ARISE, O COMPATRIOTS

I was watching the speeches at the democratic national convention and It stung something in me and made me think of my country Nigeria.

You Know, there is a sarcastic, joking front when we speak of Nigeria because our pain as a people is so much that only time and God will heal and the only way out for most of us is to talk about it with a form of satire but I believe it’s time to break those bands so we can begin to build a better Nigeria.

There’s no place like home and in Nigeria is our land, Lands that are ours to fight for, Lands and resources that were given to us all by God so that we can prosper as a people, not siphoned by a privileged few who think that Kings rule and not serve. In Nigeria, we can build hope for our children and children’s children and show to the world that we are a great people great (something we have already shown with all the accolades taken by Nigerians all over the world) and are willing to take the reins and make Africa and Africans great again because the prosperity of Africa is tied to Nigeria.

We’ve got from now till Jesus comes to change the story of our nation and build from the ruins of where we find ourselves today as a people.

You Know our founding fathers (not the Awolowos, Azikwes and Balewas) our fathers who fought for the African man, that fought against the tyranny of the British  and for what we have, fought  not seeing what will become of the Kingdoms that they built (they just wanted to leave an inheritance to their children and children’s children), then their sons the Awolowos, Azikwes and Balewas fought so that we will become great and live better lives, what they did not see was that decades later we will still be fighting to be what we can be, they did not see that their efforts will create the most populous black nation, they did not see that their efforts will produce men and women in every nation of the world working hard to leave better lives for their children, they did not see that today we will be fighting the fight of our lives against the evil of corruption and lack of competence in our leadership.

The days seem dark and bleak today but when we look back on humanity’s history we will see that there will always be dark days but the way out has always been to hope. To hope that we will be out of it by putting our hands together to build a country where no one will be left on the side. Hope is what helps us see the light at the end of the tunnel but most of all dealing with the issues that have brought these dark days upon us; the canker-worm of corruption, the locust of ethnicity & bigotry, we must go back to the very values that make us who we are. We must Hope against Hope.

In the midst of our dark days, we still have men and women who are fighting for the good of all but they cannot do it alone, let it be known that no man in any place can rescue us or can build the Nigeria we desire on his or her own (at least till Jesus comes), the Nigeria that we want can be built by us all, every single Nigerian must put his hands together to build what we want.  We build by our decisions every day, we build by our decisions at the polls, we build by how we treat the person next to us.

We should not be carried away. Not carried away by the tyranny of some of our present leaders, their selfishness, their bigotry, their lack of grace and their approach to leadership. They are examples of how not to build a nation, they are examples of what we would not become, they are examples of how a nation can be destroyed and how a nation will not move forward. They are the cancer that we must fight in building Nigeria and making it great like it once was.

But first we must admit our wrongs of the past. We must admit that we have failed to put the weak and oppressed first, that we have not pursued policies that seek to strengthen our bond as a nation. We must admit that we have gone into public office by seeking the gains for ourselves, our families, our tribes, our people and our zones. We must admit that we have shed the blood of the innocent, that we have put innocent men in prison, that we have not risen up to fight for those who have no voice, that we have been greedy of filthy lucre that we have not sowed where we ought to so that our children might reap prosperity and freedom.

Then we must move ahead. Agree together that we will not repeat these same mistakes; that is the only way the labour of our heroes past will be not be in vain. We must push for the values that make a great nation hard work, compassion, diligence, determination and sacrifice by one for all.

We must obey the call to be Nigerians.

The call to be Nigerians is to serve. To do for the good of all instead of the good of ourselves or our group. To make decisions with the least of us in mind. That’s the only way to build a great nation.

The call is that going forward we will despise anyone, whether politician or family or rich man or poor man who steals our resources for himself or a particular group of people like our corrupt politicians have done. That we will only serve out Land with Love for all, strength for the weak and Faith that we will be great.

That the Labour of every Nigerian, dead or alive will not be in vain, that we will not kill another for the interest of ourselves or our people like the Fulani herdsmen are doing today. That we will see every Nigerian as a brother in arms no matter what tribe he or she belongs to. Only then will we be able to protect our unity in the best possible way and uphold the honour and glory that we seek amongst all nations of the world.

That we will uphold the virtues of fairness and justice. That we would not be involved in the politics of name calling instead of addressing the very issues that are fundamental to our becoming great. That we will choose leaders not servants to lead us, men and women who have vision not men who are looking to give stomach infrastructure. Men or women who are looking to serve not those who are position seekers.

That we will sacrifice for the person next to us. That we will uphold the freedom of every one and be bound together in Freedom in Peace and Unity.

That is how we will

That is what we are called to. That is how we will become what we should and can be.

That’s the Call to Every Young Nigerian if we will be NIGERIA.

That's the Call every time it is sung "Arise, O compatriots. Nigeria's Call Obey........"