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PAGE 12—SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 20, 2022
Compatriots have arisen;
hope restored
ONCE in a long time, a
columnist comes
across an idea whose time has
come. In October this year, I
was invited to be the Media
Consultant and mobilizer for
one such initiative – which
many Nigerians might be
forgiven for being sceptical
about its eventual success. But,
after talking to many of its
leaders, I am convinced that it
is the right thing and at the
right time in our history. Let
me now yield the space to the
leader of the
COMPATRIOTS.
Let Us Join Hands to Re-
Invent Nigeria:
TEXT OF PRESS
STATEMENT BY HIS
EXCELLENCY OBONG
VICTOR ATTAH
1. On behalf of The
Compatriots, I welcome
members of the media to our
maiden Press Conference
which is essentially to unveil
the forum to the Nigerian
public. The media is certainly
major stakeholders in the
conduct of public affairs of our
dear country. As members of
the fourth estate of the realm
you fulfil the vital role of the
guardians of democracy and
defenders of the public
interest. The Compatriots
therefore look forward to
fruitful partnerships with
members of the press in their
quest to re-invent Nigeria into
a united, strong, secured,
prosperous and democratic
country where peace and
justice reign.
2. Nation-building is a
process and as Frantz Fanon
puts it "each generation must
discover its mission, fulfil it or
betray it, in relative capacity".
It is in this context that a group
Irrespective of the
outcome, majority of
Nigerians will still feel
that those elected don’t
represent them; and will
not serve their interests
of well-meaning and eminent
Nigerians cutting across
regional, ethnic, religious,
ideological and political
affiliations have decided to
come together to midwife an
initiative aimed at promoting
national cohesion, good
governance, peace and
prosperity.
3. No one is likely to dispute
the fact that Nigeria is passing
through a critical phase in its
history as a single political
entity. The problem is not
merely a tribal, religious,
regional or class issue. The
magnitude of our current
challenges or crises is selfevident
even to the most
hopeful of optimists
4. On a daily basis, Nigerians
face crippling waves of
insecurity; acute and chronic
shortage of electricity supply;
lack of good or adequate social
and economic infrastructure,
especially healthcare, potable
water supply and transport
systems; a broken educational
system with over twenty
million of our children out of
school; skyrocketing inflation;
weak industrial and
manufacturing base; an
unproductive but thriving
national bourgeoisie; poor
financial services; a corrupt,
bankrupt and riotous political
class; a brutal and ineffectual
military-security complex; a
creaky and slothful judicial
system; a dysfunctional and
self-serving public service at all
levels; elephantine corruption;
mind-boggling cost of
governance; spiraling
unemployment and grinding
poverty; and, worse still, a
corrosive and catastrophic
collapse of moral and ethical
norms among other
staggering failures.
“Nation-building is a
process and as Frantz Fanon
puts it "each generation must
discover its mission, fulfill it or
betray it, in relative capacity.”
5. This certainly is not a nice
national portrait to sketch
however one might wish to
look at it. None of us here can
deny the evidence of our own
eyes. The question now
therefore is how can we
change this horrific narrative!
The Compatriots are
convinced that Nigeria
possesses the human and
material resources to develop
and prosper as a cohesive and
vibrant political and by
economic community. We
believe therefore that the need
for fundamental social and
political reforms has become
urgent and imperative, failing
which the Nigerian national
project could slide from
stagnation to decline or
collapse.
6. A starting point for the
rebuilding of our state, the
economy and society would
doubtlessly require a new
mode of political engagement
by the elite and the masses
alike. Without this, it is hard to
see how we can avoid the false
dawns of our recent, and notso-recent,
past. Nigeria clearly
needs new modes of political
practices - a new kind of politics
that has the people as its focus;
its chief purpose being the
material and spiritual wellbeing
of its citizens with
emphasis focused on wealth
creation, popular
participation, social justice
and equity, environmental
renewal as well as moral
regeneration
“The Compatriots are
convinced that Nigeria
possesses the human and
material resources todevelop
and prosper as a cohesive and
vibrant political and economic
community.”
7.History has shown that
multi-nationality, multiethnicity
or even multi-racial
and religious composition can
be turned into a source of
strength by a nation. Members
of this group have decided that,
though tribe and tongue may
differ, we do not have to sing
discordant tunes. We have
therefore resolved, inthe spirit
of our National Anthem, to
"Arise" to dedicate the
remaining days of our lives to
the service of Nigeria with the
vision to re-invent a new and
betterNigeria for every
Nigerian with the following
core national values:
a. Strong and united
Nigeria.
b. Equity, justice and fairness
for every citizen.
c. Realization of full
potentialities of every
Nigerian.
d. Protection of the rights of
every Nigerian wherever he/she
decides to reside.
e. Primacy of peaceful coexistence
between and among
Nigerian communities.
f. A proper sense of
nationhood and common
nationality.
