NBA chief urges patriotism as panacea to Nigeria’s current challenges

Nigerians, especially those in governance, have been advised to be patriotic and place the interest of the nation foremost in their dealings. This is for the country to move forward and rise above its myriad of challenges.

Vice President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Onyekachi Ubani, gave the advice yesterday at the fifth Celebrating the Unseen Awards 2017. It was organised by Moral Re-Armament (MRA)/Initiatives of Change Nigeria (IOFC) held at the Wheatbaker Hotel, Lagos.

The Consul-General of the Switzerland Embassy, Mr. Yves Nicolete-De-Felix, attended the event.

Ubani, who spoke on the theme “The Emergence of True Patriots,” represented by an associate lawyer in his Chambers, Mr. Evans Ufeli, noted that Nigerians must make the message resonate with the country’s leaders who may have forgotten about patriotism, saying that the country is not working today owing to lack of patriotism.

“If the leaders have been patriotic all the while, we would have avoided insurgency in the North-East, militancy in the Niger Delta and we would have created a system where peace is fostered and prosperity be the hallmark of the Nigerian State,” he said.

He noted that there is no better way to end the year than to talk about this concept and point out that it is patriotism for Nigerians to build the kind of society they want to see in future.

He, therefore, appealed that the concept should be taught everywhere and everyone must entrench the embers of patriotism so that the country could move forward.

President, MRA, Chief Felicia Odetoyinbo, who also spoke at the event, said they wanted to celebrate and encourage more change-makers under the radar not to relent but keep up with the good work they are doing.

“They are our unseen patriots worthy of being appreciated and celebrated. This is one of our numerous initiatives through which we make our modest contribution towards making our world a better place.