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2010 was the 13th Boro Day/INAA Service Award Ceremony


Goodwill Message On “Boro Day Celebration” In New Jersey United States of America (USA) 

By

HRM King Dandeson Jaja

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.

 


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