Take A Stand, powered by the Nigerian Professionals Coalition (NPC), was born out of the urgency to get Nigerians to stop sitting on the side-lines and get involved in creating a truly dynamic Nigeria.
In February 2015, a Press Conference was held in Lagos state to introduce the initiative. Among the first course of actions was the scheduled discourse in Abuja to get essential stakeholders involved in the initiative process.
The Discourse which was moderated by Africa’s premier Life and Mind Coach, Lanre Olusola, popularly known as the Catalyst, was well attended by concerned and well-meaning Nigerians drawn from various industrial sectors.
Setting the tone of the discourse was a paper presentation, titled “Nigeria: Having A Dream is not Enough”, by the co-ordinator of the Take A Stand Initiative, Adebola Odu-Onikosi. According to him, “For the potentials of the nation not to be totally wasted, the followers need to wake up across the length and breadth of the country and demand a say in the way we are governed. This is the set time for every Nigerian to wake up to his/her identity and be the master of his/her fate. After all, Nigeria is a democracy and not a monarchy. We each have a basic right to good education, infrastructure, healthcare and security. The leadership is vested with the responsibility to deliver these dividends to every Nigerian”.
Taking a true form of a discourse, all participants were given an opportunity to speak and challenge everyone to action.
Some Memorable and Inspiring Quotes from Discussants at the Event:
Taking a stand is from the practical day to day behavior. We need to get our hands into the scheme of things – Esiri Ojo (National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria)
The stand we ought to take is an attitudinal revolution. We have been reduced to a very low mindset, this must change – Enitan Oyenuga (Emotions Mechanics Coach)
No nation can develop more than its civic culture. If we tolerate impunity, we take out of the leadership- Sam Kargbo (Lawyer)
What is not good should never be tolerated. We should at this time be able to lend our support to merit - Discussant
Nigeria would never ever change if the only way we disagree is in private. We must step out and do more than just talk – Omojuwa Japheth (International Public Speaker and Writer)
It is time for us to #TakeAStand and ensure that our educational system is at par with the international schools we run to – Discussant
We can empower our Nigerian teachers to become more competitive rather than bringing expatriates who don’t really care about the country or her people to take their place – Olaronke Oyenuga (Educationist and Proprietress)
Running commentaries does not change the football game. It's the footballers in the field who do. As citizens, we need to take our power back – The Catalyst, Lanre Olusola (Life and Mind Coach)
There's so much value damage that we have done within ourselves, we have started judging people by their material things – Salim U. Malami (Politician and Leadership Trainer)
The leaders come from us. We are bad as well; we can try to rectify that by taking responsibility – Kemi Vivacity (National
We need to stop pointing fingers and move on to what Nigeria could be. Complaints don't bring solutions – Adebola Odu-Onikosi (Engineer and Take A stand Coordinator)
The elite should wake up and start voting. The people voting at the moment are dependent on the stomach infrastructure – Discussant
The spirit of Nigeria is not in Nigerians. Nigeria is like a group doing business without a memorandum- Dickson Iroegbu (Nollywood Filmmaker)
What will the coming generations remember us for? Documents are documents; it is people who make documents work! – U.S Malami
Nigerians are at the top of everything we choose to do. Be proud of Nigeria! Take that as the first stand – The Catalyst, Lanre Olusola
I am a Nigerian and I choose to "take a stand" for Nigeria. And I start by choosing to vote , to elect credible and purposeful leadership for my country. I urge you to arise and "TAKE A STAND" with me – Adebola Odu- Onikosi
To see more of these quotes including videos, follow @takeastandng on twitter and Instagram.
To join the numerous citizens who have taken a stand and to take part in the weekly blog chats, visit www.takeastandnigeria.com
Join the Group on Facebook: Take A Stand Nigeria
Take A Stand is a Self-Sponsored and totally non-partisan initiative all about achieving the Nigeria of our dreams.
To see more of these quotes, follow @takeastandng on twitter and on Instagram.
To join the numerous citizens who have taken a stand and to take part in the weekly blog chats, visit www.takeastandnigeria.com
Join the Group on Facebook: Take A Stand Nigeria
TAKE A STAND is a Self-Sponsored and totally non-partisan initiative all about achieving the Nigeria of our dreams.
0 comments:
Post a Comment