Dear Peter Obi, @PeterObi
I am compelled to write this for posterity. To capture my exact feelings in this moment.
You don’t know me and probably will never see this but if you ever feel like you are responsible for dashing the hopes of well meaning poor Nigerians who believed in your dream, the silence you hear is not disappointment in you but a realization of the amount of corruption you were standing up against by even daring to run. It is clear now why the political elites were shocked by your audacity and said you wouldn’t win a single local government. You went from two people tweeting in a room, to SIX MILLION votes. You galvanized the weak and the hungry and those who had given up on the Nigerian project.
As a dark cloud, heralded by the creeping out of nefarious characters like Asari and Oluomo, covers Nigeria and blocks out whatever sunlight was left, the same Nigerian system we grew up to despise has reminded us all why. Sometimes just adjusting and surviving makes you forget the amount of dirt you are sitting in. You brought the broom but those who use us as a dumpster for their personal gain have shown the strength of elitist collusion. They think they have secured the status quo for their entitled foreign based children.
I need you to however remember that the true measure of leadership is not in a title held, but in the sparks ignited just by your words, deeds and strength of character. That’s why Jesus, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King didn’t need titles or offices to evoke lasting change from the rotten status quo. They made people see what’s possible and determine to change it. Every child South of the Niger (and indeed the world) has heard you Peter, they have felt the inner stirring. Through your tenacity, you have exposed tribalism, nepotism and the orchestrated plan to deprive some from fulfilling their God given potential by reason of their heritage. You have forced the oppressors to show their true colours and validate what we thought was mere speculation: that we are indeed under barely concealed bondage, and must work daily through generations to break free. By that token, you have succeeded.
The spark you have ignited by seeing this through to it’s logical conclusion, will only grow until fulfilment. Like the actions of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King led directly to Barack Obama and Kamala Harris generations later, whether you eventually ascend to the rightful office of leadership or not, a child watching today has decided he will not stay where he has been put by the ruling tribes and will finish what you have started.
May you live to see the day.
@ChristyOgbe@ChykdGCFR Thanks Christy for always being a super woman in thought, words and action.
I celebrate you exceedingly
Cheers to an amazing 2021
In a very special way I want to thank you @ChristyOgbe for always believing me and pushing me to go for more. Thank you for being a very good big sister. God will bless you and Mary more
Counting my blessings and naming them one by one in the last minutes of 2020. I am thankful for family, friends, a new job, a new baby......the count goes on. Above all, I am thankful to God for life and sanity. I believe 2021 is packed full with greater blessings.Happy New Year!
The Chief of Party USAID NEI Plus welcomed over 200 attendees/Early Grade Reading (EGR) experts from states, national and international development partners to the #BigBooksPublicPresentation webinar. The Initiative's EGR program has reached more than 700,000 children in Nigeria.
"Books are indispensable tools for the development of a country. The development of the Big Books is a great leap and a critical factor in achieving the key objectives of SDG4 in Nigeria," says Prof. Ismail Junaidu, the Executive Secretary, NERDC #BigBooksPublicPresentation
"I am pleased to see these 15 Big Books. The Federal Ministry of Education is ready to consolidate and sustain the gains of the USAID NEI Plus project across other states in Nigeria, " says the keynote speaker, Arch Sonny Echono. #BigBooksPublicPresentation@fmenigeria1
The Education Program Manager USAID Nigeria, Dr. Nura Ibrahim, while giving the closing remark, commended state partners for providing the platform and political will in promoting Early Grade Reading. #BigBooksPublicPresentation
You are cordially invited to the public presentation of the English language Big Books for Nigerian schools. Host - USAID NEI Plus
Register here: https://t.co/erSIzJZhXB
Showcasing the uniqueness of Big Books in promoting oral language competencies amongst early grade learners. Join the public presentation webinar here https://t.co/8YGgU3Qq7a https://t.co/erSIzJZhXB
#BigBooksPublicPresentation#EGR
#BigBooksPublicPresentation - Guest Speaker, Mary Sugrue, International Technical Advisor, USAID NEI Plus.
You can still register for the webinar here: https://t.co/8YGgU3Qq7a or https://t.co/erSIzJZhXB
Meet our special guests of honor: Dr. Aliyu Tilde, Commissioner of Education, Bauchi, and Mohammed Bello Abubakar, Commissioner of Education, Sokoto. #BigBooksPublicPresentation
#BigBooksPublicPresentation - The Keynote Speaker, Arch. Sonny Echono, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education. Join us by registering here: https://t.co/8YGgU3Qq7a or https://t.co/erSIzJZhXB
The National Reading Framework and Policy Linking: Processes, Outcomes, and Possibilities- Presentation by Nurudeen Lawal, Chief of Party NEI Plus and Wale Samuel, Education Program Manager USAID/Nigeria #NAEC2020#NRF#readingskills@USAIDEducation