THE BABY HAS ARRIVED - PRE-NAMING ANNOUNCEMENT
Empire of Scars: The Legendary History of Nigeria
My Dear Friends,
At last, the cry of a long-awaited baby has been heard!
Our baby, whom we collectively conceived and whose intellectual foetus has been growing in the womb of history for FOUR WHOLE YEARS, has finally been delivered. What began as an idea has matured into an heirloom; what started as a dream has found its way into the hands of destiny.
Four years of sweat. Four years of sleepless vigils. Four years of descending into the deepest caverns of our storied past, to bring our history into the light in its purest and richest form.
Today, the cord is cut. The cry has been heard.
Ladies and gentlemen, the baby is here!
That baby for whom your congratulations have been so warm, your encouragement so reassuring, and your anticipation so infectious is none other than our long-awaited book project:
EMPIRE OF SCARS: THE LEGENDARY HISTORY OF NIGERIA.
This book is our attempt to bring those stories home, to illuminate the shadows of our past, interrogate the scars of our journey, and preserve the lessons from yesterday that tomorrow must not be allowed to forget.
But, dear friends, every child deserves a befitting naming ceremony, and a project of this magnitude must not be ushered into the world through the back door.
Prepare yourselves for a dignifying launch, one worthy of the labour, the vision, and the historical significance of this noble undertaking.
Yet, before we discharge this bouncing baby from the delivery ward and formally present it to the world, there is a peculiar privilege reserved for our friends in the diaspora. They shall have the first glimpse of this beautiful creation, a taste of the intellectual harvest we have laboured for four years to bring home.
And then, my dear friends here with me at home, our own copies shall follow at the grand launch and beyond as the princes and princesses that we are.
The scars are real. The stories are older than the scars. And the griot has found his voice.
Empire of Scars is finally here.
Shall the LEGENDARY J.O.E begin?
Amazon Link: https://t.co/UMTwKdjb72
Good Evening Severally...
To every action, there is equal and opposite reaction. I will use myself as an example. I am from Ogun State, but some of my extended family members are from Lagos. Sounds strange right? Lagos, as a State, was created in 1967 and Ogun in 1976. My people have existed as one. Till today, part of my panegyrics is the same with that of many indigenous Lagosians.
Ọmọ iwájú ọlọ́kọ̀ tí n sowó,
Ẹ̀yìnkulé ọlọ́kọ̀ tí ń sèjìgbà ilẹ̀kè
Ògèdègédé ọlọ́kọ̀ tí ń tàn yẹbẹyẹbẹ lójú omi
Ọmọ ká fọ̀pá wàá, ká fàjẹ̀ wàá,
Ká fògèdègédé ọwọ́ wakọ délẹ̀ Ìṣẹri
Back to the discussion at hand. I wasn't really interested in the affairs of Lagos. It's like the properties of my distance cousin. But when we start seeing videos of people in far away Anambra and other Eastern States holding meetings and saying "Lagos is not negotiable, we have to capture Lagos," my sense of preservation will be triggered. It would be stupid of any Yorùbá person to watch people with conquest mentality take over Yorùbá Land.
‘What Will People Say?’ is the biggest prison on Earth because it traps you into doing things to please others and displease yourself. Develop the courage to be disliked. Don't say yes when you feel like saying no. Don't borrow to throw your parents a burial that you can't afford, or to lavish on a wedding that will leave you in debt for almost the entirety of your marriage. Choose happiness and do what makes you feel at peace. Let people talk. At most, you will be the subject of gossip for a week or so, then they will move on!
#RenosNuggets
Below is the pidgin translation of everything fashola said in the video
If you read it out loud you will notice every tone of respect that was in the video has disappeared in the pidgin translation
If you talk like this to those kings and the people there walahi na kaduna dangote for go build him refinery last last
“I tell una say we wan build refinery for una for here una remember or una no remember ?
and I talk say if una no want am again make we Dey carry am Dey go
wetin una talk that time ?
Shey una want ammm ?
Make una raise una hand up if una want am?
Ehn ehn
Una Wey no understand,as una don hear me now shey una don understand ?
Hope una know say we fit carry this thing to badagry ?
