MBONU CALLS FOR TOTAL REBRANDING OF NIGERIA
MBONU CALLS FOR TOTAL REBRANDING OF NIGERIA
Dr. Okey Samuel Mbonu, former Presidential aspirant in the 2019 general election has called for a total rebranding of Nigeria as the panacea towards building a strong, progressive, and united country. He advocated for the immediate change of the name Nigeria to ‘Republic of West Africa’ amongst several other reforms he would like the nation to embark on.
Dr. Okey Mbonu made this clarion call in his remarks as a speaker at the just concluded Nigeria National Leadership Conference (NNLC) and National Economic Empowerment Summit (NEES), organized by the Carpenter Foundation, held at the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Lagos.
Speaking further on his call for name change, Dr Okey Mbonu opined that most Nigerians are beholden to their tongues or religion and have refused to cultivate passion or patriotism for the country. He said since we are all West Africans, and there are numerous West Africans pouring into our borders daily, the moment we formally adopt the name “Republic of West Africa, the country will immediately become known as one of the most resource-filled regions of the world, and potentially one of the world’s powerful nations, occupying a strategic corner of Africa.
Aside the call for name change, Mbonu also spoke extensively on the historical background of the political journey of the country from the British Empire till present. He lamented that the efforts our founding fathers who wrestled the country from the grip of the colonialists so that we can have full control of our affairs that will guarantee peace, liberty and prosperity for the citizenry, has been jettisoned by the old political class who have held political power for so long without any meaningful development
“ Five dozen years ago, our forefathers wrestled this piece of West Africa from the British Empire. They wrestled this land so that we can fully control our affairs, and live in peace, liberty and prosperity”. He said
Mbonu further stressed that after several years of military interventions, our political elites willingly jettisoned the parliamentary system bequeathed to the nation by the British colonialists and adopted the American presidential system of government. He said, regrettably, the political class have refused to copy the system we adopted correctly and have indeed turned the entire process upside down to the detriment of the people and the nation in general
“The trouble today, among several related factors, is that we have refused to copy the system we adopted correctly. Human progress since the beginning of time has been based on copying the best model of any human endaevour, until society finds something better” He opined
Mbonu re-affirmed that the world best example of democracy remains the United States of America presidential model of democracy, which the nation consciously adopted but sadly, has been practiced in the opposite direction by the political class. He advised that the nation cannot make any meaningful progress if the true tenets of democracy are not fully adhered to.
Mbonu further advocated for the separation powers so that each branch of government from the executive to the legislature and judiciary can checkmate each other for the smooth running of government. He, however, regretted that this apparently has not been the case in the country with most of the court’s orders being flagrantly flouted or outrightly disobeyed with impunity by the executive arm of the government.
The former presidential aspirant also canvassed for the devolution of powers as practiced in real democratic federations; adding that, in democratic federalism, the various states should control its education, its police and its economy. This, he said, will engendered a healthy competition among the federating units and ultimately bring about growth and development in the society.
For democracy to be fully established in the country, Mbonu called for reforms in the current electoral practices in order to make the electorates vote counts through sustained voters’ enlightenment and enacted electoral laws that will create an equal opportunity and a level playing ground for all Nigerians to vote and be voted for.
“If we do not reform our current electoral practices, to make our votes count; whereby a little boy or girl from Akwa Ibom, or Zamfara, or Onitsha, or Ijebu Ode, can freely run for the presidency of this Republic, based on the content of their character, competence and integrity; and not on what tongue they speak or what religion they worship; then we will clearly be going around in circles, with a number of poor disenfranchised people, who will eventually react out of frustration, hunger, deprivation and insecurity” He warned.
He bemoaned the lack of social infrastructural development in the country such as the epileptic electricity supply, public running water, good roads, unreliable communication services among others; which, according to him, have stunted growth in Nigeria and further rendered the citizen impoverished. He cited examples of other great democratic nations of the world who have built their infrastructure which have massively impacted in the quality of life of their citizens and the phenomenal growth of their economy
In concluding, Mbonu called for a change of gear from the old brigade politicians to the new generation politicians; asserting that, a time comes in the life of every generation when the old must give way to the new. Old ways he believed must be abandoned for progress to happen; adding that the time is now because there is a “fierce urgency of now” in our affairs as a nation.
