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“A leadership that loves the country would demonstrate right policies that not only seek to promote their interests but prioritize the wellbeing of the person next to them regardless of where they come from or what faith they believe in.A leadership that loves the country would uphold truth, justice and equity in the land to the end that no one is seen to be above the law and that every law offender gets to be punished as in accordance to the laws that guide the land. It also seeks to share equally resources and opportunities to every region in the country to promote inclusivity and oneness that create a sense of belonging which in turn fuels a drive to see that the country continues to exist and progress as one.”
A house divided against itself cannot stand; this is more or less the story of Nigeria for decades as the country wobbles and limps in the hopes of stability in the nearest future. But like they say, hope is not enough to change destiny, if not backed by actions. It is pretty easy to hope for a change of fortune when things are awry, but in the case of Nigeria, even hope has grown lean among most Nigerians who now resort to taking each day as they come given the ever-rising doom that seems to have no end in sight.
From politics, to government, to economy, to education, down to health, transportation, and security; almost every sector leaves more to be desired that you wonder when will there ever be respite and flourish for Nigerians when it comes to having a peaceful country whose development ranks among the best in Africa, to start with.
Looking into all these, the failure of our house unable to stand firmly is the incontrovertible evidence of internal struggles that have denied us peace and a collaborative effort at nation building. Putting our house in order by restoring peace pillared by love is the only bridge to getting to a united Nigeria upon which developments can soar.
The question now is; how then do we restore peace amid the division that has turned our back against each other and plunge the country deep down the abyss. Like the last edition of this piece ended with, the solution to the absence of peace that has taken us backwards as a country is the demonstration of love for Nigeria and everything that identifies with it.
Love for Nigeria
It is important that our love for Nigeria is alive both from the leadership to the led, if we really desire to see an upward change in the state of things in the country. Love gives no room to animosity neither does it seek to hurt. This country keeps bleeding from the people who hurt her by stealing her precious resources for their personal aggrandizement. When such is reigned in on, the country begins to have enough to be leveraged on to see that it caters to everyone who lives within it fairly.
A leadership that loves the country would demonstrate right policies that not only seek to promote their interests but prioritize the wellbeing of the person next to them regardless of where they come from or what faith they believe in.
A leadership that loves the country would uphold truth, justice and equity in the land to the end that no one is seen to be above the law and that every law offender gets to be punished as in accordance to the laws that guide the land. It also seeks to share equally resources and opportunities to every region in the country to promote inclusivity and oneness that create a sense of belonging which in turn fuels a drive to see that the country continues to exist and progress as one.
For the led, there is also a duty of love as the result of the right leadership is highly dependent on the sync it gets with the right followership. In other words, even if we get it right at the leadership level and the followership is one devoid of love, the efforts of the leadership only come to waste when it doesn’t get a complement from the followership. Therefore, it is incumbent that as followers we rise to the occasion of demonstrating love for the country wherever we find ourselves.
The government will do its best to make laws that should ideally pervade the country with order and peace, it behooves on the followership to see to it that these laws are not compromised but followed for the prosperity of the country.
The insecurity challenges we have from the minor crimes to terrorism have all been on account of selfish interests overriding national gains but when we learn to prioritize the nation in every of our decisions, then that is when the real solutions to our security challenges and every other begin.
This is the confluence where both the leadership and the led must come to agree on the nation and its interests as an important factor to be considered in every decision to be made. This is where national love begins — the kind that puts paid to every form of disharmony, deterioration and digression while giving rise to development on the wings of unity.
Hebrews 11:13-16
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country–a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them
Professor. Ofonime Emmanuel Bassey is a Security, Peace and Conflict Resolution Coach with decades of experience in the practice and promotion of Law Enforcement, Peace and Security through the Nigeria Police and the United Nations.
He is an advocate of Peace Leadership and Child Protection.
He has served and interacted at the top level management of the Nigeria Police as well as internationally as a United Nation’s Monitor/Mentor in Kosovo, Europe.
A professor of Peace Advocacy and Conflict Resolution, Dr. O.E Bassey is a certified United Nation’s Trainer, and currently the Director of ICOF Institute of Leadership, Peace and Conflict Resolution in Africa.
With his marks well-established in Peace Leadership both in Nigeria and Africa. Currently, he is the President, NISSI Safety Management Institute: An Institute of Peace Leadership.
Presently, he is spearheading a campaign tagged “The Next Peace Leaders”, a campaign that is billed to run from 2022-2023 with a target of training 37,000 young peace leaders.
For peace and security tips, consultations and trainings, reach him via:
Facebook: Dr. O.E Bassey
LinkedIn: Dr. O.E Bassey
Twitter: Dr. O.E Bassey
WhatsApp: +2347065828892
Mail: EmmanuelBassey@gmail.com
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