Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo says both the elders and youth of Nigeria deserve some accolades for their contribution to nation-building.
‘I deserve some accolades’ is a phrase made popular by Charles Okocha, an actor and social media sensation.
Osinbajo borrowed from the phrase while speaking on Tuesday at the 11th edition of The Platform, a non-profit initiative of Covenant Christian Centre.
According to the number two citizen, nation-building is a continuous work in progress because the builders are confronted with new challenges daily.
The Vice-President commended the resilience and commitment of Nigerians even in the face of hardship.
“But the task of nation-building is never done. The builders confront new problems every day,” Osinbajo said.
“Today, we are confronted with the remnants of Boko Haram, farmer/herdsman crisis. The job of the builder is not to complain or to escape but to confront and to resolve.
“The solution is in building that Nigerian bridge. The bridge will not be the one made of bricks and steel. It will be one built with the strongest material of our will to excel as Nigerians and our commitment to build a good society.
“A bridge that connects us across politics, religion, ethnicity and across even generations. The bridge that will stand the powerful forces of fear, division and exclusion.
“This bridge will be built with the wisdom of the elderly and the strength of the youth. But both of us deserve some accolades.”
Osinbajo said he believes the building of nations is achieved “through the accomplishments of many outside of political leadership”.
He said the government’s main role is to provide an enabling environment for growth to thrive.
“Nation-building in its practical sense refers to the formal and informal processes by which political leadership attempt to build a national identity, national ethos, a national spirit, especially in ethnically and religiously diverse societies,” he said.
“It is my own thesis, that while government’s role is creating the environment for nation growth, the real building of nations is done through the accomplishments of many outside of political leadership.
“Men and women in business, agriculture, education, entertainment, who by just doing their business diligently or making sacrifices contribute to build the companies and social systems that ultimately, build the nation.”
Reeling out a list and telling stories of Nigerians across different sectors who, in their private capacities, are thriving and adding to national development, Osinbajo said: “We can contribute in profoundly transformative ways to changing our societies, by just doing our own bit with excellence.
“It is just amazing the credible work that these individuals do. These are the true nation builders.
“The teachers, the farmers, the entrepreneurs, the public servants they pay their taxes, they bear the hardship but they are determined and committed.
“They are the ones who recognise that even where change is slow, it will come. Their own dreams of greatness is that hard work are the building blocks of our nation.”
