Jonathan is taking a very decisive step in that regard with the declaration of a State of Emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states and the signal that no form of impunity will be tolerated in any part of Nigeria.

President Jonathan is committed to solving the problem of insecurity, just as he is solving inherited problems in other sectors of the economy: agriculture, aviation, education, infrastructure development, aviation, industry and so on. The combined effect of these efforts is to further open up the economy, deepen its absorptive capacity and create opportunities for job seekers. Once the economy continues to grow, it opens up access for skilled labour automatically. In addition, there are specific schemes for job creation: YouWIN, the Graduate Internship Scheme under the SURE-P and the youth empowerment programme in agriculture. There is also a specific emphasis on entrepreneurship promotion from curricular review to that critical school to work intersection that is central to development dynamics.

What of allegations of corruption?
Corruption! There has been so much misinformation and blackmail on this subject. To say that the Jonathan administration is not fighting corruption is a wrong-headed expression, which I have no doubts attracts very easy donor funding and so, that attracts so many opportunists. You just have to shout corruption as many times as possible for you to become a saint, and also smile to the bank. Don’t be fooled; some of the people claiming to be holier than thou are the most corrupt elements in this country and one day, they will get their come-uppance. The hypocrites aside, President Jonathan’s position is that corruption is inimical to national growth and development, worse still, it amounts to economic sabotage.

Through a well-articulated reform agenda, the Jonathan administration is waging war against corruption in the power sector, in the civil service, at the ports, in the downstream sector of the Petroleum industry, and more importantly in politics through the administration’s emphatic insistence on the integrity of electoral processes, this has been empirically proven in all the elections conducted under President Jonathan’s watch. After two years in office, President Jonathan deserves commendation. He has shown great resolve and resourcefulness and has led us all with a good heart, conscience and a result-oriented, productive strategy.”

What are you thinking?

Secretary of State John Kerry

Image credit: U.S. Department of State

Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
May 17, 2013

The United States is deeply concerned about the fighting in northeastern Nigeria following President Jonathan’s declaration of a state of emergency in the Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states. We are also deeply concerned by credible allegations that Nigerian security forces are committing gross human rights violations, which, in turn, only escalate the violence and fuel extremism.

The United States condemns Boko Haram’s campaign of terror in the strongest terms. We urge Nigeria’s security forces to apply disciplined use of force in all operations, protect civilians in any security response, and respect human rights and the rule of law.

Pat Utomi

As Albert Einsten once said “We can not solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them”. The challenge of terrorism and ostensibly faith and cult based intolerance, partly manifested in the Boko Haram insurgency, that we face in Nigeria was created at the level of ignorance. I have heard truly scholarly discussions and even in the last month at the CVL Faith and tolerance conference, the Chaplain of the University of Lagos House of Assembly spoke passionately about Islam as a religion of peace and one not opposed to Western education. That being the case the only solution is to fight ignorance with knowledge.

The top commanders of Boko Haram are not doing anything new. They do not believe that Boko or Book is Haram. If they really did would they be using Western weapons to fight? Would they be using Western media such as YouTube and other social media to communicate with journalists? Of course not. Malam Shekau was almost caught last year when he visited his wife in Kano and he escaped with the aid of a fast car, another fruit of Western Education. Thus it is safe to say that he and his top commanders are not against Western Education. Besides some of the leaders of the group are known to be University graduates. It would seem that they are revolutionaries in Boko Haram, whose goal is to overthrow the current establishment in Northern Nigeria just like their compatriots did in Somalia and their strategy in doing that is to take advantage of the massive illiteracy that is the bane of the Northern population.

This is no new strategy. Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge did the same thing in Cambodia. They killed the educated and targeted centers of learning for the same reason that totalitarians have been doing for millennia-the educated are more likely to rebel against tyranny!

So rather than spend trillions on security, the Federal Government has to look beyond the immediate and have a long term strategy to starve organized terrorist groups of the oxygen that feeds their fire. We must begin to educate the masses of the North so that they value their lives. Education increases their level of consciousness and when a man has a heightened level of consciousness he is no longer easily susceptible to manipulation using primordial sentiments. Education also expands the scope of how they can earn income and get to a level of self fulfilment that cannot make them available for ideologues fighting different agenda. But it should not be in the North alone. Similar levels of low literacy in parts of the south are also sources of the state of insecurity in the South East and South South. This is why I have offered a liberal perspective on Paulo Friers’s Pedagogy of the oppressed. The pedagogy of the Determined, which I have proposed, takes a community based entrepreneurial approach to activist learning that can transform and empower in a short period of time.

Last year, the government used the same argument that previous administration used which is that the funds meant to subsidize fuel is not getting to its intended target which is the poor. So instead of subsidizing fuel, Nigeria has been subsidizing corruption.

Sound logical on the face of it. So now let us flip this. Rather than subsidizing fuel (or corruption) I am not too sure that the government will face too much resistance if it says that it will henceforth subsidize education. With half of the money that we are currently spending subsidizing fuel in Nigeria can offer free and qualitative education up to secondary school level, using social enterprises, faith based agencies to complement and compete with direct government funding of educational institutions.

This is the type of long term strategy that will defeat the menace of terrorism as well as increase our Gross Domestic Product because an educated people produce more, have less children and are more healthy.

There is no easy fix to fighting terrorism. Ask the Middle East, ask Somalia, ask Afghanistan. To defeat terrorism, you must look much farther ahead than the terrorists. You must target the intending terrorist in a policy of catch them young. Rather than fighting terrorism with trillions of Naira spent on security we are feeding it by causing deep hatred in the hearts of the people of certain parts of Northern Nigeria for the military. Right now many of these people cannot decide who they hate most between Boko Haram and the Joint Military Task Force (JTF). Instead we must spend trillions on education and education will do what guns and bombs cannot do-make people value their life too much to be fodder for terrorism.

