THE POWER OF ONE TOWARDS NATION BUILDING
THE POWER OF ONE
The Power of One simply connote the power of unity, the power of oneness. It seeks to explain the fundamental and unique role unity plays in our everyday endeavors and in nation building.
A NATION
Guibernau (1996, p. 47) has defined the nation as: ‘a human group conscious of forming a community, sharing a common culture, attached to a clearly demarcated territory, having a common past and a common project for the future and claiming the right to rule itself’. So awareness, territory, history and culture, language and religion all matter. However, it is rare in the real world to find a case of a nation with a clear-cut and homogeneous character in terms of this list of possibilities
NATION BUILDING
Nation building is the constructing or structuring of a national identity using the power of a state. It is the unification of the people within the state so that it remains politically stable.
Nation building is a dynamic process of constant nurturing, structuring and reinvention of a state through conscious effort of the citizens. It is referred to as a constructive way of engaging all citizens in building a cohesion, economic prosperity and political stability in a state in an inclusive and democratic way.
THE POWER OF ONE TOWARDS NATION BUILDING
The power of one towards nation building is the power of unity and oneness. This explains how citizens of a nation come together putting aside their differences (political, cultural, tribal and religious) to form a common front in the interest of nationhood.
Nigeria is a nation with great diversity, with people of different culture and ethnic background. Nigeria is greatly endowed with human and natural resources, but despite these riches, Nigeria still remain poor, underdeveloped and riddled with different challenges.
These challenges can simply be traced to one singular problem and this is disunity, deep division along tribal and religious line.
In the absence of the power of one, a nation will experience war, injustice, inequality, poverty, economic disorder, lawlessness, tribalism, nepotism and clannishness that is currently being experienced in Nigeria.
A nation can’t therefore be built in the absence of the power of one.
The power of one (Unity) can never be over emphasized in nation building. A country like the United State of America with people of different culture live as one and built a progressive nation, and in the process becoming the most powerful nation in the world.
DIVIDENDS THE POWER OF ONE TOWARDS NATION BUILDING
The power of one brings about peace and tranquility in a nation.
The power of one brings about economic growth and development.
The power of one brings about equitable distribution of economic resources.
The power of one brings about freedom.
The power of one brings about peace.
The power of one brings about equity and justice for all.
Understanding national history and each others religion, culture and tradition are basic elements of the power of one.
The Power of One + Wise Leadership = An end to the majority of the problems of a nation >>> national growth and development.
In conclusion, One People = One Nation
United they say we stand and divided we fall. A nation that is united (the power of one) will stand, will survive and surmount any mountain no matter how high it is.
its high time we come together as one and build a nation so strong and indivisible, a nation that treat all tribes equally no matter how small, a nation where there is equal rights and justice for all, because it is only as one that we can surmount theses odds stirring us in the face.
Bibliography
Mandela Institute for Development Studies Youth Dialogue August 2016. Nation building in Africa: post-colonial experiences and lessons from Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa and Namibia.
James Paul (1996). Nation Formation Towards the theory of Abstract community. London: sage Publications.
Montserrat Guibernau 1996. Nationalism and intellectuals in Nations without States: The Catalan case.
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