Nation Building: Rev. Sam Aboyeji, Osunkeye, Others Harp on Increased Partnership

Gilbert Ekugbe

The General Overseer, Foursquare Gospel Church, Reverend Sam Aboyeji, former Chairman, Nestle Nigeria Plc, Chief Olusegun Osunkeye and Immediate Past Attorney General, Oyo State, Prof. Oyelowo Oyewo have solicited for increased partnership amongst key stakeholders and the citizens at large to build the nation.

Aboyeji stated this at the Foursquare Gospel Church ‘s 10th annual public lecture tagged “Paradigm shift: Panacea for a new Nigeria, said as a church it believes and preaches the need for responsible citizens of Nigeria, to duty bond themselves and partner government at all levels as well as relevant stakeholders in the building of a new Nigeria

He added that the process of nation building and establishing the counsel of God for the nation is a task that should not be left only for a few but one in which all Nigerians must be involved.
“It is my belief that the time we will be spending together will be educative, engaging, eye-opening and indeed become a catalyst for engineering the desired paradigm shift for the progress of our dear nation,” he said.

“We seek a nation that is strong, virile, prosperous and righteous. One in which the virtues of patriotism, industry, probity, integrity, accountability and transparency are promoted across all the segments of the population,” he stressed.

According to him, the annual public lecture forms part of its contribution to the discourse on nation building. “In the words of Bob Casey Jr, “Nation-building is not a spectator sport. It takes every one of us to get involved, to get engaged and to get the work done,” he added.
He stated that over the years, this event has attracted the participation of its church members, sister churches, top government functionaries, corporate organizations and people from all walks of life

“This year, we have chosen an apt topic: “Paradigm Shift: Panacea for a New Nigeria”. Nigeria is a nation of diverse culture and ethnic nationalities that have co-existed side by side for over a century. We have recorded remarkable and enviable achievements in the past; however, the narrative seems to have changed, with the projection of individual, group, political and ethnic interests over that of the nation by self-seeking leaders and individuals, a trend which he said threatens to rip through the fabrics of the nation, giving rise to lack of patriotism, nepotism, corruption and promotion of sectional interest above the overall interest of the nation.

“According to the Cambridge dictionary, a paradigm shift is a time when the usual and accepted way of doing or thinking about something changes completely. A paradigm shift can also be described as complete change in our thinking, beliefs, attitude, character and conduct, etcetera. Nigeria is currently going through a challenging and trying period, with a number of our productive, active and versatile youths migrating in their droves to other countries in search of greener pastures,” he stressed.

He maintained that the expectations of the citizenry especially the younger generation which forms about 70 percent of the population remain high and it behooves us as a people to engineer and midwife a new Nigeria of our dreams.

“It starts with our conduct and attitude in our individual sphere of operation and influence.In the words of Nelson Mandela, “A nation is not a mere tribe or family group. It is a far more complex and admirable entity, embodying the aspirations, achievements, and hopes of countless generations,” he averred.

The Foursquare Gospel Church Overseer said it is remarkable to note that nations that have thrived over time have been driven by the passion and force promoting national interest above and beyond all other forms of interests, assuring that Athe church will continue to pray for the emergence of a nation that is strong, virile, secure and devoid of the negative vices that have threatened the unity and corporate existence over the years.

He added that Nigeria is a country blessed with enormous human and material resources, and harnessing these effectively to achieve a nation of our dream is not negotiable.

“We are convinced that our guest lecturer will do justice to the conversation – highlighting the challenges confronting us as a nation and proffering workable solutions to help us gravitate from where we presently find ourselves to where we should be as a nation. We therefore look forward to an insightful and engaging lecture from our guest lecturer and the rich perspective of the Chairman of the event,” he said.

Also speaking, Osunkeye added that according to the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics latest report, 63 per cent of the nation’s citizens are multidimensionally poor, while also calling on economic experts to urgently devise innovative and effective solutions to addressing Nigeria’s economic challenges to achieve greater good.