Goodwill Message On
“Boro Day
Celebration” In New Jersey United States of America
(USA)
By
His
Majesty King
Dandeson Douglas Jaja JP; Jeki V, Amanyanabo of Opobo, Rivers State,
Nigeria.
Mr. President
Members
of the Executive of the Association
Invited
Guests
Ladies
and Gentlemen
We bring you
greetings. But we also bring prayers for your well being as well as
sustained focus, from your kith and kin in the Niger Delta of Nigeria.
We congratulate you for maintaining the patriotic purpose of this
association over the years. We urge you to step up your efforts because
time is not on our side. Recently some African countries such as
Rwanda, Ghana and a few others are pulling themselves up to serve as
caustic lessons that no one is ready to wait for Nigeria. Their success
shows that Africans do care about the dignity of their people and the
kind of reputation that will enhance opportunities.
This is a
momentous time for the Niger Delta and for Nigeria. For the first time
one of us is the President of our nation. Your meeting here to discuss
how to chart a future that will make a difference for our people and
our country, is therefore very auspicious. But as it is said, charity
must begin from home. The time has come for us to encourage a regime of
transparency in governance and the protection of the human rights of
our people through application of public wealth to economic investment
and productivity. People who are subjected to hunger and poverty
through misuse of their resources by those who govern them, need to be
liberated. But so also do we need to liberate our people who find
themselves stranded in foreign lands because the resources of their
fatherland are not being properly utilized to create opportunities for
all.
We owe
a duty to uphold a new face of the Niger Delta. It is one that would
help our people to aspire to greater heights by making our local
economies bubble with creativity and opportunities. We have started OIB
(Opobo International Boat Racing and Regatta Festival) since 2007. It
won accreditation as one of the two National Cultural Festivals
recognized by the Federal Government in the Niger Delta or South-South.
OIB is a celebration of our creativity and the international level of
our people’s aspiration. But we should go further.
We as a Izon and Niger Deltans need to draw credible attention to our
rich history and the heroes it created. We should pursue as a matter of
urgency the creation of our own Hall of Fame to house our heroes,
starting from the founding kings of our region who gave their lives in
their effort to seek respect for our people from the white trader and
colonial master. The Overamins, Nana Itsekiris and Jajas
who gave their lives for us to have a respectable identity. The
nation and indeed the world are watching: Can the people of the Niger
Delta seize this moment in history to turn the story of our region and
our country positive? Izon sons and daughters must encourage
their Niger Delta brothers and sisters every where, to help refocus our
region and our country. We should not count the sacrifice or burden of
achieving the result we seek. The legendary Isaac Adaka Boro did not
count the sacrifice required to fire the first shot towards seeking the
liberation of our people. We must press on to complete the job of
making our people proud of their present and their future, not just
their past.
Thank You.
|