It is fitting to conclude with a word on values over faith. Years ago a much respected moslem friend told me a true story of a great moslem cleric who visited the United States. Struck by the values of the people he met, he lamented the paradox of leaving a moslem country where the people do not behave like moslems and coming to this non-moslem country where they behave like moslems. What has gone awry in Nigeria is not a faith dispute but a crisis of values. And the insurgency can be curbed with education laced with the right values.

Articles published by Nigerians Saving Nigerians does not necessarily reflect our editorial policy.

What are you thinking?

President Goodluck Jonathan held a national broadcast today. Below, is the video and transcript of his speech.

“Dear compatriots,

1. It has become necessary for me to address you on the recent spate of terrorist activities and protracted security challenges in some parts of the country, particularly in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi, Kano, Plateau and most recently Bayelsa, Taraba, Benue and Nasarawa states. These unfortunate events have led to needless loss of lives and property of many innocent Nigerians including members of our security forces.

2. The recent killing of security operatives by a cult group in Nasarawa state is particularly condemnable. I have directed that no effort or expense be spared in identifying and bringing to justice all those who had a hand in the killing of the operatives.

3. The activities of insurgents and terrorists have been reprehensible, causing fear among our citizens and a near-breakdown of law and order in parts of the country, especially the North. We have taken robust steps to unravel and address the root causes of these crises, but it would appear that there is a systematic effort by insurgents and terrorists to destabilize the Nigerian state and test our collective resolve.

4. Since I returned to the country after cutting short my visit to South Africa and aborting a planned state visit to Namibia, I have received detailed briefings from our security agencies. These briefings indicate that what we are facing is not just militancy or criminality, but a rebellion and insurgency by terrorist groups which pose a very serious threat to national unity and territorial integrity. Already, some northern parts of Borno state have been taken over by groups whose allegiance is to different flags and ideologies.

5. These terrorists and insurgents seem determined to establish control and authority over parts of our beloved nation and to progressively overwhelm the rest of the country. In many places, they have destroyed the Nigerian flag and other symbols of state authority and in their place, hoisted strange flags suggesting the exercise of alternative sovereignty.

6. They have attacked government buildings and facilities. They have murdered innocent citizens and state officials. They have set houses ablaze, and taken women and children as hostages. These actions amount to a declaration of war and a deliberate attempt to undermine the authority of the Nigerian state and threaten her territorial integrity. As a responsible government, we will not tolerate this.

7. Previously, we adopted a multi-track approach to the resolution of this problem through actions which included persuasion, dialogue and widespread consultation with the political, religious and community leaders in the affected states.

8. We exercised restraint to allow for all efforts by both State Governors and well-meaning Nigerians to stop the repeated cases of mindless violence.

9. Yet, the insurgents and terrorists seek to prevent government from fulfilling its constitutional obligations to the people as they pursue their fanatical agenda of mayhem, mass murder, division and separatism.

10. While the efforts at persuasion and dialogue will continue, let me reiterate that we have a sacred duty to ensure the security and well-being of all our people and protect the sovereign integrity of our country. Therefore, we shall, on no account, shy away from doing whatever becomes necessary to provide the fullest possible security for the citizens of this country in any part of the country they choose to reside.

11. We have a duty to stand firm against those who threaten the sovereign integrity of the Nigerian state. Our will is strong, because our faith lies in the indivisibility of Nigeria.

12. Following recent developments in the affected states, it has become necessary for Government to take extraordinary measures to restore normalcy. After wide consultations, and in exercise of the powers conferred on me by the provisions of Section 305, sub-section 1 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, I hereby declare a State of Emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.

13. Accordingly, the Chief of Defence Staff has been directed to immediately deploy more troops to these states for more effective internal security operations. The troops and other security agencies involved in these operations have orders to take all necessary action, within the ambit of their rules of engagement, to put an end to the impunity of insurgents and terrorists.

14. This will include the authority to arrest and detain suspects, the taking of possession and control of any building or structure used for terrorist purposes, the lock-down of any area of terrorist operation, the conduct of searches, and the apprehension of persons in illegal possession of weapons.

15. The details of this Proclamation will be transmitted to the National Assembly in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. But in the meantime, let me make it clear that within the purview of this Proclamation, the Governors and other political office holders in the affected states will continue to discharge their constitutional responsibilities.

16. I urge the political leadership in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states to co-operate maximally with the Armed Forces and the Police to ensure that the exercise succeeds. We call on the citizenry to co-operate with our security agencies to ensure a return to normalcy within the shortest possible time.

17. I am again approaching our neighbouring countries, through diplomatic channels, as done in the recent past, for their co-operation in apprehending any terrorist elements that may escape across the border.

18. Nigerians are peace-loving people; these sad events perpetrated by those who do not wish our nation well have not changed the essential character of our people.

19. I want to reassure you all that those who are directly or indirectly encouraging any form of rebellion against the Nigerian state, and their collaborators; those insurgents and terrorists who take delight in killing our security operatives, whoever they may be, wherever they may go, we will hunt them down, we will fish them out, and we will bring them to justice. No matter what it takes, we will win this war against terror.

20. I am convinced that with your support and prayers, we shall overcome these challenges and together, we will restore every part of our country to the path of peace, growth and development.

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

What are you thinking?

Kenyans held a peaceful protest outside Kenya’s parliament today to protest the demand of newly elected members of parliament for a salary increase. Kenyan protesters also released pigs outside of Parliament during the protest. See the video and pictures of the protest below.

What are you thinking?

What are you thinking?

