By Lola Adeyemo

If someone asked me what the best part of joining the chorus of people supporting #ifNaijaVotes movement was, without hesitation I would have answered “unity.” In a day and age when it’s so easy to separate yourself, to thrive on the similarities you share with some folks and shun the differences you see amongst yourself and others, the #ifNaijaVotes initiative elevated us above above all that. Across three continents, people of all ages, walks of life, beliefs and backgrounds, got together and spoke in one voice, over one issue: Regardless of who we support, what issue we take on or don’t, WE matter and our votes count. Nigeria is ours and we’re ready to exercise our authority. And we encourage every citizen to do the same.

As a lover of numbers, being able to say ‘this many people participated’ would be lovely. But quite honestly, the numbers don’t matter. Whether there were 50,000 tweets or 500, the point is, we were present on Tuesday. From all over the globe, we all had a chance to partake in something bigger than ourselves. Normally you hear about things like this and think it’s nice sounding but probably not meaningful in the larger scheme of things. But the #ifNaijaVotes movement is a real life, contemporary example of the power of the collective. If what took place doesn’t make you excited about the future, about the possibilities of what we can do, then I’m afraid you just don’t get it. For everyone else though…join the bandwagon. This is just the beginning…and it’s probably best not to get left behind.

The party/rally call continued way after January 11th, so rather than re-highlighting tweets fellow advocates have already, below are just three of my favorite tweets that came in after midnight on January 12th.

@AfroPuffette: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter”. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.#ifnaijavotes

@fatboy27ng: #ifnaijavotes politics will no longer be a profession but strictly a call to service.

@solazo69: #IfNaijaVotes….my 1yr old niece won’t be shouting #UPNEPA

Though all captured poignant points, the third stirred me the most. My vote in April determines what type of Nigeria my children will inherit. Whether their studies will be interrupted by NEPA, their days made longer and unproductive because of bad roads, or whether they will have to look outside for adequate healthcare. These thoughts alone are enough motivation; enough of a reminder that we can’t let the responsibility slip. We simply have to register to vote and go out on voting day. Our kids, grand kids and great-grands depend on it.

Lola Adeyemo is the Editor of Afiive which aims to be your innovative liaison, connecting, informing and entertaining its avid readers and frequent visitors from around the globe.

Gospel-sensational act, Lara George has dropped a new music video, “Chibuzo (Get Up)”. It is dedicated to the movement for a better Nigeria. The former member of the now defunct gospel trio group, KUSH, spurred Nigerians not to give up on situations no matter how poor they may seem today.

GET UP revolves around an able young Nigerian man from a poor background called Chibuzo. He is representative of any typical Nigerian youth. From the opening of the video, the artiste sonorously urges to listener to pay close attention to the story as “it fit be you, it fit be me”.

Chibuzo leaves his poor-looking apartment early in the morning, hustles to get on the bus and finally arrives at his ‘workplace’. He is a roadside CD-vendor. Along the way, a better-dressed man approaches him, but Chibuzo is not willing to engage in this conversation. The audience is left to imagine what exactly the exchange between the two is, however, not for long. As Chibuzo returns home that day, we see the ‘posh’ dressed guy being led away by two men in handcuffs towards a patrol vehicle. Thus, one can deduce that the guy was attempting to draw Chibuzo into illegal dealings earlier in the day.
“Get up off the floor, get your feet back on the ground” is the resounding message in the chorus in this song.

Lara George uses Chibuzo to illustrate that “there is a story before the glory and a light after the night”. She is asking Nigerians not to give up hope, but get up in solidarity for our future and our children, especially if you believe that Nigeria will be better.

You could start by getting up, and going to register to vote from January 15-29 – a bright future awaits Nigeria, we are hopeful.

On Tuesday, January 11th, 2011 we are asking that you donate your status on any social media vehicle you see fit, from Twitter/Facebook/ Blackberry Messenger/Google Buzz and let people know what change can come to our country #IfNaijaVotes. We are not asking for much, just a little bit of typing.

You can run with this one, feel free to be funny, or serious with it:

For example: #IfNaijaVotes kids will have access to a better education.

Help Nigeria be great! And resend and Retweet!!!

Shout out to all the organizations involved in this initiative:

Wangonet (www.Wangonet.org) provides intellectual and ICT resources to NGOs, media, educational and cultural institutions, private sector clients.

Culture Shock: Nigerians in America (www.CultureShockNigerians.com) Hosted by Abimbola Ishola and Kunle Ayodeji, is a new talk radio show airing on Splash 105.5 FM in various Nigerian cities connecting Nigerians in Nigeria to Nigerians in America like never before.

Sahara Reporters (www.SaharaReporters.com) is an online community of international reporters and social advocates dedicated to bringing you commentaries, features, news reports from a Nigerian-African perspective.

EnoughisEnough Nigeria (www.EnoughisEnoughNigeria.com) is a coalition of individuals and youth organizations committed to instituting a culture of good governance and public accountability in Nigeria through advocacy, activism and the mobilization of the youth population as responsible citizens.

