Greetings from Arise O Nigeria Empowerment Initiative, A Non Governmental Organization registered And inaugurated In Nigeria by the United Nations women in 2016, for empowerment and advocacy of vulnerable youths, women, promoting peace and good governance in Nigeria.
As the name implies; It is a clarion call to all Nigerians to work towards making our country a better place for all.
The Initiative is a non- partisan initiative which supports the electoral process and encourage all Nigerians to get their voters’ cards and partake in the electoral processes.
Today, marks the 19th celebration of Democracy Day in Nigeria, to commemorate the restoration of Democracy in 1999; ending multiple years of Military rule. Nigeria’s democracy at 19 has come a long way. If Nigeria was a child, he or she would have become a young adult by now. children born in 1999 are young adults today. The enlightened ones are in the University while some of our daughters in the rural areas are married already. In essence, all I’m trying to say is that, like a child, Nigeria has grown from infancy to adulthood.
it is also expected that the growth of Nigeria’s democracy isn’t just in the number of years the country has spent in democracy. It is expected that our society should grow along with our democracy economically, socially, and politically. Sadly, we are still faced with challenges that have been in existence since the advent of democratic leadership in Nigeria. In fact, some situations are only getting worse by the day. Issues of religious and tribal intolerance keep coming up in different parts of the country, leading to colossal loss of lives and properties. At 19, Nigerian democracy ought to have outgrown electoral violence and electoral rigging.
The patriotic members of Arise O Nigeria and I, hereby urge all Nigerians to join hands with us at *Arise O Nigeria* to say no to electoral violence. Electoral battles are not fought and won with guns, swords or axes, rather, they are fought with voter’s card. So we should all obtain our voters cards and partake in the upcoming general elections.
I am also urging all Nigerians to shun hate speech, as this would only increase the tension in the country. Rather, Nigerians should put their hands together and say *NO to electoral violence*,
*NO to hate speech*, and always remember that
*Our vote is our Power*
Nigeria is our country and we have no other. So it is our collective responsibility to resist being used for any form of destruction of lives and properties, directly of indirectly. It is our collective responsibility to respect our humanity, irrespective of religion or tribe.
I hope that we will show our maturity in the upcoming 2019 general elections by conducting ourselves in such a way that there will be no bloodletting, loss of property or election rigging.
We encourage all to join this great initiative or contribute towards its success.
Read more about Arise O Nigeria via www.ariseonigeria.com.ng
Happy Democracy day
Thank you.
Amb. Jonathan O. Daniel is the President/ Founder of Arise O Nigeria