SPEECH BY GENERAL MUHAMMADU BUHARI, GCFR, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE CONGRESS FOR PROGRESSIVE CHANGE, CPC, AT THE PARTY’S NATIONAL CONVENTION IN ABUJA, MAY 11, 2013

Protocols

With your permission, Mr Chairman, I would like to begin by welcoming all the CPC delegates to this historic occasion. And our special welcome goes out to our friends and colleagues from sister-parties, notably Chief Bisi Akande, Chief Audu Ogbeh, Musa Gwadabe, Dr. Yakubu Lame, Governors Raji Fashola and Ibikunle Amosun, former Governors Achike Udenwa, Segun Osoba and Chris Ngige, Alhaji Lai Mohammed of the ACN, Senator Ahmed Sani, Yariman Bakura, of the ANPP, and Owelle Rochas Okorocha of APGA.

2. But before I deliver my speech, I would like all of us here and across the country to reflect on the seriousness of the security situation in the country today. Some areas of the nation are virtual war zones in a country supposedly at peace. Whole local governments in some states in the North East are no-go areas to representatives of constituted authority. Marauders of every description armed to the teeth with all manner of sophisticated armaments roam the national landscape with total and murderous impunity. The patience of this nation and the various communities within it has been severely tried and stretched to its limits. And there is no end in sight.

3. Anarchy is knocking on the door of many sections of this country and the Federal government has not demonstrated that it has the good sense to understand what is going on, or the competence to check it. The nation is hopelessly adrift. But, if we are to survive, this vicious circle of violence that has engulfed this nation must be brought to an end; and we implore the National Assembly to take the lead in this quest for peace. I am sure everybody in this gathering will join me in expressing sympathy for, and solidarity with, the good people of Borno, Yobe, Kano, and now, Nasarawa and Benue states on their suffering and travails.

4. Mr. Chairman, distinguished guests and fellow delegates, we must explore every opportunity to save our country. This is a historic moment when several different political parties have resolved to come together to change Nigeria for the better and stop the mindless drift that has been going on for the last fourteen years. We must understand and accept that we are here gathered to make history or forever stand accused and condemned by it. We must seize this moment that calls for patriotism and sacrifice—it is time to sacrifice everything—time, resources, ambition and ego—for the greater good. We should carry this process through to a successful conclusion, and leave our legacy and foot-prints on the history of Nigeria.

5. Many political analysts have long stated that the only way to stabilize the country is for opposition parties to merge and oust the ruling PDP. In 2010, during the run-up to the elections of 2011, ACN and CPC inaugurated committees to explore ways and means of merging into a single political party.

6. We have gone to the extent of developing a flag, a logo, a name and have even proceeded to discuss with the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, about the modalities of consummating our plans; but time proved too short, and we were not about to give too many hostages to fortune.

7. So the present move is really a continuation of the efforts begun in 2010; and this time we have started early, following the rules step by step. On its part, the CPC has, within the last two months, established the following committees with appropriate terms of reference:

1. Merger Committee;
2. Convention Committee;
3. Membership and Registration Committee;
4. Contact and Mobilization Committee; and
5. Publicity Committee;

8. The objective of these committees is to prepare CPC for the proposed merger; and these committees have satisfactorily concluded their assignments and their proposals have been submitted to NEC and to the Board of Trustees, and these are now being presented to you, the National Convention, the highest policy making body of our party. Other parties have fast-tracked their processes and some have even held their conventions. So far, so good.

No doubt, all the parties joining to form APC are coming in as equals; but, realistically, we all know that some are more equal than others. Nevertheless, every joining party will bring its peculiar strengths to this union and together we will, in every sense of the word, be too strong for the ruling party to resist. With this, we believe the time for real change has finally come to Nigeria — and it must change now before it become too late.

The government has failed in almost everything; it has proved unable to secure the nation’s internal environment: there is insecurity everywhere. There is spiraling lawlessness all over the country. There is widespread and rising poverty and unemployment across the length and breadth of the country. There is a complete and total decline in the quality of social services and an irremediable dilapidation in the nation’s socio-economic infrastructure across board.

9. There is an unprecedented fall in the nation’s standard of living and an astronomical rise in the standard of dying. In short, today, there is nothing going right; and we have become a nation in which nothing works as it should, that is, if it works at all. When they said they have what they call a Transformation Agenda, we didn’t understand, but we now know better; because, within the space of three years, they have transformed the country into a veritable wilderness, where everything that should work, doesn’t; where everything that can get broken, has.

10. They promised to give the nation credible elections; they couldn’t deliver. They promised to fight corruption, they couldn’t deliver. They promised to stop the insurgency, and they couldn’t deliver. This nation is witness to the fact that whenever we promised, we delivered. And today, I promise you most solemnly that we shall confront and eliminate corruption in the electoral process. We shall confront and eliminate corruption in the judicial process; and we shall most assuredly confront and eliminate it in the conduct of government business.

11. All these evils derive and draw inspiration from a government that is itself immersed to its neck in a cesspool of corruption; and is best characterized by its own favourite catchphrases: whether it is ‘Do or die,’ or ‘We will rule forever,’ or ‘No vacancy in Aso Rock,’ or they want to ‘fight to finish,’ it is the same thing — something that could never be uttered by true democrats. Their behaviour, language and body language are in complete and total disregard for democratic norms and the ordinary decencies of civilized conduct.

12. We intend to provide a government of different quality and tone to the people of Nigeria, one that will tackle the problem of insecurity, solve the perennial issue of incessant power failure, arrest the shameful deterioration in the standard of education, confront the decline in agricultural production head-on, and stop the collapse of commerce and industry.

13. Ladies and gentlemen, fellow CPC members on behalf of the Board of Trustees of our party, I commend the proposals shortly to be put before you. The best way to eliminate this government that has not brought anything to Nigerians except thievery of resources and violence is to accept to merge our parties. And we only elect to do this because that is what we believe to be in the best interest of the majority of the people of this country.

