POLITICS: Our Country ! Our State! Our Responsibility

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Emmanuel Ogar|30 January 2016|12:15pm

For my nation's sake, Nigeria, I won't keep mute and for my state's sake, Cross River, I won't be quiet until her beauty glow and light illuminates all forms of obscurities in our land. I won't hold my peace until transformational Justice; lasting Peace and genuine Unity are entrenched. This is my resolve.

I enjoy reading inaugural speeches and special addresses by American Presidents. However, that doesn't means I don't like British Prime Ministers. Of course, I admired the oratory prowess of Winston Churchill and the legendary exploits of the 'Iron Lady', Margaret Thatcher. Wonderful fellows they were.

Just last week, I was flipping through an imaginary pages of our country and my beloved state; I was imagining the headlines of the latest happenings. Some of them though hilarious. While the others were very pathetic. I was getting disturbed because the Editors were twisting them out of shape. So, I picked my phone and turned on the browser. I 'googled' some of my favorite speeches and began reading George W. Bush's address to Congress and the American people which was delivered on Thursday, September 20, 2011 at the wake of the 9/11 Pentagon blast. It was a beautiful and emotions laden address.

AMERICAN SPIRIT
While the reading ensued, there was a tapping; a drop of inspiration. As I continued, it became a pool flooding my thinking faculty. I felt the rising spring of emotions and passions from the tone of Bush's voice. As at the time the address was being presented, sympathetic and patriotic Americans had already donated a whooping sum of $40 billion to rebuild the World Trade Center and to aid the relief materials to victims of the tragedy. That was the American spirit.

John F. Kennedy admonished, " and so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your county can do for you – ask what you can do for your country". Not many persons would concur with President Kennedy in our land and clime. But the Americans did. On Friday January 20, 1961 when J.F. Kennedy made that speech, he said so because he knew government can't do everything for the citizenry. He must have peeped into the future before making such futuristic saying. Just approximately three months that he became the 25th Presidents of the United States; on April 12, 1961, Major Yuri Gagarin, a Russian cosmonaut became the first human to travelled to space. It was a huge challenge to the US government. The US and Russia were posing stiff opposition towards each other over supremacy. So, for a Russian to have travelled to space wasn't palatable omen at all for the US. This space race won by the Soviet Union troubled the Americans so well.

To JFK, he didn't bother who would take America to the space. Whether a janitor or a scientist. The flag of US must be hoisted in space. Exactly 23 days later after Yuri Gaganri's journey, on May 5, 1961, US Navy Commander Alan B. Shepard Jr. of the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) made a successful landing in space. On May 25, 1961, President Kennedy appealed to the spirit of adventure; to patriotic pride, and to the cause of freedom. And Americans responded with one of the greatest mobilizations of resources and manpower in US history. Eight years later, on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong, Alan Shepard and the rest made the first walking on moon. That was the American spirit.

CHILEAN SPIRIT
On Thursdays 5, August 2010, the world was cast into shock. News of the accident in Chile was on air. It was the Copiapo mining accident also called the Chilean mining accident. Contrarily, this accident was a perfect elixir for morale booster for the Chileans.

That year and date remained significant in Chile's history. 33 of their miners were trapped in 121-years old San José Copper-goldmine which is approximately 700 metres (about 2,300 ft) for 69 days under the earth crust before they were rescued. The spirit of ingenuity and self-sacrifice was resuscitated in all Chileans. Most of them didn't eat for days. They reasoned together. They prayed together. With the help of international communities and God's mercies, the 33-miners were saved.
While this ordeal lasted, willful donation from private individuals was estimated at US$20 million. That was the Chilean spirit. Real esprit de corps.

NIGERIAN SPIRIT
Back home, we've been panned by bewildering challenges that entwined our coexistence on the line of religious intolerance; customs and cultural variation, ethnicity and tribal sentiment; corruption and youth restiveness; militancy and insurgency. The worse is corruption and perhaps insurgency.

However, the desire of Nigeria at the vicissitude of this juncture isn't to send men to space as it was the desired of J.K. Kennedy. Nigerians aren't trapped in any mine site as the Chilean predicament. But our nation, Nigeria is trapped hundreds of thousands meters and feets underground as caused by corruption and terrorism. Boko Haram suicide bombers have been claiming the lives of innocence Nigerians on daily basis. Our President may not be endowed with the oratory prowess of J.F. Kennedy. He may not have come from your village. But he's your President. Our consciences mustn't be appealed to before we must unite against our common enemies – terrorism and corruption.

Irrespective of party affiliation; religion affinity; geopolitical zone; tribe and tongue, we must conjoin forces to wedge a must win war against all forms of corruption and insurgencies. We must fight this war irrespective of our sexual orientation and age.

The hour has come; the time to embrace genuine change is set and the time is now. We must purge ourselves from every intake of bitter spring of rancour. And gird ourselves with the belt of unity. Let love be the common fountain that would quench our thirsts. Let's realize that we must be the change we're yearning for. No one will bring the change for us. It won't as a matter of fact falls from Heaven as manna. Only you and I shall cause it to happen.
In our nation, in our state (s), truly, that's verily, we ought to wake up and be mindful that we have duties and obligations to perform. The tasks entails loyalty and patriotism. And not sycophancy.

We need not be told that all Nigerians Mustn't be soldiers. But all of us must fight this war. We mustn't be at the battle front before we would fight. You can fight from wherever you're by supporting our gallant armies combatting the terrorists in the north with words of encouragement.

Let's ask ourselves: how often do we boost the staggering morale; the dwindling faith and belief as well as the emaciated strength of our valiant soldiers wrestling with little or no weapon against the well equipped and fortified insurgencies? Do we remember them in our prayers? Do we send messages of love and hope for victory to them via any medium? These are the things we should be doing.

Let this dripping word from my mouth be a drop in the bucket, but let your deeds and conduct in terms of responses to this word be a mighty big splash. Development beget development. Change is the offspring of itself. Everything procreate after its kind. We can only hatch victory and success in all we so choose when we actually incubate them.

As the citizenry shall begin a new mindset in playing the roles of patriotism and loyalty to the government. The government at the national and the state level must be reminded that they owe the people good governance. Let there be no complain. Let they stoop and grab the gauntlet. No complaint! We don't expect it either. Let them understand that the problems that confront us today aren't quite difference from the ones faced by the previous governments; let them understand that the underlying facts of human nature haven't changed as they were in time past.

As the spirit arises in us; that spirit of patriotism and nationalism, we got to ask ourselves of what we could do for our state and country. In the light of the above. My associates and I have considered the imperativeness of making contribution to buy the green and white national flag to be hoisted at the Millennium Park in Calabar. Calabar is reputed for having the tallest flag in sub-sahara Africa. Worse as it is, the government of Prof. Ben Ayade has struggled without success since its emergence or has deliberately ignored the fixing of the flag. While we're embarking on this act of patriotism; we're equally very careful not to usurp any person's duty or be accused of citizenry insubordination.

I wouldn't be fair at all to the governor if I fail to give him kudos for cleaning my immediate environment. I remember how furious I was over ineffective ways of disposing wastes in my street. For over a month now, my street is wearing a new look with gloss. God bless you. I encourage Mr. President to continue with the war against corruption. I pray for My Governor, Ben Ayade for God's knowledge and wisdom to lead the state well. I pray for God's protection for President Buhari. God bless Nigeria and Cross River state. Arise Nigerians!

Emmanuel Ogar
Is a Public Affairs Analyst & Social Commentator