Nigeria@58: Mr LA urges more patriotism among youths

An aspirant to be senatorial seat of Kaduna Central, Lawal Adamu Usman, fondly called Me LA has said that mere celebration of Nigeria’s independence day by organizing events at which patriotic songs are sung annually does not translate to true patriotism.

Mr LA who said this in a goodwill message relayed by his Special Consultant on Media, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman described patriotism as the feeling of love and respect for one’s country.

Patriots, he said, are known to love their country unconditionally and are proud of it. “Every country in the world has its set of patriots – people who are ready to do anything for their country. However, the spirit of patriotism in most Nigerians seems to be fading these days owing to the growing difficulty in everyday survival as well as the changing lifestyle of people.

“In the past,  many genuine leaders and elders came forward to instil the feeling of patriotism among fellow Nigerians. These true patriots held meetings, gave lectures and used various other means to inspire the people around them. In the same way, a feeling of patriotism must be instilled in the young generation today too.

“This must be done when they are still young. Schools and places of worship must take initiative to instil children with a feeling of love and respect for their country.

“Successive governments and many any institutions host annual functions and organize events on every October 1 at which patriotic songs are sung and a feeling of patriotism seems to engulf the entire nation around that time. But is this real patriotism? No! Such an atmosphere must be created in general and not just around these special dates. It is then that such a feeling will be instilled in the heart of every citizen forever.

“A nation where the youth loves the country and is driven towards improving its condition socially and economically would certainly grow better.

“A true patriot is the one who works hard for the betterment of his country. He contributes his bit towards improving the condition of his country in whatever way he can. But a true patriot does not only work towards building his nation but also inspires those around him to do so,” the aspirant said.