14. And I would like to end by once again thanking our steadfast supporters — you, the ordinary folks — who have been the unbreakable backbone of this struggle, from the time we started this journey in APP to ANPP and then to CPC. You did not do it for material gain; otherwise, you will have turned your backs on us. No doubt, you decided to stay the course as a mark of respect for our stand, and possibly knowing that we would never let you down. You relied on our judgment to forge ahead through the thicket of the country’s corruption-laden politics. This we have tried to do to the best of our ability, and will continue to do so until the masses of this country secure a fair deal from those who lead them. What we desire is democracy and freedom for all our people. And in this struggle, we think we have done our bit.

15. At its formation, the CPC became the greatest crowd-pulling party in the nation’s political history; and within six months of its registration, and in spite of all the rigging of the poll and the snatching of its votes, it was still able to get more than 12 million votes in the 2011 presidential election. After the merger, the sky will be the limit.

16. While thanking you again, I implore you not to relent as we embark on yet another move in the search for a better tomorrow for our country, Nigeria. We are now in the final stages of the move that will culminate in the merger of our party—the CPC—with three other parties. We join this effort compromising none of our principles but yielding to the belief that our diverse efforts, applied in unison, will help arrest the rot that has become our lot.

17. We go into this new arrangement still loyal to you and committed to what you stand for. We go into this arrangement conscious of our responsibilities to you and grateful for all the sacrifices you have been making since the beginning of our journey. We count on you, as we have always done, to guide, support and defend our position. We will strive to work hard to expand and level the democratic playing field in accordance with the dictates of the rule of law. We declare that we are in this together—and together we shall remain to the end.

18. We played by the rules and we accepted to play alongside those who didn’t; because we believed our participation was giving millions hope that positive change will come along the way. Now change has finally come; and they cannot stop it. And we are putting the current leadership of this nation on notice that our people will no longer tolerate its corruption or the rigging, vote thievery and general impunity that have become the norm and standard practice during elections in this country.

19. We have resolved that henceforth our votes must all be counted—and they must all go on to count. And we declare that this nation has now resolved, through its united opposition, that it will never again tolerate or allow to pass the mayhem the government deliberately creates in order to cover up its guilt, obscure the issues and then blame the opposition in order to deceive gullible folks. And we will no longer be intimidated by anyone.

Thank you very much for your patience and attention. May God bless us.

General Muhammdu Buhari, GCFR

President Goodluck Jonathan deplores yesterday’s attack by armed terrorists on Bama, Borno State which claimed scores of lives.

President Jonathan believes that the continuation of such callous and wanton attacks of innocent Nigerians, government facilities and security formations flies in the face of ongoing efforts to establish a workable framework for dialogue and the peaceful resolution of security challenges in Northern Nigeria.

The President warns that the Federal Government’s consideration of dialogue as an option for the elimination of some current threats to security should not be seen as a weakening of its resolve and determination to use all the forces at its disposal to crush all brazen affronts to the powers and sovereignty of the Nigerian nation.

President Jonathan extends sincere condolences to the families and colleagues of the soldiers, policemen and prison officials who lost their lives in the dastardly attack.

The President urges the armed forces and police not to be disheartened or daunted by the loss of their colleagues, but to remain focused and undeterred in discharging their responsibility for the security of lives and property in all parts of Nigeria with the assurance that the Federal Government will continue to give the Armed Forces and Police the fullest possible support to enhance their ability to meet the continuing challenges of terrorism and insurgency.

President Jonathan also commiserates with the families of the innocent civilians who were either killed or injured in Tuesday’s attack on Bama.

Reuben Abati

Special Adviser to the President

[Media & Publicity]

May 8, 2013

By The United Nations

3 May 2013 – The United Nations today reiterated its calls on the Nigerian Government to abide by human rights principles during security patrols following reports that nearly 220 civilians were killed during violent clashes between military forces and the Islamist group Boko Haram.

“We are very concerned about the large number of casualties, reportedly including many civilians, and massive destruction of houses and property, as well as displacement that has taken place in over the past few weeks in north-eastern Nigeria,” the spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Rupert Colville, told journalists today in Geneva.

“We call on the Government to make sure its efforts to achieve security are in full compliance with human rights principles,” he added, also urging security forces and the military to respect human rights, and avoid excessive use of force when conducting operations, as the patrols stoked local resentment, especially when civilians were killed or had their property damaged.

The renewed calls are a response to incidents in Baga, a town on the shores of Lake Chad in which fighting erupted overnight on 16 April and continued for days. OHCHR said the fighting was spurred by the killing of a soldier on a military patrol by the Islamic extremist group, Boko Haram which is based in the State.

Mr. Colville said that OHCHR welcomes President Goodluck Jonathan’s commitment to hold accountable all those involved in the human rights violations perpetrated during the Baga attack, and urges the Nigerian government to carry out a “full and impartial investigation”

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said immediately after the attack that he was “shocked and saddened” by the civilian casualties and called all concerned to fully respect human rights and protect civilians.

“We repeat our calls for concerted efforts to tackle the causes of the repeated outbreaks of violence in the north east of Nigeria and to put an end the cycle of violence and deadly reprisal attacks,” Mr. Colville said today.

As part of an overall effort to stem the violence with means other than force, President Jonathan has established a Committee to work out modalities for an amnesty and compensation for victims, as well as to open talks with Boko Haram. OHCHR today said it welcomes the establishment of the Committee as an “important step.”

The Office urged, however, that perpetrators of serious human rights violations, including by Boko Haram elements and members of the security forces, are held accountable and that amnesties are not granted to anyone responsible for very serious violations.

Boko Haram has reportedly been responsible for kidnappings, killings and drive-by motorbike assassinations of civilians and politicians, members of government institutions, security forces and foreign nationals.

Last year, over 100 people were killed when the radical group attacked churches in Kaduna State, drawing widespread condemnation from the UN.

By Ahmed Kaita

The recent “the man at the top” incident involving the grounding of the jet carrying Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi and the Speaker, House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal left no one in doubt as to the trajectory of politics and politicking in Nigeria; particularly in preparation to the next round of elections.

