NO ALTERNATIVE TO NATIONAL UNITY

Being a text of speech by Abdulrazaq Hamzat, able represented by Oyo State Alumni Chairman,Mr Sunday Oyebami at Convention of Congress of NOUN Students in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Greetings

This is to specially apologize to you all for not making it to the program as earlier planned.

My absence at the program was due to situation beyond my control, as I was recently involved in a small accident.

The victim is currently undergoing surgery at the hospital and it is impossible to travel, leaving the victim in that condition.

Kindly accept my sincere apology.

However, let me say that, I am very happy about the progress of the Congress of NOUN Students and I encourage you all to be better than those before you.

You should strive to be the best practice that others should emulate, not the other way round.

You should have mentors, those you revere and look up to as references to learn from, but don't be a dogmatic follower.

Actually, don't be a follower at all. Even if you are following a leader, also learn to lead from behind.

Leadership is all about responsibility and being sensitive. You can be a leader even if you have no leadership position.

I must also inform you that the information getting to me about some of you is very encouraging, especially those of you who are great patriot of national unity.

You should know that those who stand for national unity are the best over those who are calling for segregation, regionalism and tribalism.

To my understanding, the idea behind the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is to raise Nigerians that would think beyond regionalism. That is why the name of the institution started with the word, ‘’ NATIONAL’’.

Those who named the school could have called the institution, ‘’Open University of Nigeria’’, but they didn’t for a purpose.

They resolved to put the word national in the front to emphasize the importance of thinking beyond tribal or regional consideration.

While the aim of NOUN is to have centers in all
communities across the country to ensure no one is left out of access to quality education, it also provides enabling platform for students
to move around the country without any restriction in term of access to higher education.

This is why we must specially thank the former president of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who was also a former student of this school.

For me, there's no alternative to national unity and I want you to make that resolve also.

Whenever they say divide, you should say unite. When they say war, you should say peace.

Finally, let me submit that there is a very thin line between individualism, tribalism, regionalism and nationalism.

And that thin line is cynicism.

I don’t know if there is any study that has
established this as a fact, but from my careful observation so far, I have come to the conclusion that the only difference between
individualism, tribalism, regionalism and nationalism is cynicism.

Individualism is about me and me alone. Every action taken is geared toward personal benefits.

This is not really a bad idea if it is not done at the detriment of others, but unfortunately, the great Nelson Mandela once opined that, nothing about ‘’I’’ can be for the interest of
all.

Those who think deeply were able to see beyond ‘’I’’ to tribe.

So, they become tribalist, not just to protect their own personal interest, but their own tribal interest.

Tribalism is when someone only advocates for the interest of his tribe. But, while this may not be a bad idea on it own if is not done at the detriment of other tribes, but unfortunately, this is the case.

I am of the view that, nothing can be about ‘’my’’ and be for ‘’all’’.

Again, having realized the shallowness and limitation of the tribal concept, those who also think deeply were able to see beyond tribe to
region, so they become regionalist, not just to protect their own tribal interest, but to protect the interest of all tribes in their
region.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have said it repeatedly also that regionalism is not entirely a bad concept, if it is not done at the detriment of
others, but unfortunately, this is also the case.

I have therefore been asking, why limit our grace of brotherhood and sisterhood, if we can actually expand and accommodate all?

Just a little deep thinking and reflection would reveal to us that we can do much better than our fore fathers and those who had a little more deep thinking and reflection were able to see beyond their shallow regional interest, so they embraced nationalism. Just so you know, nationalism is when you factor in the interest of all Nigerians, irrespective of tribe, region and region. It is a situation in which you do not place your regional interest above the interest of others, neither should you abandon it, but instead, you place them side by side for joint
problem solving.

While you understand that your regional interest matters, you know also that it doesn’t matter more than those of others.

So, in choosing who lead and how resources are allocated, you factor in the capacity of all those involved and entrust the mandate to only those who have the capacity to purposefully handle the interest of all on the basis of priority, importance, value and sincerity.

