May 29 beginning of renewed hope for Nigerians-Projec One

By Diana Omueza

Project One, a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO), has called on Nigerians to be hopeful as the incoming Bola Tinubu administration Bola will be the beginning of ‘renewed hope’ for all.

Mrs Bisayo Busari-Akinnadeju, the Executive Director of the group said this on Friday in Abuja at the 2023 IAMANIGERIAN Conference.

The conference which focused on rebranding the mindsets of secondary school students was themed “Renewed hope for a new Nigeria”.

“Every nation has to be build, we can’t keep complaining on who is going to change Nigeria or who is going to build Nigeria.

“My role as citizen is to build the country and to encourage others to join me to build; Nigeria is not dead, it is not going to die, Nigeria is alive and we just need to keep hopes up.

“If we all leave the country to a place where some other people have built, who is going to build this country.

“While everyone wants a better Nigeria, a new Nigeria, a lot of peope are also disappointed in Nigeria, so we are asking people to keep hope alive and people should expect the best,’’ she said.

She added:”I believe with the new dispensation and with the efforts that more Nigerians are putting into building this nation we are indeed going to have a new Nigeria and our hope will be rekindled.”

She urged parents, teachers and other education stakeholders to prepare their children for leadership, especially those in secondary schools and to rebrand their mindsets to be patriotic and to value their country.

This, she said was the only way to address lack of patriotism and to tackle leadership drought in the future.

“I know that people in my generation complain that they promised us to be leaders of tomorrow and then tomorrow never came; but tomorrow came and we were never prepared for it.

“I do not want the same thing to happen to people in my age category to happen to the younger ones coming so am raising them from this tender age to prepare for leadership.

“For them to know when to go for their votes and when to be voted for so they are prepared to take up leadership and Nigeria at some point can no longer complain of drought in leadership.

“Rather they will have seasoned leaders and people who have well-meaning intentions for the citizens,” she said.

Mr Samson Itodo, the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, described May 29 was the end of politics and the beginning of governance for all elected public office holders.

“This is a convening to inspire young people to rethink what a new Nigeria should look like, which is a Nigeria that values integrity, a Nigeria that is built on the patriotic spirit of its citizens.

“A Nigeria where justice is for all and not for a few and a prosperous Nigeria and at a time where we are coming out of the election, politics is over, its tine for governance.

“Politicians who have been elected need to know that they have new jobs and they have to deliver on their campaign promises and citizens need to hold these leaders who made promises to account,” he said.

Ms Gusi Tobby, the Scholarship Director at Gotni Leadership Centre Abuja, called for a collective support for the incoming government in order for it to achieve its mandates effortlessly.

“I know that Nigeria at the moment is in a state where we feel like is this going to be the government that we want to give us the hope that we’ve been aspiring for a new Nigeria.

“But I strongly believe that if we wholeheartedly come together to support the government instead of being biased by supporting one group or another.

“We should come together because the government is here already and we believe in them and we while support them to do the right things,” she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NGO in partnership with Lehi Attorneys registered five businesses for free at the conference as an effort to boost entrepreneurship and innovation and to challenge patriotism.

Ms Omeyoma Eshemitan, a representative of Lehi Attorneys, said that the partnership was an act of patriotism and to give back to the society.

“I believe as regards this organization is to inspire, to get a lot of people to be patriotic about being a Nigerian.

“So we partnered because we are inspired to do our beat basically as patriotic citizens to inspire and help fellow Nigerians,” she said.

The event featured presentation of N100,000 to the winner of the 2023 IAMANIGERIAN essay writing competition, N100,000 each to two young aspiring police officers courtesy of Yiaga-Africa, and free CAC business registration by Lehi Attorneys in partnership with Project-One.