MUSA-ODODO ABDULRAHAMAN
A People Must First See Before They Can Become
- The First Law of Nationhood: Vision Precedes Reality
No nation ever rose by accident. Every enduring civilization was first imagined before it was built.
A people without a mental picture of the future they seek to inhabit will unconsciously drift into a future designed by others.
The Nigerian Dream is not a slogan, not a political manifesto, not a seasonal campaign promise.
It is a shared national consciousness – a collective inner picture of who we are becoming and why we exist as a people.
Until this picture is clear, policies will contradict each other, leadership will lack coherence, and patriotism will remain fragile.
- Why a National Dream Is Not Optional
A national dream performs five indispensable functions:
- It gives Direction
Without a dream, movement becomes motion without meaning. We may be busy, but we are not progressing. - It aligns Diversity
Nigeria is many tongues, tribes, and faiths. A national dream does not erase difference – it harmonizes it around a higher purpose. - It births Sacrifice
People only endure hardship for a future they believe in. No dream, no sacrifice. No sacrifice, no transformation. - It disciplines Leadership
Leaders are judged not by personalities but by alignment to a clearly articulated national destiny. - It awakens Patriotism
Patriotism is not forced; it is inspired. People defend what they feel part of. - Why We Cannot Make It Without the Nigerian Dream
Nigeria’s crisis is not primarily economic, political, or even moral.
It is imaginational.
We argue policies without agreeing on purpose.
We rotate power without rotating destiny.
We fight corruption without defining the society we want to protect.
Where there is no shared future, the present becomes a battleground of selfish interests.
Where there is no national dream, tribes retreat into survival mode, youth lose hope, and the best minds leave.
A nation without a dream becomes:
A market, not a mission
A population, not a people
A territory, not a destiny
- What the Nigerian Dream Is Not
To clarify it, we must first strip illusions:
It is not blind imitation of Western models
It is not wealth without dignity
It is not power without purpose
It is not unity by force
The Nigerian Dream must rise from our history, values, spirituality, resilience, and diversity.
- Articulating the Nigerian Dream (A Foundational Vision)
The Nigerian Dream is this:
To build a just, prosperous, disciplined, and spiritually grounded nation where every Nigerian – regardless of origin – has dignity, opportunity, and a meaningful role in a shared destiny; a nation that contributes wisdom, resources, creativity, and moral leadership to the world.
This dream rests on six unshakable pillars:
- Dignity of the Human Person
No Nigerian is expendable. Governance exists to serve life, not exploit it. - Justice as the Foundation of Peace
Without justice, unity is an illusion. Fairness must replace favoritism. - Productive Prosperity
Wealth created by value, not rent-seeking; by creativity, not corruption. - Character before Power
Leadership as stewardship; authority as moral responsibility. - Unity of Purpose, Not Uniformity
Many identities, one destiny. - Nigeria as a Contributor to Global Civilization
Not a perpetual consumer of ideas, but a source of solutions, culture, energy, and wisdom. - Why Now Is the Time
History presents moments when nations either reimagine themselves or decline permanently.
Nigeria is standing at such a threshold.
Demography is exploding
Youth energy is rising
Old systems are failing
The world is resetting
To delay articulation of the Nigerian Dream now is to allow chaos to write our future.
This dream must be:
Taught in schools
Reflected in media
Embedded in policy
Modeled by leadership
Owned by citizens
- The Call to the People
The Nigerian Dream will not descend from heaven fully formed.
It must be conceived in consciousness, spoken into language, and built through discipline.
Every Nigerian must answer:
Who are we becoming?
What kind of nation deserves our loyalty?
What future are we willing to sacrifice for?
Closing Declaration
A people who cannot imagine a future together cannot survive together.
The Nigerian Dream is the womb from which a new nation must be born.
Now is the time to see it.
Now is the time to say it.
Now is the time to build it.
Nigeria must first Dream again – so She may finally Become.
Shepherd of Nigerian Divine Destiny
Musa-Ododo Abdulrahaman
Founder, Initiative for Discovery of Nigeria Heritage and Endowment (IDNHE)
Convener, The Conscious Creation of a New Nigeria
Chairman, National Policy Dialogue – a Dialogue with Wisdom
www.nationalpolicydialogue.org