It is saddening that despite numerous attempts, Nigeria is yet to achieve minimum level of global standard of democracy. While many countries in Africa that hitherto looked up to Nigeria as guide have since developed democratic skills and tolerance, Nigeria is left wobbling dangerously close to a crevice that leads to nowhere but political doom. Perhaps, this may explain the trashing of the President of the “giant” Nigeria by a lesser known President Boni Yayi of a less visible Benin Republic in the last round of elections to elect leaders for the African Union (AU).

It is obvious the presidency is jittery about the bandied idea of Governor Amaechi supporting any of the Northern contenders to the office of the president come 2015. While it was an irritating nightmare for President Jonathan to have a governor from his South-South region threatening to confuse and upset the most important agenda in the mind of President Jonathan; that of candidature come 2015, it is real horror to the presidency to have a hint of a combined threat from Governor Amaechi, known for his political acumen and dexterity and an equally suave and articulate Speaker of the House of Representatives; arguably the most promising politician among the new generation with the clout to cause an upset to current permutation oozing out of the villa hence, the desperation to harass, embarrass or even intimidate the duo. It does not matter to the presidency if by doing so one have to desecrate the offices of a Governor and the Speaker, House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that symbolises democratic freedom and as well abuse policies and basic constitutional provisions that enhance smooth democratic culture.

It is apparent, the President or his handlers are living in self-denial. Of course they should know, if tricks and procedural abuse can achieve results Amaechi and Tambuwal would not be governor and Speaker respectively. Both might have been lost in some obscure offices being punished for exhibiting signs of democratic independence. The whole Nigeria stood watching, live on TV the unfolding drama of an intense tug of war between the mighty presidency on the one hand and the “bowler hat” wearing, suave and confident Tambuwal; both scheming to outdo one another trying to install Speaker for the House of Representatives.

In the end, the overwhelming acceptance of Tambuwal that cut across party and ethno-religious sentimentality carried the day. The House, in an unprecedented move elected Tambuwal the Speaker. It was clear, the House intended to have a well equipped leader with a mind of his own that can give the House the required confidence to deal with an executive arm loaded with excessive tendencies to abuse procedure and short circuit the system — one of which was the intense desire to deny the House the right of choice to its leadership as enshrined in the Constitution.

It is, therefore not entirely out of character if the government is not weaned from its dictatorial tendencies. Matter of fact, Nigerians should be ready to face more of these excesses from this government, particularly now that nobody is in doubt about its inability to deliver a fraction of the expectations of the public as well as its fixation to a 2nd term (or is it 3rd term?) The reality of this could be perceived from the recent arrest and detention of two reporters from the LEADERSHIP Newspaper stable for reporting a clandestine attempt to subdue some leading members of the political opposition merger effort by attacking their business interests. This was meant to conquer the “merger fear” that is giving the presidency sleepless nights.

Further confirmation to the willingness of the regime to abuse and subdue the public could be seen from the recent $40million internet surveillance contract alleged to have been awarded to an Israeli company to spy on the internet communications of citizens as well as to intercept and read private e-mails. The Nazi government of Adolph Hitler was not careless to go this far.

Against all decorum, the presidency acted against its fake claim to democracy and its tenets. This becomes apparent when one considers the intense campaign to smear General Muhammadu Buhari as undemocratic through the usual pretence of judging a military regime with a democratic scale. Perhaps, General Buhari may now have a breathing space with President Jonathan doing worse acrobatics with a Constitution than what he (Buhari) supposedly did with military decrees. May be Doyin Okupe, Reuben Abati and Labaran Maku should start explaining the difference between the travails of Guardian’s Tunde Thompson and Nduka Iraboh of the “decree 4” fame on one hand, and the LEADERSHIP crew being harassed for the expose explained above.

Of course, Tambuwal and Amaechi may be conveniently grounded (though not stranded) in Akure for spurious and childish reasons by the all powerful Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), but certainly it cannot ground the aspirations of the Nigerian public to support anybody with the potential to kick this confused and rudderless regime out of power.

Ahmed Kaita is a CPC member of the Federal House of Representatives of Nigeria.

Comrade Rex Ekiugbo Anighoro, spokesman to the Alhaji Mujahid Abubakr Dokubo Asari led Niger Delta People’s Salvation Front (NDPSF) with Dr. Fredrick Fasheun, Founder, O’odua People’s Congress (OPC) today at a parley in Lagos state, Nigeria to strengthen the self determination strategic collaboration between the people of the O’odua – South West and the Niger Delta.

What are you thinking?

“A DATE WITH DESTINY” – (a speech delivered by the Guest Speaker Chief Femi Fani-Kayode at the launching of the book titled “Highlife – The Amazing Lifestyle Of The Rich and Famous” written by Mr. Lanre Alfred and launched at the Muson Centre, Lagos on the 24th April 2013).

In 1999 when President Olusegun Obasanjo came to power he met 1.5 billion USD in our foreign reserves. Yet by the time he left office in 2007, eight years later, he built up those reserves from 1.5 billion to 67 billion USD. Out of that 67 billion he deducted 20 billion and used it to pay off a large chunk of our foreign debt. That is how we arrived at the figure of 47 billion USD which was left in our foreign reserves in 2007 when Obasanjo left office and handed over power to the incoming administration. Today, four years later, despite very high crude oil prices and record amounts of oil and gas sales, Nigeria still only has approximately 45 billion USD in her foreign reserves. Some have described this as progress. Yet I do not believe that this can be described as progress in any shape or form. Successor governments are meant to build on the legacy of those that came before them. This is especially so when they belong to the same political party. In the case of the Jonathan administration this has clearly not happened given the fact that today we have just a little less in our foreign reserves than we did four years ago.