The event which was heavily attended has among the audience, Prof Wole Soyinka, the Nobel laureate; Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, Hon. You Tope Fasua, Hon Emmanuel Etim, Dr Ayodele Favour and many others
Dr. Okey Samuel Mbonu, former Presidential aspirant in the 2019 general election has called for a total rebranding of Nigeria as the panacea towards building a strong, progressive, and united country. He advocated for the immediate change of the name Nigeria to ‘Republic of West Africa’ amongst several other reforms he would like the nation to embark on.
Dr. Okey Mbonu made this clarion call in his remarks as a speaker at the just concluded Nigeria National Leadership Conference (NNLC) and National Economic Empowerment Summit (NEES), organized by the Carpenter Foundation, held at the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Lagos.
Speaking further on his call for name change, Dr Okey Mbonu opined that most Nigerians are beholden to their tongues or religion and have refused to cultivate passion or patriotism for the country. He said since we are all West Africans, and there are numerous West Africans pouring into our borders daily, the moment we formally adopt the name “Republic of West Africa, the country will immediately become known as one of the most resource-filled regions of the world, and potentially one of the world’s powerful nations, occupying a strategic corner of Africa.
Aside the call for name change, Mbonu also spoke extensively on the historical background of the political journey of the country from the British Empire till present. He lamented that the efforts our founding fathers who wrestled the country from the grip of the colonialists so that we can have full control of our affairs that will guarantee peace, liberty and prosperity for the citizenry, has been jettisoned by the old political class who have held political power for so long without any meaningful development
“ Five dozen years ago, our forefathers wrestled this piece of West Africa from the British Empire. They wrestled this land so that we can fully control our affairs, and live in peace, liberty and prosperity”. He said
Mbonu further stressed that after several years of military interventions, our political elites willingly jettisoned the parliamentary system bequeathed to the nation by the British colonialists and adopted the American presidential system of government. He said, regrettably, the political class have refused to copy the system we adopted correctly and have indeed turned the entire process upside down to the detriment of the people and the nation in general
“The trouble today, among several related factors, is that we have refused to copy the system we adopted correctly. Human progress since the beginning of time has been based on copying the best model of any human endaevour, until society finds something better” He opined
Mbonu re-affirmed that the world best example of democracy remains the United States of America presidential model of democracy, which the nation consciously adopted but sadly, has been practiced in the opposite direction by the political class. He advised that the nation cannot make any meaningful progress if the true tenets of democracy are not fully adhered to.
Mbonu further advocated for the separation powers so that each branch of government from the executive to the legislature and judiciary can checkmate each other for the smooth running of government. He, however, regretted that this apparently has not been the case in the country with most of the court’s orders being flagrantly flouted or outrightly disobeyed with impunity by the executive arm of the government.
The former presidential aspirant also canvassed for the devolution of powers as practiced in real democratic federations; adding that, in democratic federalism, the various states should control its education, its police and its economy. This, he said, will engendered a healthy competition among the federating units and ultimately bring about growth and development in the society.
For democracy to be fully established in the country, Mbonu called for reforms in the current electoral practices in order to make the electorates vote counts through sustained voters’ enlightenment and enacted electoral laws that will create an equal opportunity and a level playing ground for all Nigerians to vote and be voted for.
“If we do not reform our current electoral practices, to make our votes count; whereby a little boy or girl from Akwa Ibom, or Zamfara, or Onitsha, or Ijebu Ode, can freely run for the presidency of this Republic, based on the content of their character, competence and integrity; and not on what tongue they speak or what religion they worship; then we will clearly be going around in circles, with a number of poor disenfranchised people, who will eventually react out of frustration, hunger, deprivation and insecurity” He warned.
He bemoaned the lack of social infrastructural development in the country such as the epileptic electricity supply, public running water, good roads, unreliable communication services among others; which, according to him, have stunted growth in Nigeria and further rendered the citizen impoverished. He cited examples of other great democratic nations of the world who have built their infrastructure which have massively impacted in the quality of life of their citizens and the phenomenal growth of their economy
In concluding, Mbonu called for a change of gear from the old brigade politicians to the new generation politicians; asserting that, a time comes in the life of every generation when the old must give way to the new. Old ways he believed must be abandoned for progress to happen; adding that the time is now because there is a “fierce urgency of now” in our affairs as a nation.
The event which was heavily attended has among the audience, Prof Wole Soyinka, the Nobel laureate; Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, Hon. You Tope Fasua, Hon Emmanuel Etim, Dr Ayodele Favour and many others
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