You are only as strong as your convictions and resolve.  So also your motivations and strength of character.  In the United States and other serious nations, people take their work seriously.  People in elected positions feel an obligation to serve their constituencies and the nation in general, as the law also requires.  They try their utmost best to fulfill all those needs.  And their impressive response to us, is only commiserate with their obligation to serving within their various committees primarily.  Compare that with an office such as the Embassy of Nigeria that was basically here to serve the interest of  Nigerians and Nigeria as a nation, who chose not to do their job.

What we read from some of the Embassy action was not only that they generally act that way over the years; i.e. they show up usually only when there is some personal and individual benefits to them. In this particular occasion some, we hear, do not want to share the same platform with some of our speakers. In my opinion, this is both cowardly and immature.  Instead of representing itself and defending its policies and publicizing itself in the light it wants to be seen, so we can assist in publicizing that live that day, including later online on our site, the representatives of the Nigerian Government (Embassy) would rather not turn up.

As organizers of the Conference, The Optimist Voice is not siding with any particular opinion nor does it know the details of what every speaker will say.  All we did was provide a forum for rich and beneficial discussions.  We are however, not downplaying the caliber of the people we invited.  Not at all. The voice did its homework to make sure all its speakers and those honored with an award deserved it backed by credible evidence and documentation.  So also our invited guests were all descent people. The Optimist Voice’s aims was to further the goal for which it was formed which includes primarily building Nigeria and its leadership quality and making Nigeria a better nation for its people.

A Hausa Proverb says “You wash your pot, in anticipation of using it the following day to cook.”  Don tuwon gobe ake wanke tukunya.   It also says “Preventive steps are way better than cure after illness strikes.  Rigakafi ya fi magani. These all teach us that one has to keep working proactively towards helping themselves to maintain the positive goals, as well as networking with others, so when something happens they already know who one is.  Not only that, through networking with your neighbors earlier in ordinary times, they get to know you, and can call you to explain to them what you know or think in extraordinary times.  You do not isolate yourself, then when something happens then you react.

Our generation grew up in Nigeria with many values taught by our elders.  Their values have been tested and retested for over a thousand years (of known written history).  It was shaped by what they understood from the world around them (culture), as well as the values brought by (religious) emissaries of God.  Northern Nigerians in particular have our ancestors bequeathed to us a very rich heritage from those dual sources that it became difficult much later to distinguish between what are divine orders from religion, and what is culture learnt over the centuries.  Hence the religious reform that was undertaken in the area of Northern Nigeria in the early 1800’s which primarily tackled that, and resulted in the formation of the Sokoto Caliphate.

Nigerians had such a rich and diverse culture well before Europe decided to take a step further than the exploration of our present day Nigeria by such people as Mungo Park, going further to control the people, their land and resources. Before then for hundreds of years we were part of the “Western Sudan” where great empires, civilizations rose and fell.  And these were very rich civilizations, trading across the continent in spices, gold and silver, knowledge and scholarship.  The powerful, even at that time, were able and willing to go on intercontinental travels to fulfill one religious purpose of Pilgrimage, as Mansa Musa did  to Makka  in the 1300s during the Mali Empire.  Mansa Musa was of course a Muslim leader as Malians for centuries were Muslim too.

Today most descendants of those great men are running around in circles exhibiting symptoms of either complete lack of resolve, motivation to help self and others in their communities, or complete ineptitude.  Nigerians who appear to be much more endowed to lead the people in the region appear to be one of the worst of them. People cannot walk up to anyone and demand respect if they do not respect themselves.  No one accomplishes anything if he is not sincere enough to simply do what he is employed and receive salaries to do.  If you cannot fulfill even that, no one respects you or what you have to say period.

 

 

 

(c) The Optimist Voice.  All Rights Reserved.

                                                
                         

 

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WRITER'S COLUMN

NIGERIAN LEADERSHIP PLAYING THE OSTRICH

Hadiza Wada, DBA

 

January 16, 2010

 

 Nigerian Embassy, Washington DC

Nigeria is desperately seeking a positive image today, especially within the United States and the world, given the recent Mutallab incident.  When people say Nigerians are their worst enemies, you ask what they mean by that.  Some recent experience demonstrated that very well.

