UNIZIK stood still for Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as he says Nigeria can work if we want

www.odogwublog.com reports that Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka stood still for former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),  Mallam Nuhu Ribadu today when he arrived to deliver 11th Convocation Lecture of the Institution.

Ribadu said that the Nigerian project would work if Nigerians would eschew separatism and embrace unity.

Ribadu who spoke while delivering the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka 11th Convocation Lecture with the theme: “Leadership and Challenges of National Unity in Nigeria” said it was only in unity that Nigerians could find strength and ability to fight and conquer corruption,  Boko Haram, insecurity and other evils bedeviling the country.
In preaching unity, Ribadu who described Nigeria as a huge promise to the black man insisted that Nigeria needed an honest and modern leadership that would be a rallying point for citizens.

He said, “What we missed at Independence and for most of the years that followed is a true national leader with a clear determination and focus to unify the country. Having such a unifying person would have been one big leap because it would have taken care of the most central challenges of our country.
“Most nation states, as we have seen from examples in sister African countries and elsewhere , succeed largely when you have a leader that is focused, open minded , cosmopolitan, yet firm and unrelenting.  Outside Africa, we can also point to the shining examples of Singapore and Malaysia.
“Leadership therefore has meaning only when it emphasizes unity in diversity, and lifts up the people, investing them with hope and promise. It is so when it sets up purposeful action through the force of example. I am convinced that the leadership that will lead us to the next mile cannot tolerate degenerative values that allow discriminatory practices to thrive, and cannot stamp its feet to affirm than ‘an injury to one is an injury to all’- that violence and impunity will not be tolerated and will be met with overwhelming counter violence in the interest of the large Nigerian community.
“It is therefore right to say that what the country needs is honest and modern leadership that would be a rallying point for citizens, one that can tame the consuming tides of corruption and evolve creative solutions to our myriad of problems. It is my belief that firm and sincere leadership is the precursor for industrious and patriotic followership.”
The former EFCC boss also made case for political stability to ensure national development stressing also that breaking the states into small entities will not give the needed unity in Nigeria.
He further said, “To be sure, no prize is higher than ensuring political stability in this land because it is the bedrock of any possible growth and development. Stability has the rifling effect of sparkling development and addressing challenges of struggle over resources and even the corruption bug.
“I’m a believer in the age -long saying that united we stand, divided we fall. It is in unity that we can find strength and ability to conquer evil.  If we are not united we cannot fight corruption, insecurity, or anything evil.
“This will enhance national development and bring an end to current mutual mistrust that is shaking the foundation of our nation. Managing Nigeria’s diversity in the context of justice and fairness is a pathway to progress. If we address these existential and leadership challenges, we are more than half –way into addressing all our problems.”
Using the Igbo to illustrate unity he said, “Nothing exemplifies the Nigeria we should aspire than the gregarious nature of the Igbo man. It is a common joke that whichever village you go in Nigeria and you don’t see an Igbo man, you should take to your heels".