Let us look at our foreign debt profile. In 1999 when President Obasanjo came to power he inherited a foreign debt of over 30 billion USD from the Abubakar administration. Yet by the time he left power in 2007 he had paid off that debt fully and for the first time in the history of the world, sub-saharan Africa had a country that was completely debt-free. No other African country has ever achieved this. Yet sadly, four years later and under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, our foreign debt has risen from zero to 9 billion USD. Consequently all the admiration and wonderful accolades that we won as a country from the international commmunity for exercising and indulging in financial prudence and good old-fashioned fiscal discipline when Obasanjo was in power have been squandered and lost.

Now let us look at the Excess Crude Account. In 1999 when President Obasanjo came to power there was zero in the Excess Crude Account simply because there was no such thing at the time. He established it and created it specifically for saving some of our foreign exchange “for a rainy day”. Consequently from zero in 1999 he saved and built it up to 24 billion USD in eight years. This was unprecedented and it was commended by all the international monetary institutions. No-one believed that an African government was capable of saving money in this way. However the concept of “saving for a rainy day” did not last for too long after Obasanjo left power. By the end of the second year of President Umaru Yar’adua’s tenure of office the Excess Crude Account was completely drained and left with only a paltry one billion USD. This surely has to be a record when it comes to reckless public spending and the squandering of our resources. In fairness to the Jonathan administration they met next to nothing in the Excess Crude Account when he took over as President two years ago and since then he has been trying to build it up again. Yet despite his efforts, as at the last time I checked, we had only 7 billion USD in that account. This figure represents 17 billion USD less than we left in that same account four years ago when President Obasanjo left office.

These are indeed difficult and unpleasant submissions from which I derive no joy but nevertheless true and accurate ones. Facts and figures do not lie and in this case they tell a very disturbing story. It is incumbent on us all to urge our Government to do far better. Yet the last time some of us tried to do this government referred to us, in a thoroughly disdainful manner, as being “hypocrites” and nothing more than “yesterdays men”. The point was taken. They did not want us to ask any questions, to speak the truth, to assess their performance, to let the Nigerian people know where they were taking us or to express our deep concerns about the direction in which our country was going. We were even subjected to veiled threats and the most primitive and crude forms of intimidation. Yet it did not work and neither can it ever work because we are talking about the destiny of our country. No-one is intimidated and I for one will never be silent and cannot be silenced as long as there is life and breath in me.

It is to that end that I will take the opportunity of this august gathering to ask the same questions of “today’s men”, in addition to one or two new ones, that I asked just a few weeks ago. And those questions are as follows.

When will our President take President Obasanjo’s advice and finally do something concrete about Boko Haram and our security situation? When will our Government come to terms with the fact that a policy of appeasement and the offering of amnesty to a bunch of murderers, criminals and terrorists that seek to establish an Islamic fundamentalist state in northern Nigeria and that seek to kill and maim everyone that opposes them in that inglorious endeavour is not only an exercise in futility but that it also sets a dangerous precedent? Does the fact that at least 4,400 Nigerians have been killed by Boko Haram and Ansaru in the last two years under their watch not bother them? Does the fact that according to the BBC and CNN 185 innocent Nigerians were murdered, 2000 buildings burnt to the ground and 10,000 people displaced in Baga town in one day just two days ago give them any cause for concern?

Is this not an eloquent testimony to the fact that the crisis is escalating and that all their calls and offers of amnesty to Boko Haram have fallen on deaf ears and failed? Does the fact that it took our Government two days to even acknowledge that the Baga massacres ever took place and that when they finally did all they said was that they would “investigate it” not seem rather insensitive? This was after the Secretary General of the U.N. and numerous other world leaders had not only condemned the massacre but had also expressed their condolences to our President, to the Nigerian people and to those that lost their loved ones. Yet to the best of my knowledge not one word of condolence or regret was offered by our President or our Government. Since when have we degenerated to such a point that when our people are killed in such a brazen manner and in such large numbers we don’t even seem to “give a damn”? Since when have we become a nation of sociopaths that have no feeling and that do not value human life?

4,400 precious souls cut short and slaughtered like chickens by Boko Haram in the last two years. How can our government sleep well at night with all that innocent blood that has flowed whilst they are at the helm of affairs of our nation? More innocent souls have been killed in the last 2 years by terrorists than at any other time in the history of Nigeria outside the civil war. How does President Jonathan and his “today’s men” feel about winning such a dubious and dishonorable title? Does he still regard Boko Haram as “his siblings” who he “cannot hurt”? Why did the President refuse to visit the good people of the northeast for so long despite the fact that hundreds of people are still being slaughtered there by Boko Haram every day? He did not visit the place until the APC governors took the initiative, did the right thing, went there boldly and paved the way? It was only after that initiative was taken by the opposition that our President woke up from his deep slumber, remembered that he was the Commander in Chief of our Armed Forces and saw fit to go to the north-east. Why did he take so long before doing so?

Moving to the issue of corruption and the economy, when will our President and his “today’s men” answer David Cameron, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom’s question and tell him what they did with the 100 billion USD that they made from oil sales in the last two years? When will they answer Obi Ezekwesili’s question about how they squandered 67 billion USD of our foreign reserves? When will they answer the question that Nasir El- Rufai asked sometime back about how they spent over 350 billion naira on security vote in one year alone? When will they answer the many questions that Pat Utomi and many other distinguished and courageous leaders and “yesterday’s men” have raised about the trillions of naira that have been supposedly spent on oil subsidy payments in the last two years?

