''Political Engineering does not require bolts and nails, it requires brains, a sense of history and the audacity to dream dreams.” Lai Labode, 1st Jan 2012
My dear colleagues, the best of us are not the ones who see only what is wrong with the rest of us neither are the worst of us the ones who see too little good when the rest of us can see a much bigger good .
If we must define what the best of us will be, it will be those whose purpose is not blemished by animosity, selfishness or lack of foresight . Men who are firm yet humble , men who can think beyond the moment or the fallibility of others. Men willing to show real character and rise above personal idiosyncrasies .
Distinguished colleagues, such men exist today within our ranks. A few have discovered their purposes, others are still struggling but will get there as long as consistency remains in their dictionaries.
Too many young people of our age range have already given up on our ability to organise and build political organisations that can re-make our country or platforms that can break the barriers of ethnic and religious bitterness .
Many have lost hope in our ability to stand together for a cause greater than all of us combined. Many of us are even much worse than the leaders we condemn with our ‘see no good’ attitudes. Our hypocrisy is evident in how we treat one another at every opportunity .
What lies ahead of us is much bigger than most people can imagine. Our country bleeds from lack of any coherent vision for its greatness , our country suffers from wide spread belief in short cuts , winner takes all or ‘the fire doesn’t burn in my farm’. We must turn away from the same pettiness that has come to characterize our dealings with one another, we must be bold, deep and discerning to survive as a youth organisation with such big dreams of real and enduring prosperity for our people .
I can not in good conscience let even a temporary glow of political expediency obscure the journey to real greatness of the PDP and our country at large . I can not betray the roaring instincts of selfless service that burns within many of us in the CIRCUIT and beyond . I have come to respect many of you for even daring to join this great train of progress that will finally open a new chapter in our history . What we must do now is to rally the best of us to lift even the worst of us. The time has come when we must inspire the people to something greater than themselves . Remember , no one has promised us our journey will be smooth or easy .
For the center to hold , we must rise above the windmills of fear , suspicion and complacency. We must take nothing for granted. We must reward loyalty with great audacity and punish treachery with subtle but sure hands .
Because our responsibility to our people is so sacred, we cannot afford to build the PDP Youth Circuit structure on quick sand of shortsightedness or an inability to learn from the past or dream big for the future .
My distinguished colleagues , we cannot afford to mould a new country with the same attitudes of self-defeat that has bedeviled our country for so long . An attitude characterised by compulsive criticisms, hatred, jealously, hypocrisy and denial. A destructive attitude unworthy of our heritage as a people.
If we must lead at this time in our history , we must open up our minds to deeper thoughts about the real issues facing our country today. Issues of rebuilding our eroded values, issues of accountability, issues of education, issues of global competitiveness, issues of peace, respect and responsibility in the comity of nations .
We must demonstrate our knowledge of history when we deliberate , show understanding how they evolved when we plan and define what we must do differently to guarantee a better life for our people .
As we build the PDP YC , we should remember that we are not the first to be registered with the party as a youth affiliate neither are we necessarily the most loved constituency by the ruling elite who hold firmly to power . Many of whom fear the potential of groups like ours if we ever get our acts together .
As we build the PDP YC , we should remember that we are not the first to be registered with the party as a youth affiliate neither are we necessarily the most loved constituency by the ruling elite who hold firmly to power . Many of whom fear the potential of groups like ours if we ever get our acts together .
Our goal in all humility is to be the first to truly harness the vast potential of the Nigerian youth for a truly great cause and open new doors of opportunity for our people . We have in our hands a cause as great a opening a new page in the pursuit of happiness for 1/5 of the black race .
Let us be more discerning and tap into vast creativity and power of anticipation God has endowed us with. We should build our structure on solid ground so it can withstand the inevitable political hurricanes that will come our way as our influence grows in the ever slippery arena of political power. Our task is already cut out for us . We will extract the best out of the good, the bad and the ugly of our people .
Let us be more discerning and tap into vast creativity and power of anticipation God has endowed us with. We should build our structure on solid ground so it can withstand the inevitable political hurricanes that will come our way as our influence grows in the ever slippery arena of political power. Our task is already cut out for us . We will extract the best out of the good, the bad and the ugly of our people .
Dear colleagues, we will institutionalize our ideas so they can stand the test of time and prepare the foundation for a new nation where the well-being of one is the business of all. We will build a nation founded on good values we can publicly propagate .
I may be your leader today but I will remain conscious of a time when the leader will become a follower again. I implore us to treat one another with more respect , love and patience so we can bond faster and better prepared for the battle ahead.
Distinguished colleagues, the pen and ink that will write our stories have already been put to work by a combination of those who want us to fail and those who want us to succeed. The choice is ours now .
I implore us all to be slow to judgment of one another, more accommodating of other people’s views and most importantly respect one another especially our leaders .
Distinguished colleagues, the pen and ink that will write our stories have already been put to work by a combination of those who want us to fail and those who want us to succeed. The choice is ours now .
I implore us all to be slow to judgment of one another, more accommodating of other people’s views and most importantly respect one another especially our leaders .
Our time has come, let us embrace it confidently, passionately and in great humility .
Imperfect me,
Lai Labode , Chairman PDP YOUTH CIRCUIT
Lai Labode , Chairman PDP YOUTH CIRCUIT