 When “The Optimist Voice” organized a conference on Governance and Development in Nigeria on October 31, 2009 we invited a diverse audience and competent speakers to speak on issues of importance to Nigeria.  We extended invitations for speaking at the occasion to both Nigerian Personalities in Government and out of Government, and also speakers from among U S Professors of Nigerian descent.  We did not get a good response from the Nigerian speakers, only those in the U S responded positively. 

The event’s venue was in the Washington D.C. metro area where not only the U S government has its headquarters, that is also where the Nigerian Embassy is located.  We invited people from both sides with official stake in what we want to talk about. That was basically a free opportunity for many in the U S to learn about Nigerians and their country Nigeria. 

It provided a free opportunity for the Embassy of Nigeria to conduct some public relations and networking with like minds among policy makers in the U.S. Capital.  The Optimist Voice solicited not one penny from anyone, including the Nigerian Embassy, to organize the conference. It was a free event for everyone, complete with light food and refreshments, just to make a positive difference for Nigerians, in our own small way.

The Optimist Voice personally delivered invitation packages with copies of relevant information about the conference including speakers, topic and all pertinent information with individual invitations to members of the U. S.  House Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health. Members such as Hon Diane Watson (D-CA 33rd district); Hon. Barbara Lee (D-CA 9th district); and Hon. Gregory Meeks, (D-NY 6th district).  Also invited were Judiciary Committee Chair John Conyers (D-Mi, 14th district) and Hon. Maxine Walters (D-CA 35th district). These we believe are also members with good track record of genuine interest and concern on African issues.

We also delivered similar invitations personally to the Deputy Chief of Mission Ambassador Babagana Wakil, including leaders of various sections of relevance to the conference at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington DC.  Economic Unit Head Dr. Okon and his assistant Minister Bello Ringim, Consular Section Mr. Balogun, and Political section Mr. Chukwukeme.

In attendance at the conference were university undergraduates mostly of Nigerian descent, graduate students, research fellows, as well as Professors from Bowie State University, Washington Jefferson University, and Pennsylvania State University.  Also present were Nigerian Professionals including Senior Engineers from the Washington corridor and Richmond. And an official of the Nigerian Universities Commission.  Two dignitaries were honored; Former EFCC Chair Ribadu and Former Governor Mu'azu of Bauchi State.

The irony and most unbelievable response is that, while members of the U. S. Legislature responded to The Optimist Voice’s invitation, not one individual from the Nigerian Embassy sees the event as important enough to attend. Not only that, not one person from the Embassy has the courtesy to call and give an excuse for non attendance even if fake, just as a courtesy.  To this day it was just total silence.

Though we were certain that attendance from the U. S. House Committee Members that same week will be very difficult giving the vote on Health Care the same week which was forecasted to be very close and uncertain, we just delivered the invitation for reasons of introduction for our publication and such events even if in the future. In reality after some hard thought on our part, we scheduled the event leaning towards making it easier on the Speakers and attendees to travel in from various cities. We therefore chose the weekend.

The response however came only from those same U. S. House Committee Members who genuinely expressed their regrets for inability to attend given what is ahead of them.  I remember receiving a call from one of the honorable members as I was driving to pick up the Award Plaques for our Annual Award winners a day before the conference.  Honorable Maxine Walters (D-California)  asked her personal assistant to make sure she calls to express the Congresswoman’s genuine regrets that she would not be able to be present at the conference because she was on her way to her constituency.

On the day of the conference a representative from our local U S Senator tried up to the last minute to just pop in and say a few words but was held back in a presentation canvassing for health care reform occurring the same day.  She sent in an apology while the conference was ongoing and we announced it right there.  The Senator himself, of course was involved in Health Care vote solicitation.

The week of the conference, was the same week for voting on Heath Care Reform in the House, as described earlier. And one needs to understand the position of that historical legislation.  Health Care reform is one of the most important reform the U S legislature and the Obama Administration is undertaking, and it was one of the toughest events the nation had faced in about a century.  Yet members of the House had time out of their busy schedule to talk to us. The Nigerian Embassy on the other hand chose to neglect us completely.