When will they implement the findings and recommendations of the Nuhu Ribadu report on the thievery that has gone on in the oil sector? When will they cultivate the guts and find the courage to respond to a call for a public debate to defend their abysmal record? When will these “today’s men” stop being so reckless with our money? Why would our “today’s man” FCT Minister budget 5 billion for the “rehabilitation of prostitutes in Abuja”? Why would he budget 7.5 billion naira for a new “FCT city gate”? Why would he budget 4 billion naira for some kind of building or centre for the First Lady? Why would the Federal Government of “today’s men” budget 1 billion naira for food in the Villa? Are these the priorities of “today’s men”? And all this when Nigeria is back in foreign debt to the tune of 9 billion USD and is still borrowing, when local debt has hit almost 50 billion USD, when 40 percent of Nigerians are unemployed, when graduate unemployment has hit 80 percent, when 40 percent of Nigerians do not have access to good food and are described by the U.N.D.P as being “hungry” and when 70 percent of Nigerians are living below the poverty line? Is this the vision of “today’s men”?

If so, may God deliver Nigeria. So much destruction and disaster all wrought in the space of two years and by just one man. That is the legacy of “today’s men”. Yet just as it took one man to take us to these dingy and depressing depths so it will take one man to lift us up again to the heights of glory. It took Adam, who was just one man, to destroy humanity and take away all that God had given unto us so freely. Yet it took just one other man, by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, to redeem mankind, to restore us, to reconcile us with God and and to once again grant us our salvation and give us dominion over the earth. One man destroyed and another came down, as God incarnate in the flesh, and restored.

I have come here to tell you today that though one man has virtually destroyed the great legacy that was handed over to him and entrusted to him and his co-pilot 4 years ago in 2007, we should not lose hope because God has already raised and prepared another to take that power back in 2015 in a free and fair democratic election. He has raised another to redeem our fortunes, restore our pride, dignity and self-respect, rebuild our economy, restore law and order and give our beloved homeland and our beautiful people hope for a better tomorrow. No matter how bad things may be today, God has already made a way out and crafted a master plan for restoration, joy, abundance and a good harvest for our future. That is indeed where our hope lies. We leave all to Him and we shall continue to do that which He Himself has asked us to do in His Holy Word by speaking out against injustice, oppression, persecution, corruption and the rampant evil that reigns supreme in our land. We must not remain silent when faced with this evil. We must not remain holed up in our prayer closets and merely continue to hope against hope. We must do more; far more than that. We must get involved in the struggle, join hands with all the relevant stakeholders, get involved in politics and work and fight hard within the confines of the constitution and the law to remove those that have visited such evil on our land and sought to blight the future of our nation. And in this struggle fear and indifference has no place because we are eagles, we are kings and we are lions.

I say this because eagles do not hide when they see a storm gathering, lions do not retreat when the enemy threatens and kings do not run when they hear the sound of battle. Rather the eagle flies boldly into the eye of the storm without a trace of fear but with power, majesty, grace and passion. The lion rises and roars with courage and strength as his adversary approaches. The king does not yield one inch of the field to the marauding enemy but rather he gallantly and boldly leads his captains and princes into the most bitter part of the battle.

This surely is our calling and the essence of our lives. The Lord has given us the spirit of the eagle and the lion: the spirit of the warrior and the king. We cannot and will not be intimidated by anything, any circumstance or anyone and least of all by what we see or hear. And why should we be afraid of mere mortals, for what is man? The bible asks,”who art thou o man?” It then answers its own question by saying “thou art as the grass that withers, thou art as the flower that fadeth……..a man that is born of woman, that is here today and tomorrow is no more.” Indeed that is all we are before God. His word says it is He alone that has the power to “give life and to kill.” If we die tomorrow it is by His will and if we live tomorrow it is by His grace. His word says it is He alone that is worthy of our fear and of our praise.

We must therefore all humble ourselves before God and know that He alone rules in the affairs of men and determines the destiny of nations. So fear God alone and be the man or woman that He has called you to be; a prince of Heaven, a deliverer of his people, a fearless warrior and a worthy king. And one of the characteristics of a true leader and king is the courage and ability to fearlessly rise up to the occasion and speak out when faced with evil, injustice and oppression. One question that is often asked today is why should we speak out ? Why bother? What difference does it make? And yet Edmund Burke provided the answer to the question when he said that when good men remain silent when they see evil in the land, that is when such evil flourishes. He said that the hottest place in hell is reserved for such “good” yet silent men. This is not only true but it is also deeply profound. That is why it saddens me when some people suggest that we should not talk about our challenges and that we should not speak out and protest against the evil and injustice that thrives in our land today. Imagine what it would have been like if people had adopted that attitude all over the world and throughout world history.

The point is that we must speak out strongly and protest against evil whenever and wherever we see it. That is why we were educated in the first place and that is what being a believer is all about. Protesting against, speaking against and fighting against injustice and evil is the greatest duty that we have to humanity and to one another as human beings. It is a sacred trust and obligation before God. The minute we stop talking, we stop protesting and we stop speaking out against that which is unjust and evil, that is when we are truly lost as a people. That is when we cease to be the men and women that God has ordained us to be. That is when we no longer deserve to be called human beings. That is when we must bow our heads in shame forever.

Today our nation stands at a crossroads and it is left for us to decide which path we choose to take. Do we take the path of despair and dishonour and give up on our country? Or do we rise above it all and latch on to the promises of God for our land and for our people? With biting poverty, mounting hopelessness, a bleeding economy, youth restiveness, unprecedented violence, brazen acts of terror and all manner of vices and evil thriving in the land one wonders how things got so bad.

The foundation for our current situation was laid many years ago and since that time we have seen so much suffering and failure at virtually all levels. We were plagued with leaders who lacked vision, who lacked intellect, who lacked sincerity of purpose and who were antagonistic to those that dared to challenge their visionless and purposeless policies. Our country is currently bedevilled with so much negativity that it is easy to look around and just give up. Yet I say that we must never give up because “hope springs eternal”. The bible says though the night may be dark yet “joy comes in the morning”. The wise ones say you cannot have a message without a mess. You cannot have a testimony without a test. You cannot get to the top of the mountain without first going to the bottom of the valley. This is true.

