Our Papa for Naija

I got a comment on the last post which made my head swell well and like never before, I was proud to be Nigerian. the fellow started something on Nigeria and was looking for other related sites and he just stumbled on this. Men, ain't that cool? I then got more interested in looking more critically at Nigeria (I'm not abandoning my kids though) and as characteristic of me, to see how the children fit in.

I was at an Independence day celebration (October 1st) in one of the Nigerian campuses. It was a celebration that gave everyone present there, who is a Nigerian a sense of pride and belonging. I pitied all non Nigerians there. If you're not Green and White, you just can't be Nigerian. I never knew that colour combination was that beautiful.

That same day, I watched another celebration that took place in Abuja, the capital city and that took some 'uhs' and 'ahs' from me. It was really splendid. But the most captivating part was on Monday, which was a public holiday, when reporters went round Abuja to sample opinion on the celebration and they caught up with Papa Nigeria in one of the parks with some kids. They were so awed to have the president sit with them, play with them and laugh with them.

Reminds me of the childrens' party that he organized for them based on a letter he received from a little brave Nigerian girl! The kids had the fun of their lives. Now, I sat back and smiled. I'm finally seeing the Nigeria of my dreams. If kids have the opportunity to 'play' with their president, having close contact with him, how would they not want to be like him? That dream erases the thirst for crime in our youth. There is a model for them to look up to. For those who think that it will take Nigeria ages to get to the place of greatness, I tell y'all something, that future is closer to us than we think. This rising generation is the future of Nigeria. As you watch us grow, you see the future grow and the closer we are to you, the closer the future is to us.