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Former Nigeria’s Permanent Secretary to the United Nations (UN), Ambassador Martin Uhomoibhi, has called on Nigerians to get their permanent voters card (PVC) with a view to voting for the leaders of their choice in the 2023 general elections.
Uhomoibhi, who gave the charge in Abuja while delivering a keynote address at the first Annual Convention 2022 of the Old Seminarians Association of Nigeria (OSAN), averred that the political system was not against the youths.
The former Ambassador, who argued that travelling out of the country was no option for the youths urged Nigerians to vote their conscience in the forthcoming general elections.
“Get your PVC, don’t be sleeping in the bedroom when elections are taking place. By that, I mean you would take responsibility for whatever decision you take. This journey is about you. When God sees you on the last day, he will call by your name, but he will not say Professor, Bishop or Pope. He will call you by your name. The name they called you while you were in your mother’s womb. What did you do with the talents that I gave you? You will account for it, and he will accept no excuses from you. So, get your PVC, vote your conscience, and make sure your votes count.
“Our system is not against youths. I am a historian, so I would talk from the experience of history. I have lived sixty-plus years in this country as a Nigerian, except for the years when I went to represent our country outside. At the age of 32, General Gowon became the Head of State of this country. Dietee Spiff became Governor of what is now Rivers, Bayelsa etc. At what age was he? 25 or thereabout.
“Obasanjo was Head of State and President of this country at what age? So, much as I appreciate the benevolence of the not-too-young spirit, we must stop the habit of passing the bulk. Power in history, and I speak authoritatively on this, is not given. It is taken. I gave an example when I was talking.
“If Mandela did not come out to do what he did, where would South Africa be today? But he was in jail for 27 years. So lamentation and wailing are not a solution to our problem. What is required is for people to get out from their hiding places and be part of the democratic process that is ongoing and ensure that their voices are heard, and they are taken into account.
“Escaping from the country is your choice. But it is wrong to say that the grass is greener outside. You are accusing God because I know from experience that no country is more blessed than Nigeria. But when you are not taking responsibility for your failure, you pass the bulk, which is what you do when you do Japa syndrome. You are blaming others. What have you done in your little corner that ultimately determines the trajectory of the nation’s growth,” he said.
To this end, the former UN Envoy charged Nigerians to emulate citizens of the United States and Britain, who he argued mustered the courage to fix theirs and made it the envy of the world.
While affirming that “Nigeria is at the crossroads economically, politically and socially,” he posited that “Nigeria is an enigma. Nigeria has remained strong. Nigeria is not in the hands of anybody. The destiny of Nigeria is not in the hands of whoever, it is in the hands of Him and us.
“All we need is to work with Him to preserve the entity and unity of Nigeria. The problem of Nigeria is not God, the problem of Nigeria is Nigerians. The day that Nigerians decide and agree that these potentials that are locked and bound in this country must be actualised and become a reality, the work is done. Americans built America. Britons built Britain. Who will build Nigeria? Nigerians must build Nigeria.
“Would there be a South Africa today without Mandela? Mandela was in jail for 27 years. That was how South Africa became free. Would there be a Rwanda today without Paul Kagame? No. Where is our Mandelas? Where is our Kagames in the Nigerian space? They are there, but they are hiding. They are in their bedrooms lamenting and wailing; some are actually also praying. If you choose not to allow yourself to be used by God or make wrong choices, how can you blame God for that?
“You can pray from now till next year, but God will say, ‘I have done my bit, where is your part?’ There is a problem with leadership, there is also a problem with followership. There are inconsistencies and contradictions in our constitutional framework. The judicial space is deplorable at this time, and the democratic process is challenged.”
In his remarks, OSAN President, Barrister Chinedu Akubueze, said that the association was unique in its operations because members conducted themselves with some decency and morality.
While noting that OSAN has impacted society in many areas of human endeavour, he tasked all the Alumni members to align with political parties of their choice in the quest to salvage the country politically.
“What stands us out is the common Catholic heritage we have as Nigerians who attended Catholic seminaries. The intrinsic training you obtain from attending a seminary is unique. It stays with you throughout your life because there is this saying that a day in the seminary is not a joke. The seminary is not just any other secondary school. It contains both secondary education and missionary training going with it. So, you can see that is not just attending a school to acquire knowledge. You set out initially both to acquire knowledge and to train for the priesthood.
“It impacts the society in a sense we have our members spread across all professions, all fields of life, of fields of human endeavour where they contribute their quota towards the societal development because, as an old Seminarian, you know where you are coming from. You have the background to speak for you and know people are monitoring. Anything you come to realize that somebody attended a seminary, the usual refrain is ‘no wonder’. Why is that thing no wonder? It’s because that person has been behaving in a way that makes you realize that this person must be coming from somewhere.
“We are contributing to the economy and the political space. OSAN is coming with a view to ensuring that Nigeria attends its manifest destinies. We will contribute to both the economic and political spheres. We are encouraging our members to get involved in the political quest to ensure that Nigeria attends good governance, and it doesn’t come by our being docile. Our members are getting involved. We are preaching across the political space. Nigerians are encouraged to vote for credible leaders,” the Clerk of the Senate said.
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