Agitations: US, Soludo sue for peace, dialogue

UCHE AKOLISA |

Amidst intensified calls for secession by various ethnic groups in Nigeria, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Struart Symington, has urged Nigerian leaders and citizens to work together to promote Nigeria and the Nigerian dream.

Symington who spoke at the 241st US Independence Day celebration marked by the US Consulate at the Consul-General ’s residence in Lagos recently said, while noting some of the difficulties the United States has had to contend with in building the union said that Nigeria and America shared ‘incredible diversity,’ urging that Nigeria’s differences and diversity should be a source of strength.

Symington who asked Nigerians amongst the guests what they liked about Nigeria and got the piping response, “Nigerians!” disclosed that he had asked many Nigerians in different parts of Nigeria where he has visited and “each told me the same thing: ‘I like Nigerians. I like our diversity. I like our diversity, our energy.’

The envoy stressed the need for Nigerian leaders to carry the citizens along saying, leaders without citizens are like a book cover without the book.

Symington who acknowledged that the number of Nigerian-Americans who have lifted United States are enormous, urged every Nigerian citizen ask himself: “How can I make Nigeria better with what I do? That is how you can work together to live the Nigerian dream.”

Drawing lessons from United States, the former Central Bank Governor, Charles Soludo, while interacting with journalists on the occasion urged Nigeria to emulate United States by engaging in dialogue to resolve rising agitations in the country and work together to make Nigeria one of the top 10 economies in the world by 2050.

“There is no perfect union. No country comes fully made.  Every country is a product of struggle, continuing struggle by the citizens to make a perfect union. Even United State of America, despite their 241st Independence Anniversary have their struggles.  If you remember when Obama was re-elected about 11 states were collecting signatures. They wanted to secede from the country. Even after the last election, California was still talking about leaving America. No perfect democracy. America does not claim to be perfect. They dialogue. They discuss. They continue to evolve. Each generation makes it a more perfect union.

“It‘s been 56 since our Independence. We must begin to think about the next Nigeria.  A Nigeria different what we have always known; more united. It will require a lot of dialogue. What we expect from Nigeria is for it to be the largest black nation on earth, one of the top 5 or 10 largest economies by 2050. It will take the sweat of almost 200 million Nigerians. To make it work, we got to dialogue, negotiate. In democracy, you don’t shoot, you talk. Not with guns or boxing. I believe if we sincerely get down to it, we will be making progress. One of the lessons from America is: You get it done by talking.”