Who among us here can stand up and swear that he has not contributed in any way to the present trouble with Nigeria? If there is any such person here let him rise to be recognized. The truth is that all of us have contributed in some ways to the woes of our nation.

It takes the collective will of a people to develop a nation. Great democracies of the world have had their sordid past, but they never allowed it to obstruct their vision of where they are heading for. America presents a classic case. Today America is a reference point on any matter under the sun. But they did not achieve greatness on a platter of gold. China and other developed countries of the world have overcome their initial inertia to become global powers.

We do not have any reason to offer why Malaysia should overtake Nigeria in the production of palm oil. 40 years ago Nigeria was the world’s largest producer of palm oil and groundnut. But alas! We are far behind Malaysia in the production of palm oil which they came to Nigeria to get. What an irony! Where do we start the reconstruction? Is it in the manufacturing sector that has functioned below capacity? Is it not funny that Nigeria with all its immense resources imports substandard goods to sustain its people? We import even toothpicks and water. I learnt that the Federal Government is planning to ban a new range of products. But the question is: do our industries have the capacity to produce enough to meet local demand? Banning certain categories of products is one thing, and producing sufficient quantity locally to meet the needs of the people is another! Look at the way Nigerians live. Many of us live below one dollar per day (that is N130 a day). A recent World Bank statistics puts the figure at 60 cents (N78) a day. Almost 70% of Nigerians are threatened by poverty, yet Nigeria is the sixth largest producer of oil in the world. Drive through the cities of Nigeria and what you see will shock you. Children of school age cannot go to school. Many of them are hawkers of wares. Some in schools drop out or go into robbery or prostitution to make ends meet.

Tell me why it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for Nigerians to sleep at night with both eyes closed. They sleep with one eye open for fear of robbers.

The evil in our society today is so alarming that if nothing is done fast we shall all perish. Where lies our hope then when nobody is sure of what tomorrow will bring? The naira has suffered its worst slide in a decade against other currencies while its purchasing power has kept going down.

There is no place in Nigeria that is safe. Assassins, robbers, forgers, liars, have virtually held all of us hostage. Nobody trusts the other. Everybody seems to be in a rat race, struggling as if there is no tomorrow. The decay is getting worse and worse while the tales that come from every nook and cranny of this great country are becoming more disturbing. I am deeply worried because of the way things are going. Everybody wants to acquire wealth at all costs to the level that nobody cares for the other again. Where do we go from here? My heart is in so much pain. I have looked at my generation, and we seem to have lost focus. We are all buried in corruption that has eaten up the very foundation of our nation. What I see baffles me. It baffles me because everybody thinks only about himself and little about Nigeria.

I weep for Nigeria, which in spite of its global fame, abundant resources, mighty men and women of valour is still a limping giant. We are told about the great exploits of our founding fathers who laid down their lives that Nigeria would survive. We read about their courage in the face of the enemies’ guns, and how they patriotically defended the sovereignty of our country with their sweat and blood. What have we done to emulate them? I ask us, what? The much we have done for our nation is to pillage its resources, conspire to loot the treasury, connive with foreign elements to sabotage it, and even threaten to destroy its unity if our selfish desires are not met. This is how we show our love for Nigeria! Our leaders should bury their heads in shame that Nigeria which they inherited from the white man is fading away. What will be left of Nigeria to share if we go on this way? We fight over allocation and kill one another over who controls the resources, yet do nothing to replenish Nigeria. Nigeria as it stands today is in deep distress. For 45 years we have fought over who should control its destiny. Every group lays claim to its leadership. Even those who held the reins of power for 30 of the 45 years still claim it is their turn as if it is their birthright. Those in power say that those who fought in the war should not be trusted with power. But the war was a divine design to restructure Nigeria. We fought the war that Nigeria’s unity would be preserved. Even those who did not raise a sword during the war, like my generation, are made to bear the repercussions of that war. What is the sin of my generation that it should be made to suffer for the sin of another generation? I can say without fear that the hope of this nation lies in the hands of my generation. Those still clinging to power have nothing new to offer. They have tried for 45 years to give us direction and sadly have failed us woefully. They know they lack new ideas to make a difference, but have held tenaciously to power. They commit unprintable sins and have no respect for the rules that govern our land. They carry themselves as if they have the power of life and death. They even boast of knowing what tomorrow holds in store, they have suddenly turned fortune-tellers. They tell all of us that they know those who will succeed them. What arrogance! Does power no longer belong to God? What they plan to do is to rig the elections as usual and intimidate the citizenry to accept them as legitimate leaders. 2007 election will put an end to election-rigging in Nigeria. We shall mobilize resources to frustrate any plans to rig the elections. Mark my word! Each time I watch them I remember Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. The hard truth is that they do not learn from the sad ends of past autocratic leaders. Were we all not witnesses to the fate that befell Idid Amin, Mobutu Seseko, and Pinochet? We saw how they fell like ordinary men. That is the transience of power. Which among our leaders can, in certainty, run away from this sad fate? I ask you. Who? Those charged with our safety have turned their guns against us. Innocent citizens are mowed down like animals. And yet they have nobody to speak for them. They even have the temerity to appear in court to defend their shameful actions. They no longer have honour. In the past whoever killed in error (as they plead in their alibi) tore his cloth in grief. Because they wear uniform and wield guns all of us should jump into the lagoon! Poor, innocent Nigerians are forced to pay taxes and rates. In obedience they pay. What the money is used for we are hardly told. While the poor tax-payers get poorer the rich tax-evaders get fatter. Our leaders claim they serve the people with all their strength and with all sincerity, yet they steal billions of naira and take them to their foreign accounts. They buy expensive mansions and cars, home and abroad, when many of our people jump on molues and trek long distances.