This is what we need in this country because; you can’t build peace in a multi tribal and multi religious country likes ours without being
national. People would often react to perceived unfair policies and distribution of scarce resources.

So therefore my dear colleagues, let
us all ‘’be national’’to move Nigeria forward.

Thanks

Abdulrazaq Hamzat is a Human Rights Ambassador and Executive
Director, Foundation for Peace Professionals.

Yoro Muslims disgracing the south since time immemorial

Restructuring is better than balkanization....

SmartPolician:
Restructuring is better than balkanization....

SmartPolician:
Restructuring is better than balkanization....

You are just deceiving urself,
You think these politicians care that much to go to work on restructuring?
When they have soldiers to whip whoever gets out of line?

Yobokis disgracing the south west

Another "Yoruba and Fulani are one" crooner while the killers continue the killing.What for the ethnic cleansing and supremacist agenda to go full cycle first.Then it will be top late.

The name sound like an extremist!

Fahdiga:
Yoro Muslims disgracing the south since time immemorial

While the writer is from Kwara state...

This obsession about Yoruba no be here oo

nlreserve

helinues:


While the writer is from Kwara state...

This obsession about Yoruba no be here oo

Another Yoruba muslim spotted !

I'm not blame you you are still feeding fat from your parents.

Fahdiga:
Yoro Muslims disgracing the south since time immemorial

November1857:
Another Yoruba muslim spotted !

It seems like you guys only come on NL to abuse, attack and condemn Yoruba's.

If the writer is from Kwara state, Why lumping Yoruba into this?

Can't you people make your comments without all this tantrums?

It's getting stale and irritated

nlreserve

helinues:


It seems like you guys only come on NL to abuse, attack and condemn Yoruba's.

If the writer is from Kwara state? Why lumping Yoruba into this?

we are just catching cruised, not abuse..

November1857:
we are just catching cruised, not abuse..

You are catching cruise?

That's not cruising but tantrum

nlreserve

National unity where major appointment and offices are occupied by a particular section of the country? Una dey craze

helinues:


While the writer is from Kwara state...

This obsession about Yoruba no be here oo

I will always stand by the truth

johnmartus:
I'm not blame you you are still feeding fat from your parents.

Shut up cry cry baby rule 2

Fahdiga:
I will always stand by the truth

Which of the truth?

By accusing Yoruba wrongly?

lonecatt:
National unity where major appointment and offices are occupied by a particular section of the country? Una dey craze

Una do worse when you were there. Wait for your turn again.

Akanbiedu:


Una do worse when you were there. Wait for your turn again.

who be una ?
The world knows who wears the crown of nepotism. Nonsense and ingredient
Shebi una don dey print naira secretly?

Una and una darling daddy must kill and bury the economy

lonecatt:
who be una ?
The world knows who wears the crown of nepotism. Nonsense and ingredient
Shebi una don dey print naira secretly?

Una and una darling daddy must kill and bury the economy

Wait for your turn

StaffofOrayan:


You are just deceiving urself,
You think these politicians care that much to go to work on restructuring?
When they have soldiers to whip whoever gets out of line?

Which soldiers? Does Nigeria have soldiers? Google "soldier" and see if their work includes "whipping ppl back into line". Are ppl goats and cattle to be whipped? This is 2021...get real with reality.

The so called Nigerian " armed forces" has never defeated an armed group till date talk less of an army. Doubt it? Ask Boko Haram or vigilante ESN. Biafran war? 3 million innocents women and kids were the greatest casualties... The under armed biafran arm decimated the so called "Nigerian Army".

If it repeats itself I don't think those whose families have suffered from Fulani terrorists will fight another Fulani war again.

Get with the program.

End of!

helinues:


Which of the truth?

By accusing Yoruba wrongly?

Only heaven knows the kind of love I have for the Yorubas. I'll never accuse them wrongly. all I've said about them are the truth

Only division is feasible