8.Our name, THE
COMPATRIOTS, was derived
from our national anthem and
the drivers of the project are:
I. His Excellency, Obong
Victor Attah - Chairman
II. Dr. Hakeem Baba
Ahmed - Deputy Chairman
III. Mr. Tom Iseghohi - Chief
Operating Officer
9.In pursuit of its mission,
the group envisages towork
with other well meaning
Nigerians, politicians, the
academia, professionals,
community leaders, indeed
with all relevant social groups
to reinventNigeria. The
strategic objectives of the
group are:
“To play the role of a neutral
Honest Broker and to provide
a platform for discussion of all
relevant local grievances of
Nigerian communities in the
context of Nigeria's collective
survival and development.”
a.To mobilize the best
intellectual resources in
addressing the key challenges
that are hindering the
development of Nigeria as a
strong and viable political and
economic community.
b.To promote a network of
concerned Nigerians towards
assisting in the improvement
of governance at all levels as
well as in the provision of social
services.
c.To involve Nigerian
women at all levels and in all
aspects of the activities of The
Compatriots in order to
become a role model for
gender equality in Nigeria
d.To cultivate and assist in
mentoring and leadership
development initiatives so as
to nurture younger
generations into the
mainstream of the Nigerian
political economy.
e.To assist in the
development of the culture of
socialaccountability in the
Nigerian social formation
with a view to expanding the
political space, which will
incubate harmonious
partnerships between
governments and the civil
society.
f.To play the role of a neutral
Honest Broker and to provide
a platform for discussion of all
relevant local grievances of
Nigerian communities in the
context of Nigeria's collective
survival and development.
g.To provide a compass for
good governance and
establish guard rails to prevent
any individual or group of
people from derailing the
entire nation.
10.We have resolved that
Nigeria can be, and must be
transformed from "An
Aspiring Nation" to "A Great
Nation". In the process there
will be need forreconciliation,
there will also be meetings with
top government officials,
community leaders, the many
aggrieved parties and
particularly those who aspire
to lead us in the future, to work
closely to secure the future of
the nation.
11.We urge you members of
the press and the generality of
our citizens particularly
youths and women to support
the work of The Compatriots.
Long Live A United,
Harmonious, Secure and
Prosperous Federal Republic
of Nigeria.
INVITATION TO ALL
NIGERIANS
“An invasion of armies can
be resisted; but not an idea
whose time has come.” Victor
Hugo, 1802-1885.
Today, Nigerians are
experiencing the horrors of
horrible politics without
principles. Irrespective of the
outcome, majority of
Nigerians will still feel that
those elected don’t represent
them; and will not serve their
interests. We cannot continue
like this.
Instead of giving way to
despair, join the
COMPATRIOTS to build a
better Nigeria. If interested in
joining, just call me. I am
always at your service.
His word works
wonders
BELOVED Brothers and
Sisters, we have reasons
to continuously thank God
for life.
A Pastor while preaching
said, doctors have
medication to make you
sleep, do they have any to
wake you up? The
congregation roared, No!
That makes it very clear that
God that gave us life is the
one that has been keeping us
alive so that we can fulfill
destiny and be partakers in
his Kingdom.
However, one thing that is
important in the life of a
Christian is The Word.
What does is mean to you
as a Christian?
John 1 vs. 1 (KJV): “In the
beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and
the Word was God”.
If you truly believe that “
the Word was God”, then you
need to connect with the Word.
The word as we know it in
the physical sense can either
be spoken or heard.
However, when we talk
about the Word of God, we
generally mean the words
written in the Holy Bible.
Let’s look at examples of
how the Word was used in the
The more you move
closer to God, the
days of the your
challenge reduce and
you are nearer your
day of celebration
Holy Bible.
Genesis 1 vs. 3: “ And God
said, Let there be light: and
there was light”.
God spoke. He made a
pronouncement and an
action followed.
Brethren if you are a bornagain
Christian, you also can
use the word to bring your
miracle to manifestation.
However, we must know
that the words that we speak
must be backed by the Holy
Spirit.
The words that you speak
are propelled into action by
the Holy Spirit of God.
Another instance of the
word bringing into action a
miracle , is the message to the
virgin Mary as recorded in
Luke 1 vs. 26-31. For our
purpose, we shall consider
some of the verses.
Verses 26& 27: “ And in the
sixth month the angel
Gabriel was sent from God
unto a City of Galilee, named
Nazareth.