Which one will I mention and leave out the other. Each ill looks exactly like the other. Their number keeps increasing by the day. The most painful thing is that nothing is being done to remedy the situation. Those who summon up courage to do something are haunted like squirrels.

Since I have offered to speak for the heavily burdened Nigerians, particularly the forsaken poor, I have become a target. They call me a renegade just for speaking the truth. All the businesses I founded long before I became governor are gradually being grounded by the authorities. Nobody has given any reason for this action. I vow to continue to speak on behalf of the voiceless, the defenceless and harmless. Millions of them abound in our country. These are the people I have devoted my time, energy and resources to serve. I will make education the base for our reengineering process. There is no reason education should not be free at all levels in Nigeria. I have given a model of what I will do in the educational sector by running a tuition-free educational system from primary to secondary schools all over our state since 2000. My commitment to the cause I am championing is so resolute that no amount of intimidation can stop me. No sacrifice is too much to make for the peace and progress of our nation. Those who shy away from the problems of Nigeria will be consumed by them at the fullness of time. We are in a democracy. This gives every citizen some basic rights, among which are the freedom of speech and association. How can anybody stop me from speaking out when our people are suffering? It is important ladies and gentlemen, to try at this juncture to produce a functional roadmap for the reconstruction of Nigeria having identified where and how we have gone wrong.

The first step would be for every Nigerian – man and woman, boy and girl, young and old, to have a change of heart as from today. There is no amount of preaching that can change us if we did not first resolve to change.

Again, we should adopt the Abia State strategy for sustainable growth and development. This package was articulated by a team of experts three years before we came into office in 1999. We knew from the outset what we were coming to do. We were mentally and physically prepared to face the challenges that were to come.

I wish to state without any fear of contradiction that Abia State was the first state in Nigeria to start a reform programme. Right from the day we assumed office we made it absolutely clear that we were going to fight corruption with all the power in us. I am happy to announce to you that our administration has remained the most transparent and focused in the country. My grouse about the present war against corruption is that those who champion it do not genuinely believe in it. We cannot successfully prosecute the war against corruption and institutional decay when many of our leaders are neck-deep in corruption. The present war against corruption is all aimed at intimidating and harassing perceived political opponents. After all there are enough provisions in existing laws to take care of cases being handled under the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) Law. This was why I openly and strongly opposed the establishment of the ICPC. Some thought I was opposed to the ICPC because I had skeleton in my cupboard. Far from it! I foresaw that the law would make the hunter the hunted someday. Recent events have since proved me right. To make the present reform programme work there ought to be a dedicated and sincere campaign to uproot corruption and other social ills plaguing our nation. Those who enforce the ICPC and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) laws should ensure that only those who actually contravened the laws are prosecuted. This should depart from the present practice where innocent persons are harassed, intimidated, or hauled into detention. Obedience to the constitution and court processes is of paramount importance. It is sad that some highly-placed persons disregard the constitution of Nigeria with impunity. Some others treat court rulings with scorn and disrespect. To get out of this situation there is a need for our leaders to subject themselves to the authority and supremacy of the constitution.

