Please read and appreciate the yearning of an affectionate Nigerian:
It's
been 44 long and hard years since my birth. The journey to where I find
myself today has been rocky, to say the least. First and foremost, I
would like to give all thanks and praises to my Father in heaven for the
gift of life. His grace is the reason for my continued existence and
all glory must be given to him.
In the midst of
all that currently defines the world we live in, God has been faithful,
extremely faithful. His blessings in my life are too many to mention,
such that they cannot be enumerated.
May I use
this avenue to thank everyone who has contributed both positively and
negatively to my journey through life. At 45, I feel very fulfilled. I
count myself a man highly blessed by God in all ramifications, starting
from family to friends to employees and to business associates, be it
financially, cerebrally and otherwise.
Today
marks the beginning of my 45th year on earth, a day I have chosen to
reflect on a country I love so much and a nation so blessed by God.
Inasmuch as I would have loved a birthday celebration bereft of
publicity as I soberly reflect on the unflattering happenings in our
dear country, I recognize the fact that I cannot restrain well meaning
Nigerians who desire to wish me well via the pages of the newspapers and
on different social media platforms. To these people, I wish to say
thank you very much for the public display of affection.
All
efforts to put myself in a celebratory mood for reaching yet another
milestone has proved abortive. I even had to take time off work to
travel with my family as I needed to spend ample time with them as well
as give myself some room to reflect in sobriety. If I am to be perfectly
honest, in the midst of all the blessings God has so much bestowed on
me, the current state of our nation Nigeria has rendered me an unhappy
man.
How can I be happy when all I see around me are people who are wallowing in hunger?
What
is happiness when my fellow Nigerians can no longer engage in business
activities because of the escalating rate of the US Dollars which now
exchanges for over N400 per Dollar?
Where will
happiness come from when Nigeria's inflation rate keeps rising and
prices of common commodities are fast getting out of the reach of the
average Nigerian?
Nothing is being done to empower our women and some people are able to find happiness?
Nigerians are losing jobs everyday and I am expected to find joy in celebrating?
I
cannot! It is just not possible as I sincerely believe there is nothing
worthy of celebrating. My heart is heavy, saddled with so much to
reflect on as thoughts on the way forward for our beloved country clouds
my mind.
In a country with over 180 million
people, I can boastfully say we possess the capacity to turn this nation
around. Nigerians are very resourceful and highly industrious. The fact
that we have not been able to get it right after 55 (soon to be 56)
turbulent years beggars belief. As Nigerians, we need to learn to work
without greed. Contentment should be the underlying feature in
everything we set out to do.
As a nation, we
must fashion out a multi-policy intervention scheme that will not end up
on the screens of our televisions and the pages of our books, but
policies that will open up our system for job creation and reduction in
the rate of poverty. Our problems are man-made and same man who made it
can make things right. But first, those saddled with the responsibility
of steering the ship of our nation must favour a government of
inclusion. They must open the doors to Nigerians (irrespective of one's
ethnic or political leaning) who possess the requisite skills, knowledge
and ideas on how to get Nigeria back on its feet.
Earlier
in the year, I came out to tell Nigerians that the escalation of the
Dollar could be reversed if given the chance to proffer solutions and I
meant it. I also challenged the Government of the day to do the needful
which entailed making consultations which I offered on a platter, even
staking my life's work to see that this ugly trend is reversed.
Regrettably, my advice was not heeded to and my calls fell on deaf ears.
Nigeria's current problem is beyond academics. It is also beyond the
vocabulary technocrats are known to toss around. There are other
components and qualities needed alongside the technicality associated
with education to create the right mix as we seek solutions to the poor
state of our economy. I believe that I am one Nigerian who possesses
some of these components. I am highly confident in my ability to provide
answers to most of the problems Nigeria is faced with and hopefully,
God will give me a chance if man would not.
Permit
me to state this loud and clear to avoid being misconstrued: when I
discuss the public policies of the government or make suggestions on
alternate policies for our government, it is because I want the
government of the day to succeed as their success will make Nigerians
happy. I am a Nigerian who derives joy in seeing our people happy.
After
all said and done, I wish to rededicate myself to the service of
humanity. At this stage in my life coupled with the achievements I have
made and the milestones I have reached, I believe it is high time I
channeled all my resources (financially, intellectually and otherwise)
to promoting humanity, starting from Nigeria with Anambra state being my
first port of call.
My biggest regret in life
is that I have not been able to help humanity they way I would have
loved to. We can never get things right unless we put conscious efforts
into promoting humanity. In view of this, I pledge this day to continue
serving humanity to the best of my ability and as the Good Lord permits.
At this juncture, I would like to expressly appreciate those who have made my journey through life a laudable one.
First
and foremost, special thanks must go to my wife and beautiful children
who have been my firm pillar of support and strength throughout my
journey. Your presence in my life has given me wings to soar as high as I
can dream. For this, I remain eternally grateful to all of you.
Also,
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my employees across all
sectors that I am actively involved in which includes Oil and Gas,
Media Publications, Sports, Construction, Agriculture to mention a few.
Your belief in me has never wavered and your support for me has stood
the test of time. Even at the most difficult of times, you all rally
around me, giving me the needed assurance that we are in this race
together. My belief in the depth of God's love for me and his immense
blessings upon my life stems from you all. Thank you.
To
my friends and well wishers, I wish to also say thank you for being
there. Your prayers and words of support have gotten me this far and I
would not trade you all for anything the world has to offer.
To
Ndi Anambra, umu nwannem, this piece would be incomplete without
expressing the depth of my gratitude to you for all the love and support
you ceaselessly showered on me. How can I forget my humble beginnings?
How can I forget how my beloved brothers and sisters contributed
immensely in shaping the man "Ifeanyi Ubah" and all he has achieved
today? From the bottom of my heart, I say daalu umu nnwannem. Let us
endeavour to keep our leaders in our prayers as we continue in our quest
for greatness.
My fellow compatriots, our
strength lies in our togetherness. Let us keep praying for Nigeria and
her leaders. Let us keep believing in our country and strive to ensure
that we make the best out of our nation. We have no other country to
call our own. We must make Nigeria great for ourselves and for the
generations yet unborn.
To our leaders, I wish
to remind you all that the position which you find yourselves in today
is God given and has a mandate attached to it. I implore you all to do
all you can to better the lives of those who voted you into power. The
welfare of the masses is paramount and the betterment of their living
standards should be the driving factor behind every action of every
leader.
In everything we do, we should always
remember that a day of reckoning will come and we will all be made to
answer to the creator. On that day, would the Almighty be happy with
your report?
Once again, I wish to thank everyone for the birthday wishes. I feel highly blessed and honoured.
God bless you all.
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