Na badagry fuel really Dey oh
Huh
Una want am or una no want am
He don beg una
Una Wey no want am make una stand up Dey go
Una Wey no want am make una stand up Dey go make we know how many of us remain
If Una no want am make una stand up Dey go
Now nothing remain pass make we come tell una say na by myself I come put am for una hand
I put am for hand of the kings
I put am for hand of the chiefs
I put am for hand of the pikin and I put am for hand of una Wey be elders
He don Dey una hand oh
Na lie oh
He Dey una hand
Na we una Dey follow price market oh
If he remain small make he reach na us make una find come
Una see all these kings no one Wey no fit see me among them
Justice oguntade na my papa
Bamu na our papa
KLM na our papa
If he remain
Make Una no go inside their thing say una wan go spoil their instrument oh
Una go see my anger oh “
"The emergency treatment is over. The foundation has been repaired. The age of reform has done its work. Now begins the age of prosperity. An age in which the promise of this great nation must finally become the lived experience of Nigerians from all walks of life."
- Full Speech of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Address to Nigerians on Independence Day
#NigeriaAt66 https://t.co/60knyxORyq…
🇳🇬 Happy 66th Independence Day, Nigeria! 🇳🇬
Congratulations to Nigeria and to every Nigerian, at home and around the world. ❤️💚
May our nation continue to grow in peace, unity, strength, and prosperity.
The Glory Ahead: A Message of Faith, Reform, and Hope for Nigeria at 66th Independence.
My beloved Nigeria,
Happy Independence Day.
Today, I am filled with reflection, gratitude, hope, and an abiding faith in the destiny of our great nation. We have traveled a long road together through triumphs and trials, moments of pride and seasons of pain. Yet through it all, Nigeria stands. Not because our journey has been easy, but because the spirit of our people is stronger than any challenge that has confronted us.
As I look toward the future, I can see the glory of development on the horizon. I can see a Nigeria rising. I can see the foundations being laid for a nation that works better, produces more, competes globally, and rewards the hard work of its citizens. The road may be difficult today, but great nations are not built by comfort; they are built by courage, sacrifice, patience, and faith.
That is why I urge us all not to lose heart. Let us stay the course. Let us keep faith with the reforms and the difficult choices being made to reposition our country. Prosperity may not arrive overnight, but surely the day must come when it reaches the family table, creates jobs for our young people, expands opportunities for our entrepreneurs, strengthens our communities, and lifts millions of Nigerians upward into greater dignity and abundance.
My appeal to every Nigerian is simple: love this country a little more. Be more patient with one another. Be more understanding of our differences. Be more committed to our common aspirations. Let us invest hope where others sow despair. Let us build bridges where others dig trenches. Let us remember that despite our many identities, we share one flag, one destiny, and one beloved homeland.
As we approach another electoral season, my prayer is that Nigeria will be blessed with an issue-based campaign one focused on ideas, solutions, performance, and vision. Let us argue passionately but peacefully. Let us disagree without hatred. Let us demonstrate to the world that our democracy continues to mature and strengthen.
I have made no secret of my support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the reform agenda he has championed. I believe history will judge this period not by today’s discomforts alone, but by the strength of the foundations being laid for tomorrow’s prosperity. Ultimately, the decision belongs to the Nigerian people, whose voices and votes remain the highest authority in our democracy.
At the same time, we must continue preparing the next generation of leaders. Every great nation thinks beyond the present moment. We must nurture young men and women of character, competence, courage, and compassion who will inherit the responsibility of taking Nigeria even further.
My faith in Nigeria has never wavered.
I believe in our people.
I believe in our possibilities.
I believe in our future.
And on this Independence Day, I say with conviction that Nigeria’s greatest chapter has not yet been written.
The glory is ahead.
The harvest is ahead.
The prosperity is ahead.
May God bless every Nigerian family.
May God bless our democracy.
May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Happy Independence Day.
Otunba Segun Showunmi
The Alternative.
This is the best independence day speech in years. Full of hope and confidence. Mr President was so passionate about his desire for the poorest of the poor. His demeanor is that of a man that has won many battles but still at war.
Thank you PBAT for this reassurance in the renewed hope Agenda. May PBAT succeed and may Nigeris be great in our time.
Nigeria is not hopeless.
Nigeria will not disintegrate.
Nigeria will be peaceful.
Nigeria will flourish.
Nigeria will prosper.
Let’s stop giving up on the country and get on with the real work: building institutions, creating opportunities, contributing our quota, and making Nigeria better for the next generation.
The future of Nigeria is still worth fighting for.
Happy Independence Day, fellow Nigerians! 🇳🇬