May the years ahead be kinder and richer than the ones behind us. May we grow into the people we’re meant to become and may that journey carry us to breathtaking places along the way.
China has 1.4 billion people. Yet they eliminated extreme poverty by 2020. Let that sink in.
They built 48,000km of high-speed rail, more than the rest of the world COMBINED. Bullet trains gliding at 350km/h connect every major city. Beijing to Shanghai, 1,300km, costs about $50, cheaper than crossing Lagos in traffic on some days from island to mainland via uber.
In the Qinghai desert sits the world’s largest solar farm, panels stretching to the horizon, generating power for millions. The Talatan project covers an area bigger than some entire cities. They installed more solar in 2024 alone than the US has installed in its ENTIRE history.
Off the coast of Fujian, massive offshore wind turbines taller than 80-storey buildings, some with blades longer than a football pitch, spin silently above the sea, powering millions of homes carbon-neutral.
A single one of these giants generates enough electricity in a day to power 170,000 households.
8 of the world’s 10 longest bridges are Chinese. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge runs 55km across open sea — a feat of engineering Western nations called impossible. The Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge stretches 165km. They build in years what takes others decades.
BYD overtook Tesla in 2024. EVs start at $10K. Robotaxis without drivers cruise the streets of 7 cities. Humanoid robots assemble cars, deliver packages, serve coffee.
Shenzhen, a fishing village 40 years ago is now a futuristic skyline of drones, AI and skyscrapers that rivals Manhattan.
Sun and salt in the desert generating power. Wind and waves at sea generating electricity. Maglev trains floating on magnetic rails. Cities built from nothing in a decade.
Meanwhile, resource-rich countries with a fraction of the population sit in darkness, debt, and decay.
So how?
How does a nation of 1.4 billion pull this off while countries with more resources, fewer mouths to feed and centuries of head-start are still stuck?
How do they move this fast, build this big, dream this far?
What are they doing that we aren’t?
He begged for his life.
He was only teaching our kids.
He was married for 10 yrs without any child.
He was the only son of his family.
But the APC government could not protect him.
He was slaughtered like a chicken by terrorists.
And NUT asked us to pray & fast for 3 days.
Last night, I received a courtesy visit from my brother, His Excellency Peter Obi, shortly after his successful screening as the presidential aspirant of our party, the NDC.
The future is bright and full of promise. - RMK