Nneka Egbuna (www.NnekaWorld.com) Acclaimed global Nigerian singer/songwriter. It is a testament to the strength of Nneka’s talent that her success so far is based on word of mouth, on the quality of her albums and the intensity of her live performance. While love, hope and optimism form the bedrock of all Nneka’s recorded work, there’s a steeliness to her new material, the engagement of a highly developed mind on some of the tough realities of modern politics – both personal and international.

Nigerian Diaspora Electoral Reform Group (www.NDERG.org) a US-based, non-profit non-governmental organization whose main aim is to work with Nigerians and friends of Nigeria within and outside of Nigeria towards participating in the political, social and electoral reforms in the country.

Tiwa Works (www.TiwaWorks.com) is an international marketing, promotions, and event planning firm that reaches across the 3 continents of North America, Europe and Africa.

Celebrate Progress Africa (www.CP-Africa.com) chooses to celebrate what is right about Africa. Through partnerships with organizations online and on the ground, they hope to create a paradigm shift amongst Africans everywhere and offer a space for inspiration and creativity.

Nigeria for Nigerians (www.Facebook.com/NigeriansforNigeria) Everything about Nigeria and Nigerians. Nigeria for Nigerians believe in the simple premise that Nigeria’s future is up to Nigerians.

Last Plane to Lagos (www.LastPlanetoLagos.com) is an online magazine featuring Events, Culture, Lifestyle, Music and Fashion by creative minds of African origin.

The Nigerian Eagle (www.theNigerianEagle.com) unites Nigerians around the world of all ages for the purpose of sharing opinions, views, beliefs, and suggested solutions for our country’s progress – then to educate and unite the next generation of Nigerians around the world to share their opinions, increase their interest and enlighten them of the great historical and present facts of our great Nation.

SwitchedOnNaija Media (www.SwitchedOnNaija.com) Nigerian online media lifestyle magazine that highlights the latest in Nigerian culture including, fashion, music, etc.

Governance 500 (www.Governance500.com) is a sustainable programme of national development for the training and empowering of individuals to participate in Nigerias political process in different capacities.

Liz Yemoja (www.LizYemoja.com) TV Personality, Host of Liz Yemoja Show. The ‘Liz Yemoja Show’ features artists from all genres of the entertainment industry aiming to find out the person behind the artist.

Chiedu Ifeozo (ChieduIfeozo.blogspot.com) Renowned Nigerian writer & poet.

Psychologists would tell you that the best therapy for dealing with pain is to forget and let it go. It’s a no-brainer why this is so. In that moment you forget, you are numb to memories, immune to despair and deaf to worries; you can put up a smile and actually be convinced that it is coming from your heart.

Unfortunately, much as it is a useful tool in enduring the travails of this life, we Nigerians seem to have perfected the art to our detriment. Nigeria is a giant that has withstood many vices, the question is how much more can it take? One of my favourite church renditions is “Giants do die” (in this case, an allusion to Goliath). Even though Nigeria is no Goliath, it is still a giant. It is our duty as good citizens to make sure that the flag keeps flying proudly, not hanging limp from some rusty pole whose maintenance funds are regularly diverted to other uses

I had mixed feelings when I read on the BBC news website that Nigeria had topped the world happiness survey carried out by the UK New Scientist Magazine. I was glad because, for once we were not topping the corrupt nations list, but I was burdened because it signalled one thing to me – people were and still are leaving in denial. I call this denial – ‘E Go Better’ Syndrome.

The same day bombs were going off in Abuja, the trending topic on Twitter among fellow Nigerians was #celebperfumes – where we cracked ingenious jokes about celebrities both home and abroad. I really found them amusing, but one part of me was in pain for the lives lost. In my chat with a friend who recently left Britain to join her family in Jos late last year, she said no one budges at the sound of a gun – it has become that common-place. Things have aggravated from machetes and cutlasses to bombs, and my people are still smiling. We are smiling and shrugging helplessly, hoping it will not be our turn one day.

Amnesia can be beautiful. Have you ever dreamt of utopia, so sweet and so blissful you don’t want to wake up? This time around, I plead with you to wake up; while you go to the wash-hand basin and dab water on your faces, reflect on where we are coming from. Let the pain course through your veins, feel it, and get fired up for change.

This was not how our fathers planned it. Children and women were not meant to lose their lives on the grounds of religious squabble. Children were not born to be kidnapped because their dads refused to give an uncle money. We were never meant to lack basic amenities; the resources were and are still there at our disposal if only they are properly managed. Men were never meant to die trying to protect their families because of a poor security system. Ritual killers, armed robbers and ‘one-chance’ were meant to be alien terms. “One day, one day e go better” says a popular Nigerian musician. But please, even if you won’t do anything about this, do one thing; do not forget. I repeat, do not forget. Brood and mull over the state of our nation, before long, you will know what to do. And if you don’t you will tell your kids, perhaps they are the beautiful ones Ayi Kwei Armah refers to in The Beautiful Ones are Not Yet Born. They will have their lifetime to think about a change strategy. Do not give up.

On that note, I will share what a tweetizen said concerning the coming elections,– “Drop your mental guns and use your physical thumb.”

VOTE this 2011.