ERADICATING THE TWELVE DOMINANT POVERTIES IN NIGERIA
When most people speak about POVERTY in Nigeria; they mean financial scarcity and penury that most experience. But beyond just financial; there are plenty of other manifestations of poverty in Nigeria that need to be addressed if we are to advance as a nation.
Responsibility is the price of greatness. It means that for Nigeria to change and fulfil her destiny the good people of Nigeria will have to take responsibility to come out in the open and smash in pieces every form of poverty created by corruption and its perpetrators, and ultimately bring good governmental order to stay in every nook and cranny of our nation.
As I see it; this battle is a war against TWELVE Predominant Poverties that have eaten the fibre of our nation for a long time. They are as follows:
1. Poverty of Ideas: A dictatorship Constitution brought about by a treasonable power clique which tells lies about our rights, is unfit for us. We want a people’s Constitution.
2. Poverty of Performance: Inability to conduct a free and fair election only allows the wrong people to lead us. We suffer when we are disabled from changing leadership fairly.
3. Poverty of Resource: Water, light, road are not provided for many! The health of our people is imperilled by lack of care of government.
4. Poverty of Hope: Education has collapsed at primary, secondary and university levels. Consequently, there can be no national progress. Very few decent public primary school exists in Nigeria not to talk of secondary schools or universities.
5. Poverty of Honour: There is complete lack of national identity; which has led to scarcity of Patriotism among the people. I am yet to meet a Nigerian citizen, willing to die for the country if needed to preserve its honour. It seems everybody is looking after number 1; Self.
6. Poverty of the Mind: We are governed by an oppressive and corrupt clique who consumes 95% of national resources and are disdainful of us.
7. Poverty of Regard: We are embarrassed and diminished in the world community by the activities of internet scammers, money launderers, and bank fraudsters who desecrate the value of our ancestors and nation. Our regard in the committee of nations is now very low indeed.
8. Poverty of Spirit: We kill each other at home in the name of God because of abnormal religious confusion and passion, which should have no place in the house of God.
9. Poverty of Commerce: Majority of our citizens have no food to eat, starvation is rife and common, consuming the commoners who own Nigeria. Meanwhile unemployment of youths dominates the land.
10. Poverty of Environment: The cities are dirty, disorderly, crowded, unplanned and crime prone! Insecurity has become the order of the day while leaders condone state power for total self-protection.
11. Poverty of Passion: Lack of active Passion has been one of the reasons our leaders have gotten away with murder. They know most Nigerians will talk and talk, but when the rubber meets the road, we do nothing. We must all begin to demonstrate Passion for what we believe in and be ready to act and do something about change in our nation. Talk alone will not do it.
12. Poverty of Optimism: Cynicism seem to rule the day now amongst the chattering class. Many are so fed up with what is going on; they no longer see anything good in anybody that wants to lead. Every potential leader is now guilty until proven innocent. We need wisdom in order to drive away the good people. We must avoid throwing away the baby with the bath water. We need to be optimistic of the future and give new people a chance without wearing them out with scepticism and constant public mudslinging. There is still hope for our nation and I am optimistic about that.
From today, let’s all begin to wage war against these 12 Poverties. Do a self-Analysis and find out which ones are lacking in your life. Fix it. Feed your hunger and eradicate your poverty. Then as we all do that one by one; the national poverty begins to be reversed. Start with the man in the mirror. One step at a time.
Join the struggle to reinvent Nigeria. Stand up to take your country back. It is doable. Nigeria must flourish again!
“I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfilment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious” Vince Lombardi
