One people before one nation

Sir: Allow me include a traditional European-Jewish folktale from centuries ago: First the traveller asked them to bring him a huge cooking pot while he made a fire in the centre of the square. They filled the pot with water while a little boy was to find a nice, clean stone for cooking. When the water started boiling, the
traveller dropped the stone into the pot, stirred it and tasted it.

Hmmn! Delicious but it needs something more. The villagers said they had no food at all to add to the soup. Well he asked if anyone had a salt? And this was added to the pot. Yes! Much better! Would anyone here have any vegetables? One man said he had a few potatoes and some carrots but not enough to feed even one person. They were chopped up and tossed into the pot. A young mother said she had two onions. Would these do? Of course! Into the pot they went.

And so in politics, we vote along religious lines, thereby increasing the load of negativity not mindful that politics is about solving problems.

We must live a reality and not ask the west to do all of our work, to protect us; after which we go back to living rashly beyond our means and without necessary boundaries.

Nigeria needs men of ideas to help us live better. Nigeria needs leaders who can provide thought leadership, especially now that our unreasonableness has been broken down by poverty, recession and failed infrastructure.
Simon Abah wrote from Port Harcourt.