Dear Compatriots, fellow Kogites:
I welcome you all to 2023; a year of quantum leap. Before proceeding with my message of good tidings, permit me to quickly congratulate us all for surviving 2022 which was indeed a stressful year for many Nigerians.
2022 was a year that first ushered Nigeria and most nations out of the COVID-19 pandemic which crippled human kind, forcing us to adapt to a “new normal”. It was also the year that set the strongest narratives in the history of Nigeria for political participation as the countdown to the 2023 elections started. It was a year when Nigerians experienced so much ups and downs. From biting, unjustfiable fuel crisis, to the hike in the cost of commodities and living. From alarming percentages of unemployed Nigerians to the ASUU crisis which forced tertiary institutions closed for an entire eight months. From flooding disasters that directly affected hundreds of thousands across many states to insecurity and instability within different communities. The list is endless, also including the fiscal, monetary and FOREX policy somersaults of the government. However, the focus today is in the reality that Nigerians – you and I – prevailed.
The march into 2023 has started in earnest and now is another time for us to seize the freshness of the season and design for ourselves how the New Year should be. As much as I think that Nigeria as a nation, makes planning difficult, not planning at all is not an option.
I call on you all to decide for yourself right away and design a clear strategy to achieve your personal goals in this New Year.
It is for man to plan. It is for God to show benevolence. If you believe in miracles, position yourself to receive it by planning. If you don’t believe in miracles, position yourself to excel without miracles.
I understand that there is very little citizens can do in a nation where political leadership and institutions are performing below expectations. It is therefore my appeal to government and its institutions to put Nigeria and her people first in the discharge of its responsibilities; not self-aggrandizement, not personal interest, not sentiments.
While it is the role of the Nigerian state to be on top of its responsibility of securing lives and properties, resources must be adequately channelled towards building opportunities for Nigerians to thrive as there is a clear nexus between insecurity and unemployment. This is also a responsibility of the government. The government needs to pay special attention to the development and growth potentials of young people and women, leaving no stone unturned in unifying Nigeria. This may not completely end the brain drain syndrome which is biting on, and will leave us to suffer dire consequences in another decade; but it can make the wave of economic emigration less desirable.
2023 is a special year because most Nigerians agree that it will be a defining moment in our history as a people. I am therefore letting us all know that history beckons on us all to reshape our destiny and the first step to take towards this is to collect our permanent voters’ cards (PVC) and choose to vote wisely in the upcoming national elections. I also ask all political candidates to campaign strictly on key issues and leave out tribal and other slurs that add no value to our nation, to enable the electorates make reasonable and reliable choices at the polls.
INEC has a defined role to play as much as Nigerians do. INEC has opted for full digitalization of its processes which further reinforces its resolve to deliver credible elections but the twin evils of vote trading and electoral violence may still persist. These are community issues which only Nigerians can resolve. I am therefore appealing to Nigerians not to mortgage the future of Nigeria by selling their votes for short-term gains or by engaging in violence on behalf of an elite class that will be least affected by the outcomes of violent outbursts.
To my fellow Kogites, I urge us all to think deeply about how well we have fared over the past years. I equally urge us all to think deeply about how well we could have fared if circumstances created by political leadership had been different.
For some well respected individuals across the country that have been asking me of my 2023 Gubernatorial ambition, please be informed that consultations are ongoing at party hierarchy/leadership, strategic stakeholders and elders across all levels; whilst taking learning from my 2019 experience.
Finally, am taking this chance to formally inform us all as children of Kogi State that whereas the past is gone, there is a future that affords us an opportunity to repair the damages of the past. Beyond everything else, 2023 affords us all with a chance to step into the next chapter of our lives. The choice of what page that next chapter belongs is to us and will remain ours. Choose wisely, plan wisely.
I welcome us all into 2023; a year of quantum leap.
Truly Yours,
Mohammed A Shaibu Tettes; Ph.D, FNIMN