Stakeholders in Nigerian entertainment industry, cutting across all genres said the time is ripe to kick-start another country-wide campaign aimed at addressing the widening gulf among leading ethnics and religious groups in the country. They thus resolved that the advocacy must spread on from the precinct of Terra Culture, Lagos where they have converged, to the most obscure section of Nigeria.
“We have a message for Nigeria and Nigerians and the theme of that message is: ‘For the Love of the Nation,’” Victor Olaitan, actor and film producer, who acted as the compeer for the night said.
To set the tone of patriotism for the night was the celebrated Yinka Davies whose passionate recitation of national anthem with sonorous voice electrified the hall with a standing ovation.
The moment of glitz to follow was the live stage performance of Aralola, with talking drumbeats intoning famous track such as: ‘Oke ga j’oke’ and ‘ske ske lo sko ske, dodo mimi do mido,’ Ara thrilled the audience in a performance she titled, ‘Skelebe.’ Her drumbeats were also complimented with masterful dance steps while preaching message of oneness, unity, love and harmony among Nigerians. According to Ara, the spirit of ‘naija’ is all that is needed to keep the country going at this time.
Mounting the stage after Ara were Bimbo Akintola and Zara Ejoor who delighted the in poetry that encapsulated issues of nationalism, Boko Haram insurgency, corruption, crimes, among other malaise, which they claimed affect Nigeria’s image.
Taking an extract from the first stanza of national anthem, ‘Arise, O compatriots, Nigeria’s call obey, to serve our fatherland, with love and strength and faith…’ Akintola queried whether Nigerians, despite repeated recitation of anthem, have ever been faithful to obeying the nation’s call and serving it with all their hearts and might. Her rhetorical question resonated though the hall.
Frank Konwea, a former Big Brother Nigeria contestant and renowned dancer, thrilled the audience with his fluid dance steps, spiced with acrobatic flavour.
Konwea’s performance heralded the first major speech of the night, with co-organiser, Temitope Jemerigbe who is also the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of DKK and Associates. According to Jemerigbe, the gathering was put together because a lot more needs to be done in putting in place a country all can be proud of. She said it is unfortunate that on citizenship and patriotism, Nigeria scored zero. She added that no matter how challenged Nigeria could be, the country deserves to be defended.
“We are gathered here for the love of the nation. We want to fight for Nigeria and bring back that passion, that sense of loyalty and that sense of fight for this country. I am of the opinion that for the change we desire in Nigeria to translate to national development, we all must look inward and have a total attitudinal change. I am excited that we are on that path and I know that Nigeria will be great again due to collaborative efforts like this,” Jemerigbe said.
An interlude in the Jemerigbe’s presentation was a five-minute documentary highlighting the aims and objective of the movement.
In his intervention, Adeleke Ajayi, a co-convener, said both the National Flag Tour and Family TV show as revealed in the documentary, are the two focal events ‘For the love of the Nation’ movement shall be pursuing to spread the message of love, unity and peace across Nigeria.
He said: “The two key issues were conceived to awaken national consciousness and patriotism. We believe patriotism is embedded in every Nigerian but what we need as a people are platforms that will help us channel this patriotism into making our society better.”
Ajayi informed that: “On October 1st 2016, we will also unveil the world’s biggest coat of arms monument in Nigeria. The monument is meant to inspire a sense of National Unity and Pride for the Nation as it will be inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records.”
The stage performance of the Benue-born Zaaki Azzay was another electrifying moment for the audience. Azzay with his identical torch beamed the light intermittently into the audience while asking them to repeat after him, a hymn of a track he sang to enliven the gathering.
Arguably, the biggest guest at the event, former aide de camp to late General Sanni Abacha, Alhaji Hamza Al-Mustapha spoke on unity, peace and progress. He also expressed his support and commitment to the initiative saying such movements are the necessary ingredients required to pull the country together at a time many are losing fate.
