I no come greet una as politician wey want una vote, no be as preacher wey want una offering, and no be as celebrity wey dey find una clap. I greet una as broda wey come tell una one hard truth wey wrap inside deep love: Nigeria no be exempt from getting better — Revolution for United States dem time different gan-gan from di idea of Revolution for Nigeria. Di condition of Nigeria dey allow me talk say, "but di real revolution no go start for Aso Rock or for street. E go start for inside your mind."
For too long, we don dey shout "change" every four years and still we dey di same for inside our heart. We remove one man only to put another one wey dem mould from di same soil of greed, no-patience, corruption, oppression, and ignorance among all di other rubbish. From Lagos to Maiduguri, from Port Harcourt to Sokoto, from Oyo to Niger, di story dey repeat itself like one old drum wey no dey change im rhythm. And di painful truth — di one wey we don dey run from too tey — na dis one:
We dey treat politics like inter-house sports. We dey wear party colour like jersey and dey shout for our team to win, no be for our nation to rise and prosper. We dey celebrate thief and terrorist because dem come from our tribe. We dey defend failure because dem share our tongue and pocket. We dey curse government for unemployment, but we dey celebrate shortcut and corruption for house. We dey blame our government and other management for pothole, but we dey throw rubbish for front of our own gate. We dey expect heaven from people wey dey office while we dey live like devil for our own small corner. And when di country fall, we go dey act like say we shock — like say na we no vote, with our own hand, for di very fingers wey dey choke our throat now.
Make I bring you face to face with di document wey define wetin we owe ourselves and wetin we owe Nigeria. Di Constitution of di Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as Amended) no be museum piece. Na living covenant between you and your country. And e dey start by telling you exactly where di power dey.
Read dose words again, my young broda and sista. E be Supreme. E dey Bind. On all authorities and persons. Meaning say senator no dey above am. Governor no dey above am. Police no dey above am. Local government chairman no dey above am. Market king no dey above am. And di boy for street wey dey collect illegal "settlement" for checkpoint, e no dey above am too. Di Constitution dey bind everybody — or e no dey bind anybody. Na so e be.
Indivisible. Indissoluble. E mean say our destiny dey tied togeda whether we like each oda tribe or no. Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Fulani, Ijaw, Tiv, Kanuri, Efik, Itsekiri — every drop of blood wey dey flow for dis land na inside one body e dey flow. When you tief from Nigeria, no be from "dem" you dey tief. Na from inside your own mama belle you dey tief.
Section 14 na di verse wey you must memorise like your name. E declare Nigeria as "a State based on the principles of democracy and social justice," and e proclaim like dis:
You hear am? Sovereignty belong to YOU. No be to Senate. No be to Presidency. No be to di godfathers for Abuja or Ado Ekiti. Government no give imself power — na YOU give government di power. And wetin you give, you fit hold am accountable. Wetin you give, you fit demand answer for am. Wetin you give, you no go give am away again because of one bag of rice, one wrapper, one or two thousand naira for election day or days before.
And Section 14(2)(b) na di standard wey every leader must dey judged with: di security and welfare of di people shall be di PRIMARY purpose of government. No be personal wealth. No be estate for Dubai or mansion for London or Switzerland. No be private jet. No be children wey dey study abroad while public school dey collapse for home. Di PRIMARY purpose. Anything less than dat na constitutional betrayal, wey must meet di bar of accountability.
Section 23 of our Constitution list di seven national ethics wey suppose build Nigeria:
Discipline, Integrity, Dignity of Labour, Social Justice, Religious Tolerance, Self-reliance, and Patriotism.
Look di list. Now look our street. Now look our office. Now look our church and our mosque. Now look mirror.
Dis na di mindset wey dey upside down. Dis na di abnormality wey we don begin call normal, and we dress am for agbada, danshiki, and call am "Democracy."
Here na one truth wey I don carry for long time and wey I don put for landing page of my advocacy make e clear: Democracy no be one-size-fit-all. Wetin dey work for Washington no go automatically work for Wukari. Wetin fit London fit strangle Lagos. We don dey wear foreign suit for African body, and we dey wonder why e dey tear for every seam.
Democracy must dey measured to fit di current mindset of our society. We must cut our coat according to our size. Democracy must dey moulded to fit Nigeria — our cultures, our values, our ancient ethics wey teach us say yam wey dem tief dey bitter, say elder wey lie go lose im stool, say na community dey raise pikin. We must surgically and step by step heal di abnormalities wey now find home here and dey live among us like say na di norm.
Di way we get am now — copy-and-paste democracy wey dem pour for wounded society — na exactly wetin bring us inside dis wahala. Until our mindset get healing, no ballot go save us. Until our values restore, no election go redeem us.
And now, di section wey bring everything home. Section 24 of di Constitution declare:
Read am. Read am again. Read am until e enter your bone.
Dis na your DOs. Now learn your DON'Ts from di opposite of each of dem:
When you sabi your DOs and your DON'Ts, you don qualify to hold others accountable. You no fit demand integrity from senator while you dey cheat for your shop. You no fit demand transparency from governor while you dey pad your receipt. Accountability dey start for mirror before e go reach microphone or street.
Dis na part of di encounters wey push me to found Nation of Justice — one movement of citizens wey dey wake to their own power, their own duty, and their own dignity under di Constitution wey already belong to dem.
Dese na part of di encounters wey push me to found Nation of Justice. We dey exist to champion di advocacy of citizens' awareness of dia responsibilities — to demself and to di Nation wey dem dey call dia Country. We no dey exist to fight government. We dey exist to help government see and do di needful for nationwide progress instead of sinking inside di swamp of corruption and personal wealth accumulation wey don hold us hostage for too long.
We believe in one Nigeria where:
When di citizens wake, government go straighten im back. When di people refuse to be bribed, di politicians go dey forced to perform. When accountability become di air we dey breathe, di looters go catch cold wey dem no fit recover from. Di fear of accountability na di start of di drumbeat of justice for all.
So hear me, young Nigerian. Di greatest revolution no be for street — even though di streets get their moment. Di greatest revolution dey for mind. Di day we go stop waiting for messiah and start becoming di citizens wey our Constitution describe — dat na di day Nigeria go rise.
Di enemy no dey only for top. Di enemy dey live also for our habit, our excuse, our tribalism, our impatience, our willingness to clap for thief wey share our surname.
But di good news — di gospel I come deliver — na dis: di same hand wey build di prison fit open am. Di mind wey accept di abnormal as normal fit reject am too. Di voice wey one time shout for party fit learn to shout for principle. Di eye wey watch evil and look away fit learn to look am for face and talk, "Not for my Nigeria."
To every young Nigerian wey dey read dis — student, trader, artisan, graduate, hustler, dreamer:
When di revolution for our mindset succeed, di true change go begin take shape — for our economy, for our social development, for our culture, for our children children. And we go finally look back and talk: we no wait for saviour. We become one — togeda.
And when I finally decide to seek una votes, na den you go know say na call for una to work like never before.
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Di revolution dey start di moment wey you choose to be di citizen wey our Constitution describe.
Every share wake another mind. Send dis to young Nigerian wey need to read am.
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