‘I DON’T CARE WHAT PARTY YOU WILL JOIN BUT ALL OF US MUST JOIN A POLITICAL PARTY’ – BAYODE TREASURES OLAWUNMI; WANTS NIGERIANS TO SUPPORT QUEST TO BUILD LIBRARIES ACROSS COUNTRY
By Yomi Oyelami, Trek Africa Newspaper
L-R: Guinness World Record Holder, Bayode Treasures Olawunmi and Editor, Trek Africa Newspaper, Yomi Oyelami
‘For God’s sake how can you say ‘I hate politics’? Why will you hate politics? We are where we are because of politics, bad policies. Why would you say I hate politics, you are the worst of ignorants’, reacted world record holder, Bayode Treasures Olawunmi to many Nigerians who claim they hate politics. He shared this thought as quest for another Guiness World Record for the longest read aloud by a team is ongoing.
The Nigerian contingent comprises Preciouslight Ukachi, Doubra Yeri, Zainab Wakil Mustapha, Maryam Abba Sadu, and Bayode Treasures Olawunmi.
Explaining further, Bayode said: ‘The price of rice, beans, roads on your streets, everything is affected by politics. And you are saying you will not participate in politics, are you serious? I don’t care what party you will join but all of us must join a political party. The problem of Nigeria is caused by elites.’
‘For example, if at the ward level meeting, the people you see on Thursday or Tuesday are accountants, lawyers, architects, people that collect salary, do you know the quality of leadership we will elect? But you go to the ward meeting and you see petty traders, pepper sellers etc, I am not despising them, I am not devaluing them but what is the quality of debate and discussion that will happen there. I have been there; I am among them so I know what I am saying. We are the problem.’
He added: ‘Instead of complaining, we must keep moving. Our governments are overwhelmed. Nigeria is broke. Nigeria is poor. The day majority of us come to the realization that Nigeria is a poor country that is the day we start our deliverance for then, we will put all hands on deck and work.
Nigeria is a poor country. What is the value of the biggest bank in Nigeria? How many companies are worth $10 million in Nigeria? Our biggest tech, Paystack, was bought for $200 million. So where is the money?’
‘We are looking at what is on the ground.
How many countries have succeeded by what is on the ground, maybe Saudi Arabia, Norway, and UAE? It is up here in the brain. Other countries – USA, England, Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, they used their brains. The animals have access to the ground but why are they not like us? We are different because of what we can think, because of our brain, because of what we can do not because of what we hand on the ground’, the founder of iRead Afrika Foundation concluded.
Mr. Olawunmi wants Nigerians to financially support the greater goal to build functional libraries across Nigeria especially in rural areas. Donations can be made to:
A/c name: iRead Afrika Foundation
A/c no: 8534215010 (Naira)
A/c no: 8534215027 (Dollar)
FCMB
