IJAW NATIONAL CONGRESS (INC) EUROPE CONFRENCE OF ETHNIC NATIONALITIES OF NIGERIA IN THE UNITED KINGDOM THEME:NIGERIA@50 –VISION OF A BETTER NATION VENUE: REGENT PARK HOLIDAY INN DATE:5/02/2011 TOPIC: HOW TO BUILD A GREAT NIGERIA Presented By Sir Musa Tel: 447943136473 . Every nation goes through historical cycle.There was a time the Greek were the superpower. At another time, it was the Romans. At another time the British. Now it is the Americans. I know without doubt that very soon, it’s going to be the Nigerians. Every nation goes through challenges. Many nations have been through wars. Nigeria is not an exception. We have been through our own war and yet fate has kept us together as a nation. As Nigerians, we have a shared history. We have intertwined culture. Indeed we have a shared heritage. We have shared values.We used to be under the same colonial master our host; the British.Today we have a shared vision i.e. to build a great nation of great people. Every nation has the good and the bad citizen. Not all Americans take drugs. Nigeria is not a bad egg. No. Not at all. Nigeria is not a bad egg simply because we have few bad eggs. There are Nigerians excelling in their various fields here in Britain. As most of us are aware, there are many Nigerians here who are making positive contribution to the development of the United Kingdom. I’m proud to be a Nigerian. I never wish that I had come from any other country. I love the spirit of the Nigerians. Nigerians have brain and muscle. There is no nation you cannot find them. You could identify them with the way they talk, the way they walk. Of course, when you hear them talk, they talk differently. When you see them in the street either here in London or in New York, they walk differently. They are loud, proud, confident and very daring. You may not like them, but you cannot ignore them. They talk as if they own the whole world; even if they don’t have one pence in their pocket. I like the spirit of the Nigerians! Wherever we go, we go with our dance, our costumes, and our food. I like the spirit of the Nigerians. Nigerians are creative people. They are very imaginative. In soap opera, movies, our creativity shines through. Before I end this my short presentation, let me quickly mention three things which I think we need to look at if we want to build a great nation. 1. We need a visionary leader who will mobilize all citizens to pursue a national vision. I will use this opportunity to commend our president Dr Jonathan Ebele Good luck for his inspiration on the face book which I have been reading all the time. I love his initiative for the reading project and his support for the build-up Nigeria projects. Indeed, we all must build up Nigeria by thinking, saying and acting good toward Nigeria. This is because Nigeria is the sum total of the thoughts and actions of all Nigerians. We need a visionary leader who have initiative and can move our people to accomplish a shared vision. 2. We must do away with sectional and tribal differences. Not again, Nigeria has no place for tribal leaders. We must build a nation where every citizen has equal right to obtain and attain to any statute or office. As a people we must seek to challenge our obstacles and find a way to overcome them. 3. To be a great nation, we need a leader who can secure the nation and its citizen. We need a national leader who can protect the venerable especially our children and women. We need a leader who will provide the basic amenities like good road, electricity, regular water supply and good transportation system as we can see here in Britain. We must live together as one nation, one people under God. We must rededicate ourselves to the patriotic ideas that our forefathers fought for to gain independence. We must develop the creative potentials in us and use them positively. Thank you. God bless you. God bless Nigeria.