And out of Nigeria’s “mess” shall surely come her “message”. Out of Nigeria’s “test” shall surely come her “testimony”. We have been to the “bottom of the valley” and therefore we shall get to the “top of the mountain”. Our dream for a better Nigeria shall never die and neither can our collective prayers be in vain. I refuse to give up because I know that the God that I serve never fails. He alone rules in the affairs of men. He alone forges the destiny of nations. Out of a deep void and formlessness He ordered the creation of the world. He established it by the power of His word and He gave us dominion over it.
In the same way He created Nigeria for His purpose and for His glory and that purpose and glory shall surely be established. It shall come to pass and it will be manifest to the entire world. We shall see it and we shall be established in it as a nation and as a people.

If God can do it for others, He can do it for us too. We can be great and, by the grace of God, we shall be great. This is my dream and this is what I see. And believe me when I tell you that it is prophetic. A Nigeria where every man and woman, regardless of faith, ethnicity, status or political persuasion finds a common cause and relishes in our collective humanity. A Nigeria where the rich have a conscience and the poor have hope. A Nigeria where joy and peace reign supreme and where bombings and killings are a thing of the past. A Nigeria where the descendants of Ishmael and Isaac and the adherents of the two great Abrahamic faiths of Islam and Christianity live together in peace, harmony and mutual respect. A Nigeria where the secularity of the state is respected yet where God is revered and honoured by all.

A Nigeria where the knowledge and fear of the Living God reigns in the hearts and minds of the people. A Nigeria where every man is His brother’s keeper, where leaders show compassion to those that they lead, where justice is done to all and where political persecution has no place. A Nigeria where decency is rewarded, where dissent is tolerated, where non-conformity is encouraged and where equity is enthroned. That is the Nigeria of my dream. A Nigeria where youth unemployment is low and where every individual, no matter how high or low, can aspire to any position and live his or her dream. That is the Nigeria of my dream. A Nigeria where human life and human dignity is sacrosanct and where fairness is the watchword of every soul. That is the Nigeria of my dream.

I have no fears about the future of this great nation because the God that I serve never fails. The bible says the nations are “as a drop of water before Him”. He sits above the circles of the earth and He counts the earth as His footstool. Yet despite His sheer awesomeness and majesty, with Him lies great compassion and mercy. Once we return to Him, acknowledge Him, honour Him and are led and guided by Him, He will restore us and shower us with His blessings. The Lord awaits us to make the right choice. We either continue to wallow in self-delusion, wickedness, greed, murder, the persecution of perceived enemies, the abuse of power, evil and insensitivity or we desist from our wicked ways and turn to Him. I am persuaded that once we make the right choice our date with destiny, as a people and as a nation, will come far sooner than we can possibly imagine.

In his book titled ”The Wretched of the Earth” Frantz Fanon said the following – “each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission and fulfill it or betray it.” Past generations in Nigeria have not lived up to expectation. This is the bitter truth.
Yet there is still hope as long as we have faith. That hope and faith is our blessed assurance and it lives in our minds and hearts. We know that the Lord will fix it. We know that He is “more than able”. We know that He is a man of war whom none can resist and we know that He restores, redeems and rebuilds even the most broken and wretched walls. Dr. Martin Luther King jr., after delivering his celebrated and inspiring “I have a dream” speech, was felled by an assassin’s bullet on April 4, 1968. To those that killed him, his dream died with him. Yet they were wrong. They did not know that great dreams, once birthed, never die.

That is why the Word of God said “if the princes of this world had known they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory”. If those that murdered Jesus had known that He would honour His word and rise up three days later they would not have crucified him. They persecuted Him, they humiliated Him, they beat Him, they tortured Him, they spat on Him and they killed Him yet they could not kill His dream or abort His mission. His dream lived on and became a reality for all mankind to see. It was the same with Martin Luther King. They killed him but his mission had already been achieved and his vision came to pass 45 years after his sacrificial and selfless death when a black man by the name of Barack Obama was elected President of the United States of America. This is indeed the stuff of which dreams are made. Great things are birthed in great dreams and if you dare to dream nothing is impossible.

I have a dream for Nigeria. I have a dream that one day Nigerians will see themselves as Nigerians before anything else and they will not regard their country and its people as a collection of strange bed-fellows that do not love or trust one another. Yet this dream can only be fulfilled when those amongst us that call ourselves leaders preach, practice and display discipline, temperance, holiness, morality, restraint, tolerance, mercy and the fear of God in the conduct of our affairs. It can only be made manifest when we stand up and fight against evil, tyranny, injustice, indecency, bad governance, the abuse of power, political persecution and sheer wickedness.

Our dream can only be brought to reality when love is the motivating factor in all that we do. The Lord commands us to love our neighbour as we do ourselves. That is the cornerstone and the foundation of our faith and it is in that faith and that resolve that our hope for a better and greater Nigeria lies. I have a dream that Nigeria will be what God wants her to be, a great and powerful nation that is dedicated to the Living God and that will act as a shining example and a beacon of light for all to see.

I assure you that despite the dashed hopes and unbearable suffering of millions of our people over the last 52 years, our dream still lives and the Lord shall not forsake us. Our land and our people may seem blighted, in despair, depressed, repressed and confused. It may appear as if there is no hope for a better tomorrow and that nothing will ever change. It may seem as if the Lord has forgotten us and it may appear that our story is one of recurrent failure and shattered dreams. Yet this is not so. I have come here today to tell you that, despite all we see and hear, it is not over for us as a people and as a nation. I have come here today to tell you that we as a people have a date with destiny. I have come here today to tell you that Nigeria and the Nigerian dream lives on and that it shall be made manifest for all to see in the fullness of time.

I therefore urge you to be strong, to hold your heads up high, to be proud of who and what you are and to stand firm. The vision is for an appointed time. Though it may tarry it shall not prove false. Just hold on. God bless you and God bless Nigeria.