The ‘R’ in ANRP -By Sesugh Akume

I, as I believe most of us have heard the illustration that if you moved a typical Nigerian community to say some European countries, and some European community to Nigeria, it’s only a matter of a few years, the European community will become like Nigeria, and the Nigerian like Europe. Why is this? When you figure why it is you’ll understand what the ‘R’ in ANRP stands for.

Earlier today something happened, a lady collapsed on the road and hit her head on the kerb. A frightened someone who saw it became hysterical and was all about rushing the victim to the nearest hospital. What everybody around first asked was ‘Do you know her?’ That’s your typical Nigerian response. Do you know her?

As a people we have lost the capacity to be shocked by anything. Nothing on earth moves us. We say we are ‘resilient’. I think we are not very okay, if you ask me. We defer every responsibility to God. We expect God to come and solve our everyday existential problems.

We need renewal. We need to overhaul the way we think and live. We need to work on our values. We need to place value on human life. We need to care about others. We need to care about our environment and nurture it. We need to take responsibility, and act up. We need to ask questions. We need to learn to focus and increase our attention span on issues. We need to constantly examine ourselves and evaluate. We need to increase our standards to one uniform global standard, anything less is mediocrity. We need to detest mediocrity. We need to prioritise the welfare of the weak. Simply put, we need renewal.

That’s why ANRP isn’t just another party. That’s why ANRP insists she’s not just about winning elections and gaining office, that’s too banal. We need a complete system overhaul and to commence a process of renewal. ANRP is about renewal. She’s about a rebirth. About a renaissance. ANRP is Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party.