A civil society group, Stand Up Speak Out (SUSO) initiative, has said infrastructure deficit is not Nigeria’s biggest problem but the perception of the country as a nation without values and directions.
DAILY POST reports that Mr. Doyle Edeni, convener of the group, said this at a press conference to mark Nigeria’s 58th Independence Day anniversary on Monday in Abuja.
According to him, the worsening perception of Nigeria as a purposeless nation has continued to be highlighted in the several stories of harassment and discrimination against citizens at home and abroad.
Against that background, Edeni said Nigeria’s 58th Independence Day anniversary presents an opportunity for political leaders and citizens to engage in sober reflections and make a fresh start towards reforming the nation and giving it a new direction.
He said: “There is serious infrastructural gap to address the needs of our nearly two million population but that is not only what we see.
“We believe the bigger problem that confronts our nation and generation is the perception of Nigeria as a nation with no values and directions.
“It is only in Nigeria that that we know that citizens are being discriminated by fellow Nigerians. These same Nigerians are treated as scum of the earth everywhere else they travel on the face of the earth. Therefore, home and away, our people suffer the same fate.
“We must begin to define our national character and values and guard it jealously against external manipulation.
“At 58, what is our national development plan? What does it mean to be a Nigerian? Do we have national identity? Are these taught in our schools? Do the children whose minds are being moulded understand and look forward to a hope and future that they believe is attainable? Why are we surprised that our children are paying their way into slavery in Europe through Libya?”
He, therefore, called on all citizens to speak out against those who are determined in their words and actions to pull our nation down.
“We are calling on all genuine patriotic sons and daughters of this great nation to rise up and be counted. All of us need to get involved and start the task of building the Nigeria of our dreams,” Edeni concluded.
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