Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo said Nigerians need to tell their stories and ‘tell’ about the country as part of their contribution to nation-building.
Mr Osimbajo made the statement Friday night at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja during the ceremony to mark the book launch of “The Memory of Seasons” by Nigerian journalist, Arakaino Umukoro.
While emphasizing the importance of storytelling, the Vice President urged Nigerians not to speak ill of the country, noting that the stories others tell often have a purpose.
He added that all citizens belong to “the Nigerian side” and that Nigerians need to tell stories about their dreams, aspirations and hopes.
According to Osinbajo-
“The stories of nations written by others focus on their own agendas. The negatives of course sell much faster. We must tell our own stories. I attend a lot of conferences and I have never seen a conference where anyone is speaking ill of their country or running down their country.
“When we get home we can criticise ourselves, but we must talk up our country. We belong to one side, and that side is the Nigerian side. We must make sure that in every way we can, we give the very best impression of our country.
“Our country is not its politicians, it’s not its religious leaders, it is you and I. Our country cannot be defined by any group of people or by any political party. Our stories must be stories of our aspirations, dreams and hopes because we have the talents and resources and are already on that journey.”
Speaking during a panel session on the theme “Conversations on Nigeria’s Unity in diversity: Challenges, opportunities”, Special Assistant on Digital and New Media to the President, Tolu Ogunlesi, said there must be a focus on narratives being passed around regarding the country.
Osinbajo added that these narratives, must “show that the things that unite us are more than the things that divide us”. The vice president also recently commissioned an irrigation system in Kano. Read about this here.
cc: Punch Ng