To a virgin espoused to a
man whose name was
Joseph, of the house of David;
and the virgin’s name was
Mary”.
Note that God used his
words to send angel Gabriel.
Verses 30&31: And the
angel said unto her, Fear not,
Mary: for thou hast found
favour with God.
And, behold, thou shalt
conceive in thy womb, and
bring forth a son, and shalt
call his name JESUS”.
Note again the word “
Said”. Spoken words.
The consequence of the
words that the angel spoke
that was backed by the Holy
Spirit was the birth of Christ.
What are we saying? We
are establishing the fact that
the Word of God works
wonders. It has been working
wonders; it is still working
wonders and will continue to
work wonders provided you
know how to use it.
For every situation in life,
God gave us the word to
confront any challenge with
assured victory.
The efficacy of the word of
God is expressed in John 6
vs. 63: “ It is the spirit that
quickeneth; the flesh profiteth
nothing: the words that I
speak unto you, they are spirit,
and they are life”.
It is also stated in Isaiah 55
vs. 11: “ So shall my word be
that goeth forth out of my
mouth; it shall not return unto
me void, but it shall
accomplish that which I
please, and it shall prosper in
the thing whereto I sent it”.
Brethren, you too can speak
the word. As a born- again
Christian baptized with the
Holy Spirit, you are
empowered to speak the word
to that situation and
command it to change.
However, you cannot speak
what you don’t know. Your
mind must have knowledge of
the word to be used and you
must use it appropriately.
For instance a couple
waiting on the Lord may use
Deuteronomy 7 vs. 14: “ Thou
shalt be blessed above all
people: there shall not be
male or female barren among
you, or among your cattle”.
The word of God here
makes it clear that you must
have children.
God gave a command to
Man in Genesis 1 vs. 28: “ And
God blessed them, and God
said unto them, Be fruitful,
and multiply, and replenish
the earth, and subdue it: and
have dominion over the fish
of the sea, and over the fowl of
the air, and over every living
thing that moveth upon the
earth”.
We are given further
assurance of safe delivery in
Exodus 23 vs. 26: “ There shall
nothing cast their young, nor
be barren, in thy land: the
number of thy days I will
fulfill”.
Brethren, you need to have
the knowledge of these words
to be able to use them.
Speak to your body and with
the backing of the Holy Spirit,
the one who has been called
barren would soon be seen at
a mother of multiple babies.
It is your duty to speak the
word to your body with the
backing of the Holy Spirit,
your body will obey and your
children will manifest.
We are told in Psalm 107
vs. 20: “ He sent his word, and
healed them, and delivered
them from their
destructions”.
The Word of God also
delivers. The word of God is
able to deliver you from any
challenge. Barrenness,
Miscarriages, Loneliness,
Poverty, Joblessness all must
bow to the power of God.
Numbers 23 vs. 19 states
clearly: “ God is not a man,
that he should lie; neither the
son of man, that he should
repent: hath he said, and
shall he not do it? or hath he
spoken , and shall he not
make it good?
This should give you
confidence that your miracle
is possible no matter how
long you have been waiting.
That is about speaking.
The more you speak the
word, the more likely it is that
you will hear from God.
The Word of God that you
hear from the Holy Spirit
should lift your faith and fast
track your miracle.
I’ll share a testimony with
you.
A lady who is born-again
had been waiting on the
Lord for about two decades.
Her husband was not born
again and he had a side
chick that has been boasting
she would give him a son.
This was unknown to the
wife.
Suddenly, the lady became
bold enough to call the wife
calling her barren and
raining abuses on her.
The woman kept her cool.
She ignored the distraction
and held on to God.
One night, as she slept the
Holy Spirit told her “ Go and
tell your husband that all his
children would come from
you and not H”.
She was sure of the still
small voice of the Holy Spirit.
She repeated to her husband
what she heard. The man was
dumbfounded. Since he
knew that his wife did not
know the name but the Spirit
of God, the Spirit of Truth,
knows the name and
mentioned it .
As the LORD lives and his
word never fails, the woman
that was abused by the side
chick took in and delivered a
baby boy.
God shut the mouth of the
side chick. Of course that was
the end of her unholy
relationship with the
woman’s husband.
Before this year ends, you
will hear the Word of God that
will bring forth your miracle
in the name of Jesus.
You must however remain
focused. Live a holy life and
make the Word of God your
daily companion.
Read the Word, digest it and
it will move you closer to the
Lord.
The more you move closer
to God, the days of the your
challenge reduce and you are
nearer your day of
celebration.
Brothers and Sisters,
remain focused.
Don’t allow unbelievers to
call your faith to question.
Key into the word of God
and the delay would vanish.
It is well.
Remain Blessed in Jesus
name.