Wednesday 29 October 2014

HOPE FOR 9JA

With all the peculiarities inherent in this nation , successive Nigerian governments have done very little, to say the least. Nigerians are  very religious people with deep rooted God based attribution system, which has not transformed them into honest and law abiding people and nation. The evidence clearly shows that the more religious Nigeria became, the more corrupt the government, the higher the rate of crime and worse the country. This can be measured by the number of churches and mosques in Nigeria which has a direct correlation with the worsening Nigerian society. This relationship between religion and deterioration of Nigeria can no longer be ignored. It would seem that religion is perpetuating ignorance, poverty through exploitation, underdevelopment, prejudice and intolerance in ways that are not helping the development of a culture of honesty, tolerance, peaceful co-existence. Therefore, Nigeria cannot develop, if it does not break the hold that religion and toxic ethnic nationalism have on the minds of the people and enable them develop a balanced moral attitude that ensures the rightful place of God in their lives. Nigerians must be set free to question their religious beliefs and orthodoxies and understand their religious prejudices, and allow knowledge to inform whatever they choose to believe or think about others and the transident. This is enlightenment. Without it, we will continue to grope in darkness of ignorance, irrational religious dogmas, traditional beliefs, self-consuming greed and magical thinking. 
           We will have to enforce the existing Nigerian secular constitution and ensure freedom of thoughts, beliefs and expression. The idea that people offend by expression of their thoughts, would be abolished in the new Nigeria. The new Nigeria would Train and equipe the security forces to crack down in lawful ways and manners, on religious intolerance and bigotry in any form or shape. Encourage Christians and Muslims to establish Christian and Islamic association to look at religious tolerance and beliefs and relationship between faith and science in a way that would enable Nigeria develop, without being poisoned by religious intolerance and self-induced and perpetuating ignorance in the name of faith. Without this, religion that teaches the western education is sin will continue to ground and Nigeria would be consumed in religious conflict like Afghanistan and Pakistan, while the rest of the world moves on. Nigeria should pursue moral values and principles founded on the time tested wisdom of good religions. 
           One of the greatest dieses is to be nobody to anybody, on our part as individuals we can also help reduce poverty. If you can't feed hundred people then feed one person. Strength does not come from physical capacity; it comes from an indomitable will. Whatever u do will be insignificant but it is very important that u do it, to give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing to pray. The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself In the service of others. Hope is when what u think, say and do are in harmony, an eye for an eye would only make the whole world blind. 
           No country can have peace and development, if it does not have effective and sustainable ways of creating jobs for its young people who graduate from its various institutions and training programmes. In this wise, the new Nigeria would priorities sustainable job creation. The strategy would be to open up the economy, encourage creativity, entrepreneurship and provide assistance to the people in a fair and equitable manner. In this wise, the government will create more jobs in the health, financial, construction, and legal professions for many other professionals and clearly define the roles of professionals to avoid diffusion of roles and ensure that other people other than the professionals benefit from the sector. For instance the health sector should create more jobs for, economists, administrators, health secretaries, accountants, lawyers, architects, engineers and ICT specialists, in addition to health care professionals. In the legal profession minimum standard should be set for the opening of chambers that would require a law practice to employ a minimum number of people and have a minimum number of lawyers to operate. The same will be applicable to other professionals. This alone, will create millions of jobs for young graduates who are currently roaming the streets. With the granting of university autonomy, change of land use act, restoration of state funded education and social investments, the economy would be given the need boost to generate and sustain growth. In addition, the government will embark on the development of rail transport in Nigeria to link all the regions and national capital will provide more jobs in the transport sector than Nigerians can fill, kick starting the emergency of Nigeria as a true economic power. This can only happen, if those who know how it can be done are elected into office, which is the reason why, Nigerians should allow the quality, content and plausibility of the manifestos and plans to solve the Nigerian problems of the parties or candidates, to determine who is voted into office. Nothing will change in Nigeria, as long as Nigerians continue to determine those elected as leader, on the basis of ethnicity, religion and wealth alone. In 2015, Nigerians should cast their votes for honest Nigerians, who have better plan and manifestos, irrespective of their religion or ethnicity. 
         Victory will come either peacefully by the powers that will be listening to the wisdom of history and reason, or violently because they made peaceful change impossible. This freedom is not only possible in a nation of one’s ethnic group. It is possible in a multi-ethnic Nigeria. It is important to understand that the reasons why those who fought for the overthrow of colonization in Africa appeal to ethnicity and religion to rally the people against the colonial masters, no longer exists. In this post-colonial struggle, we cannot afford but emphasize what divides us because victory depends on unity. It is a struggle for universal values, which are not limited by ethnic boundaries or religious convictions. It is a struggle for what makes us human and we must unite to win.The fight for a better Nigeria can't be fought successfully under ethnic and religious banners, to do so is to lose even before the battle begins. 

          Nigerians must unite or perish. If a slave swears that he's no longer a slave then he's delivered of slavery. There is still hope if only we can stand to it and do what is right. I would drop my pen as I give u the needed space to ponder even as 2015 is on the corner. Thanks 


Maleeks Elisha...... 

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