Government should redirect the consciousness of the citizenry to gainful and constructive enterprise. This is the only way to check the present drift to fraud, indolence, and greed among Nigerians, especially the youths. The effort by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to reorient the citizens is yielding little results.

It is important to state at this point that Nigerians are wonderful people. But to get the best out of them one has got to show them love and responsibility. According to the social contract between the government and the people it is the duty of government to provide basic social amenities for the people while the people reciprocate by paying their taxes and rates when due. Again there is a compelling need to go back to the land. No nation can attain greatness without mechanised agriculture. It is sad that agriculture, which used to be the mainstay of our nation’s economy, should be relegated to the background. For this reason government should ensure that the teaching of agriculture is made compulsory in schools, while effort should be intensified to establish more colleges of agriculture across the country.

The issue of sharing of the national cake and distribution of political offices has posed a big problem to our collective existence as a nation. The present agitation by the various ethnic nationalities is traceable to the injustices that characterise our national life. To arrest the tide government should address adequately those matters that are at the centre of the agitation. Government should not continue to foot-drag in ensuring peace and order in the Niger Delta. Let me however advise that applying force as an option in resolving the Niger Delta Crises has been proved to be counterproductive.

Decentralisation of power at the centre is a sure way out of the many problems of our nation. The centre is so attractive because of the too much power it controls. Once the centre is made less attractive then the craze with which politicians aspire to control it will be minimized. One way of achieving this objective is for power to be concentrated on the states or, better still, the geopolitical zones.

The original goal of Nigeria’s federalism was to ensure that each unit exercised some level of autonomy in the administration of its affairs. The Central Government has remained, to say the least, unitary and autocratic. This situation breeds despotism and, if care is not taken, revolution. Making Nigeria a truly federal state is the surest way to ensuring enduring peace in our democratic space. It is openly said that there are plans to elongate the tenure of the President and governors. But I was the first person to announce that the president would not want to leave in 2007. When I said it some called me all kinds of names. Without hesitation I wish to state that it is not only unconstitutional but ungodly and criminal for anybody to contemplate such a contrivance. In any case, I know that Nigerians are now wiser and would not fall to such cheap bait.

Let me point out that Nigeria’s quest for industrial rebirth can hardly be achieved without steady electricity. Many countries in Africa have achieved a good measure of success in this area. This is why I think the Federal Government should review its strategy on how to achieve optimal result in power supply across the country. The present 3,300 megawatts of electricity from the Power Holding Company is greatly inadequate. This is still a far cry from the 10,000 megawatts set by the Federal Government.

Distinguish ladies and gentlemen, if I am allowed to continue to speak on the troubles with Nigeria and the way forward we may not leave here. What I have done today is to outline the ills with Nigeria and offer some workable solutions. The greatest truth I have told you today is that the future of Nigeria is dependent on how we conduct ourselves individually and collectively, and in the management of our dearly beloved country Nigeria. That our nation is backward is caused by the uncooperative attitudes of Nigerians. I feel greatly honoured that you have listened carefully to my message of hope. I have spoken the truth and I know that it is only the truth that can set our nation on the path of recovery. Anybody who is not ready to accept the truth is an enemy of this nation.

Now that you have known the truth you should go forth and spread it. If we failed to speak the truth, accept the truth and share it with one another then our nation is doomed.

Nigeria must grow. Nigeria must get beyond its present stagnation, and do what other great countries of the world are doing to attain greatness. We can no longer tolerate a situation where our nation should be rated as one of the poorest and most corrupt on earth, thereby making it look as if all of us are thieves. I am not a thief and can never be one. I have contributed immensely to the growth and development of Nigeria through worthy activities. This is why I have indicated interest to contest for the Presidency in 2007. I have all the qualities needed to liberate our people from their sufferings, and make Nigeria great again.

I am the face of a New Nigeria devoid of ethnic, religious and cultural colouration. The future belongs to us. Looking at you and the enthusiasm you have shown I draw deep inspiration that together we will work to salvage Nigeria. I know you will give me your support when the time comes.

As I sign out, I urge us not to forget that we have no other nation to call our own than Nigeria. We must therefore live in peace with one another and work collectively to rebuild Nigeria for generations of Nigerians yet unborn to inhabit in peace. Thank you again for inviting and for your attention. And may God bless Nigeria.

(An address by His Excellency Governor Orji Uzor Kalu at 2005 Peace Week of the Peace and Conflict Studies Students Association, Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, on Tuesday, August 16, 2005)