A Speech by Ngee

I once heard a story about a man who left his city looking for another city to dwell in, he met an elderly man whom he asked how the people here were like and the wise old man answered; how were the people you left and he said jealous, angry, crafty etc. The old man replied that is what you will see here.

Permit me to share another story about a couple of men and women who were given a big cake and asked that each take a piece. They began to cut the cake and fought one another over the size of each other’s cake before they knew it the whole cake was destroyed and they had nothing anymore.

The men and women represent you and I, the cake represents 2 things in our lives our individual nations called family and the collective nation we call Nigeria.

Have you setup a cake and told Nigerian children to cut and take it themselves, it always result to a fight and much more or in marriage where the husband and wife struggle for everything.

 

 

Recently I read a story of Ubuntu the South Africa children were told to grab what was given but they gathered and shared it together.

The moral of the story is simply this – human beings are the same everywhere but your inward/outlook towards life determines the part of them you will relate with.

Let’s come home. How many of us told our children not to marry from the other tribes? How many of us Igbo/Yoruba told our children that Imo is different from Abia or Enugu? Even I have begun to look at myself critically because I am also a product of this mentality.

When I was serving I was housed by a Muslim for one year. Nobody has been that kind to me ever. KMA is four years and our longest standing staff is a Yoruba man – Philip, don’t forget I’m Igbo.

We have turned our country to an ethnic religious war zone and our country is a shadow of itself. Who is losing? You and I …

The greatest commandment comes in 2 parts – loving God with all of your heart and might – And loving your neighbor as yourself. Which of us is actually loving our neighbor right now? Your spouse is your neighbor, the Igbo/ Yoruba / Hausa /Muslim /Christian man/woman sitting beside you is your neighbour – A human being with needs like yours.

So today at KMA awards I say to you; how big your piece of cake is or will be is determinant on the principle of loving your neighbor as yourself.

I will leave you with Bill Clinton’s word on Ubuntu – the world is too small, our wisdom too limited, our time here too short to waste anymore of it in winning fleeting victories at other people’s expense.

 

Love,

Ngee & Rich       

Founders of Keeping Marriage Alive Initiative

“Will two people walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” Amos 3:3 (CEB).