
Chief Executive Officer of Scope Shelters Nigeria Limited, Alhaji Dr. AbdulHakeem Oyeniyi Bello,
By JOY ADARA, Abuja –
Chief Executive Officer of Scope Shelters Nigeria Limited, Alhaji Dr. AbdulHakeem Oyeniyi Bello, has called on Nigerian youth to embrace a positive mindset and view the country through a lens of hope and possibility rather than perpetual negativity.
Dr. Bello gave the charge, Thursday, at a press conference held in Abuja to commemorate his 50th birthday.
He highlighted the importance of belief in the nation’s potential for greatness, stating, “I want to let Nigerian youth know that regardless of what might be happening now, one of the best gifts God can give to anybody, honestly speaking, is to be a Nigerian. And I’m saying it with every sense of responsibility.
“Number one, I’m not a local person. I’ve seen the two sides of it, the local and the diaspora. And when you are on top of the mountain, you certainly see better what is on the two sides of the valley. Nigeria is good. Nigeria can be better and we can all make it so, by first believing that Nigeria can be better.”
He emphasized the need to shift the narrative from disparagement to encouragement, saying that as Nigerians, a collective belief in the country’s potential is essential.
“There is this very common statement in America. It’s a slogan, “God bless America, God bless America, God bless America.” But here, what do we have? Our people would say ” This country is terrible. This country is bad.” Let us stop prophesying terrible things unto our country.
He elaborated on the power of perception, likening it to viewing a glass of water as either half full or half empty. “When I ask you, you say it’s half filled. Are you speaking the truth or not? The content has not changed but because of your perception…” Dr. Bello’s potent analogy encouraged the audience to consider the positive aspects of Nigeria rather than focusing solely on its challenges.
He drew parallels between the Nigerian narrative and the experiences of other nations, particularly the United States, noting that while some Nigerians view their country as being entirely bad, they forget that even in America, there are homeless people and systemic discrimination. He reminded the audience that Nigeria has its own challenges, but it also has a lot of good.
“You see, it’s a question of mindset and we should be careful of the danger of a single story. When some people talk to you about Nigeria, you will not believe that there is anywhere in this country where you can travel two kilometers without being kidnapped. But the same people will not tell you that in Nigeria it is not so bad that when your child simply gets to school, you are afraid somebody will carry gun and go and shoot your child in school.
“There is no place that is 100% sane. All the climes that we call the sane climes were made by people. We can also make our own. You can’t be more diasporan than I am. I carry two passports. So if you say you are a diasporan, then you are either a permanent resident somewhere or you are a citizen somewhere. I’m a proud citizen of Nigeria. I’m a proud citizen of the United States. And that’s why you see these two flags here.
Speaking further, he said; “A lot of people think once you get out of Nigeria your problems are solved, the people there also have problems. In America, there are US citizens that are homeless, you have more homeless people in Washington DC than you have in Abuja. Quote me anywhere. And you have more homeless people in Los Angeles than you have in Lagos.
“So, getting to America does not mean the world has been deposited in your palm. It still depends on what you make out of it. “Don’t get me wrong, there are some structured systemic empowerment systems that are already available for you if you know how to key into it and you sincerely do not need to know Donald Trump, you do not need to know Joe Biden, you need not to come from their families.
“America didn’t get there one day but let us have this spirit of believing that we can make it, we can put our country together and it can be fine.
He further charged the youth to be focused and embrace integrity as it is the most important currency in the world.
“Once you keep your eyes on the ball, don’t get distracted. You have issues that would distract you here and there. I must also remind you that the greatest currency that anybody will have is your integrity. Guide it with your life. If one has to go for the other, sacrifice your life for your integrity. Don’t let your integrity leave you. Once it leaves you, you’re just like a phone without a SIM card in an environment where there is no internet. It’s useless,” he said.