Excerpts from the text of a remark yours truly made at the first open conference call of the Leadership Agenda For Nigeria

Thank you all for joining this call even at a short notice. It is evident that the passion for Nigerian excellence runs deep in all of us. I will seek your indulgence to make the following brief remarks about the state of Nigeria’s political ideology, its past and present.

Ladies and gentlemen, I submit to you all this evening that the state of Nigeria’s political ideology is none. Post independence Nigeria had three distinct ideologies personified by three individuals. Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe and Alhaji Ahmadu Bello. They were not commonly held ideologies across the nation, nevertheless, they served some type of purpose for their respective regions. The gains that were made during this period was because despite their shortcomings, all three of them believed in something and through their different leadership skills they delivered on some of their promises.

As of now, there is no clearly defined political ideology for the most populous black nation on earth. This brings me to the issue of Nigeria’s many political parties; what exactly do they believe in besides graft? Any re orientation or rebranding of Nigeria has to start with defining what Nigeria stands for.

It is my humble belief that Nigeria should stand for the eradication of poverty, illiteracy and disease within its borders. I believe her global aspirations should be as a beacon of hope to all who are black. And it should be a welcoming place for all black citizens and art.

Progressive Nigerians have demonstrated through their participation on this call that what we want is nothing short of a radical overhaul of the Nigerian government through intellectual power and peaceful means.

I will suggest as we embark on this journey that we take a radical departure from existing notions of us vs. them. The pervasive suspicion of the other is what has divided us all along and has made a working relationship impossible.

Barack Obama is an example of what is possible. But he didn’t happen in a vacuum. He had to go through the Democratic Party machinery to emerge first as the democratic nominee and later as President of the United States. He couldn’t have done this without the financial and man power support of the netroots(led principally by Markos Moulitsas Zuniga of the dailykos.com) this is akin to the support that BigK of the nigeriavillagesquare is giving to this young organization by participating on this call.

The relationship between Bola Tinubu and Governor Fashola has yielded some fruits we are told in Lagos state. What we need to do going forward is to identify up and coming leaders like Fashola, support them intellectually, financially and contribute hours to their campaigns and their emergence.

Most of us here in North America witnessed the massive voter registration that was embarked upon in 2008. Those who wanted change so bad; some quit their day jobs, some reduced their work hours and some volunteered after hours to be able to register people to vote.

When was the last time young educated Nigerians embarked on a national voter registration drive?

Here at leadership Agenda for Nigeria LAN, we need to raise an army of young Nigerians and have them engage in the democratic process. The last university matriculation examination had over a million candidates. Essentially, the emerging generation has made Nigeria a nation of mostly young people.

I believe that taking Nigeria back would require us to have our fellow citizens engaged in what is happening within their municipality. Our biggest challenge going forward is how we confront apathy.

As I handover this conference call to the moderator, I want us to focus our energies on building a lasting legacy not on fleeting victories. 

Thank you and May God Bless the Republic of Nigeria.

Abdulmumin Yinka Ajia

- Good leaders are not exclusive to any one nation and they are not foreign to Nigeria

Robot  # 1 | 29.05.2009 02:45

Post independence Nigeria had three distinct ideologies personified by three individuals. As of now, there is no clearly defined political ideology for the most populous black nation on earth.................... It is my humble belief that Nigeria should stand for the eradication of poverty, illiteracy and disease within its borders. I believe her global aspirations should be as a beacon of hope to all who are black. And it should be a welcoming place for all black citizens and art....Read the full article.

Zuma  # 2 | 29.05.2009 08:02

Waiting for updates. Enough of the talking. Where do we go from here?

Zuma  # 3 | 29.05.2009 12:45

http://www.saharareporters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2876:soyinka-okey-ndibe-femi-falana-and-nuhu-ribadu-arrive-in-london-for-state-of-the-nation-summit&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=18 Soyinka, Okey Ndibe, Femi Falana and Nuhu Ribadu arrive in London for State of the Nation summit Thursday, 28 May 2009 14:51 SaharaReporters, New York http://www.saharareporters.com/images/stories/soyinka_ribadu_srweb.jpg Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka and all the speakers invited to the one-day summit to discuss the state of Nigeria have arrived London for tomorrow’s much-anticipated symposium on the country’s democratic and developmental woes. Saharareporters met with Professor Soyinka today and he assured that his participation in the event is guaranteed. Asked to comment on the ten years of “democratic rule” in Nigeria, the Nobel laureate stated that Nigeria was yet to achieve democratic practice. In a critical stance on Nigeria’s current regime, Soyinka said that Yar’adua’s brand of inactivity was a form of serious aggression against the interests of the Nigerian people. He described Yar’adua as a leader on “permanent sabbatical.” Other speakers for the event include former EFCC chairman, Nuhu Ribadu, a human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, and Okey Ndibe. All of them are in London already. The arrival of the speakers is fueling the massive interest of Nigerians in London. Officials of the Nigeria Liberty Forum (NLF), organizers of the event, said it was more than fully subscribed. A spokesperson said more than 1000 potential participants from all over Europe have registered to indicate interest in attending the event. Meanwhile, the Yar’adua regime has stepped up last-minute efforts to sabotage the event. Officials of the Nigerian High Commission in London pressured the authorities of London Metropolitan University to withdraw as sponsoring partners for the symposium. Earlier today, an appearance by event organizer Kayode Ogundamisi, Ndibe and Sowore Omoyele on BEN TV to speak about tomorrow’s event was thwarted when the live program lost audio. A source later told Saharareporters that the High Commission had also summoned Allister Soyode, the Nigerian-born owner of BEN TV, to order that the station not offer any publicity to the event. The source said the “technical malfunction” that marred the live TV interview was part of a strategy ordered by the High Commission to undermine the event. http://www.saharareporters.com/images/stories/soyinka_ribadu_srweb.jpg Prof. Wole Soyinka and Ribadu Following the TV fiasco, a source at the High Commission told Saharareporters that one Zakari, a National Intelligence operative described as the High Commission’s “enforcer,” Zakari, again invited Mr. Soyode for further instructions. Dalhatu Tafida, Nigeria’s High Commissioner for the UK, has received instructions from Aso Rock to ensure that tomorrow’s event is undermined. The High Commission has told leaders of some Nigerian groups that anybody who attends the NLF event “is considered an enemy of Nigeria.” Mr. Ogundamisi told Saharareporters that these pressures were having the opposite effect, noting that “more people have been calling us today to say they plan to come out tomorrow.” I hope we can get the minutes of the meeting on youtube. I wish them a fruitful and peaceful gathering.

Darex  # 4 | 31.05.2009 09:55

..keep dreams alive Ajia...nice article and so glad to meet you in London few days ago!Darex.