THE NIGERIA OF THE FREE. By Osawe Iziegbe Ogie I am lucky to be alive as a Nigerian, to witness the Nigerian ship berth on a different harbour of realism. A Nigeria of today where free born citizens know their vote is counted and opinion considered. A new Nigeria, where people throw verbal stones at the President without being knocked off or shut down because of their views however, poignant. This new-found freedom tickles my heart with excitement because voiceless people are doomed to remain in the shadows of their leaders and condemned to feed from crumbs that fall from the table of their masters. This change is not only about freedom of expression but also about values. Values of leadership changing from sectionalism to united front, where a particular kind of farm is cited in Sokoto because it would yield better, where a rice mill is built in, Nasarawa because of its nearness to its primary produce and Lagos trains must be one of the first to function because of its commercial activity and urgent need for alternative means of transport. Projects are cited where they are best suited because it is in Nigeria and any progress anywhere is the progress of Nigeria. I have seen lives transform and history rewritten in Kano, the current state government gave one hundred children of the poor scholarship to become pilots for the first time in the history of the state. The current federal government built Alamajiri schools to uplift minds of our oppressed sons and daughters in the north. A time will come when these same children who would have been made to push the wheel barrow, cut nails on the streets, trek kilometres to mend and polish shoes would become doctors treating us, professional nurses delivering our daughters of their babies and scientist lunching our numerous homemade satellites. Whoever gave a child education has transformed a nation, and I wonder how bad can give birth to good. The apple cannot fall far from its tree; an orange can never taste like lemon. Our nation has been held hostage for too long, left to rot in the land full of greenery, honey and brains; however, many see no wrong in the past; they abuse the reviver of the “Iron Snake, and cast aspersion on the gradual decreasing cost of living. Since I was born, I have never known goods to reduce, but now I’m a living witness. Like the great Chinua Achebe rightly said, “The damage done in one year can take ten or twenty years to repair.” what about the damage done for forty-eight years? A dear friend Umaru told me about his friend that used to import rice was unable to do the same business in 2014 because our local rice flooded the market which hindered the bogus profit they used to make thereby discouraging import of rice, it was a true testimony not motivated by political sentiment, whitewashed to win votes. Nigeria is positively growing; I also witnessed Cross Rivers State transformed from no star to a progressing three star city. The dividend of progressive leadership is certainly everywhere, but the brain washed and the egoist will close their eyes to the lights shining around them because the former group has been so much in the dark so cannot recognize good anymore and need to be told, which is light or darkness and the latter group are vexed because they have been outsmarted by a commoner. Unlike before where “there is water everywhere and none to drink. Now there is water flowing towards far and wide, those closer are the first to drink and those farther are hopeful it will get to them. My country men and women let’s keep this hope alive, beware of the fox that is dressed up like the mountain goat. Let’s remember millions of brothers and sisters that are long dead prematurely due to the misrule of our nations resources in the past, would you honour their death by rewarding a part of the branch that poisoned their beautiful life with your vote, or you will honour them by voting for the new Nigeria they all dreamed to be a part of. Vote Goodluck, Vote the new Nigeria. May God guide and protect you as you go out to cast your Votes.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 09:35:54 +0000
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