By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Popular guber candidate of the 2023 Action Alliance (AA) party in Kogi state, Otunba Olayinka Braimoh has urged Okun Youths on the need to come together and redirect their collective energy on the things that can bring scalable and sustainable prosperity to the land rather than jostling for termed appointments that cannot attract economic prosperity.

Braimoh, who was a guest speaker at the launch of Okun Youth Alliance (OYA) Movement spoke to the consciousness of the youth on the theme, “Raising a new generation of Okun leaders through sensitization, empowerment and political action”.

His speech, which came in form of questions, charged everyone present at the event such that virtually all the speakers were making frantic efforts towards providing the needed answers.

Braimoh said, “From the vision of this movement, I believe I am not supposed to come and excite you, but to get us engaged intellectually to guide our future steps towards societal prosperity of the Okun nation.

“This is why my speech will come in form of questions that are begging for the right answers; What sacrifices are we ready to make for societal prosperity? Are we going to continue with the mindset of slavery? Where we feel and think as though others are better than us? What are our parameters for evaluating our self worth? Is our societal prosperity not a direct result of the prosperity of the majority in the society? How do you think your 100k and 500k appointments that are termed will bring prosperity to our society?”

He went further to ask, “Are we not supposed to focus our energy more on things that can bring us scaleable and sustainable prosperity? Isn’t it a joke when we think if I can just get an appointment, I will be okay? Those of you that have had appointments in the past and the ones holding appointments currently, are you really satisfied now? Have you looked at the statistics of people around you that previously held positions in government – the status of their lives years after leaving office? Are the evidences not overwhelming to show us that that is not the path to sustainable wealth? When majority around you are poor people, how rich are you really? Have the generations ahead of us not really failed us? Are we not surrendering ourselves to be used by them to further disorganize and deplete our energy towards our sustainable prosperity? There is no power without sacrifice. What sacrifices are you willing to make for the prosperity of the society you live in?

“Do you think we will prosper as a society if we do not intelligently and strategically plan and take actions that will gear us towards scaleable and sustainable prosperity? Remember, development does not occur by chance or happenstance but through deliberate, intentional and coordinated actions of a visionary leader. Who are those we allow to lead us today? Won’t we continue to grapple with the consequences of our poor choices of those that lead us? Those that have led us in the past, where have they led us to ? Those that are leading us now, where are they leading us to? What visions do they have for us as a people and as a society? This cut across all spheres of leadership in our society, from those in government, traditional institutions and other social cultural developmental organizations.

“Shouldn’t there be a clear vision that all can see and interpret? Shouldn’t there be a clear vision that all can run with? Shouldn’t there be a clear vision towards societal prosperity that is scaleable and sustainable? But what do we do? Do we ask questions about their visions when they come to us to throw us as intellectuals that we are tokens that cannot sustain us ? Or we just succumb to the pressure of the damage that multidimensional poverty has done to our intellect.

“Will we be willing to make a sacrifice once and for all like the leppers in the Bible at the gate of Samaria, that moved towards Syria to find sustenance. As they said to themselves let us go to Syria to find food, if we stay here we die of hunger if we go perhaps we might be able to survive. They went and God amplified their foot steps such that the Syrians thought it was a mighty army coming their way and fled. This moved them into abundance. What lessons can we learn from this politically if really we have a collective vision for societal prosperity? What sacrifices are we ready to make? A 4 year appointment forfeiture if we fail? Do you know the joy that comes with daring mighty things? Even though we are checkered by failure but our resolute determination and dexterity provide the needed energy within.

“What mighty things are you daring ? How can you conquer what you have not confronted? Some say what if we fail? I ask you, what if we succeed ? Do we need political power to bring about the needed societal prosperity? Yes we do! Only if the political power is given to a visionary leader that has the vision and passion to bring about creating scalable and sustainable wealth for the people. Should every family not even have one or two persons that are rich in our society? Do you know that there are families today that cannot even point to one person that can raise 500k? Can we not achieve a society that provides us with equal opportunities?

“If your parents couldn’t achieve sustainable wealth, must you continue in the poverty? And if you think time is against you, will you allow your children to continue in poverty? Why can’t you strive to give your children the needed education they need to succeed in life? Must your children miss the opportunities we missed? Do you want your children to end up just like you? Or for them to do better than you? No body owes you ladies and gentlemen and nobody will give you power, you will have to fight for it.

He asked further, “Do you think anyone owes you anything? Do you think anyone will dash you power? Do you think freedom comes on the buffet table? Is your future or that of your children worth fighting for? Can you see an enviable future for you and your children that is worth fighting for? No matter what you do, do realize the number of years you will stay outside of government offices are more than the number of years you will stay in government?

“How far are you from 60? This is the age of regret. It’s either you are happy with your life or you regret your actions or inactions in the course of your life. For the privileged amongst us, do you realize that a prosperous society is more beneficial to you than a deprived, ostracized, frustrated, poverty ridden, poverty stricken society? What else do you benefit from this kind of society other than over massaged ego and sense of I’m better than others ? And of course the temporary or termed sycophancy? What if we work to uplift others to achieve scale able and sustainable prosperity? Of what benefit is your political relevance that does not impact on your society? How much longer are we going to allow others dictate our political direction for societal prosperity?”