STRENGTHENING NATIONAL UNITY VIA FRIENDSHIP AS WE MARK THE 2017 INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FRIENDSHIP
The last time I checked, July 30 each year
remained International Day of Friendship. This implies that today being Sunday,
the world over is commemorating the 2017 edition of the International Day of
Friendship.
The resolution concerning the annual International Day of Friendship was
adopted unanimously by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in May 2011 in
recognition of the fact that friendship can contribute meaningfully to the
efforts of the global community towards the promotion of dialogue among
solidarity, civilization, mutual understanding as well as reconciliation.
The
resolution mandated the international community to recognize July 30 of every
year as International Day of Friendship thereby inviting all the UN Member
States, several arms of the UN system, as well as other international and
regional bodies coupled with civil societies, to observe the day in accordance
with the culture/customs and other appropriate circumstances of their
respective local, national and/or regional communities through public
awareness-raising activities.
It’s often said that ‘two good heads
are better than one’. It’s also widely noted that ‘a tree does not make a
forest’. These and many more similar quotations, which signify the essence of
partnership or amalgamation, have been adhered to by millions of personalities
and schools of thought across the globe owing to their obvious inevitable role
in human existence.
The
aforementioned philosophies are not unconnected with the fact that, no
individual or group can do it all alone if efficiency or effectiveness remains
his/its watchword. No doubt, this was the reason God ensured that a woman was
formed having created a man. Needless to say; the creator Himself understood
the unavoidable essence of companionship. This simply implies that everyone
requires a friend in whom he/she is well pleased toward arriving at the anticipated
success room.
A friend, in a nutshell, is a
person that one likes and knows well. It could also be described as a supporter
of a cause or a staunch fan of a certain organization. A true friend is the
first person you wish to call whenever you receive good news; he/she is equally
the person you wish to share your pains with; he is that person or fellow that
would like to accompany you on the most boring errands or trips and make them
seem fun; he is that fellow that is invariably willing to tell you what you
need to hear, not what you want to hear.
In the same vein, friendship is
a kind of relationship between two or more people who care about each other.
Since friendship has to do with people who truly care about each other, there’s
no gain saying that sometimes it requires that people put someone other than
themselves first. Indeed, true friendship signifies that some occasions might
warrant you sacrificing your happiness for that of others. Hence, life is all
about sacrifice, which is usually a product of compassion. What’s the essence
of life if you can’t cough up a reasonable time to think about others?
Notwithstanding, a friendship
is meant to be a symbiotic relationship rather than a parasitic one. Hence,
many qualities are required or necessary for a good friendship to hold,
including honesty, transparency, trustworthiness, loyalty, tolerance and
unconditional acceptance. These, among other factors, have the tendency to
yield an unconditional love between the parties involved. For any friendship to
be reliable as well as successful or hitch-free, either or both parties, as the
case might be, must possess all of the above at all times.
In Nigeria, for instance, which
is an amalgamation of various friendships or relationships, for the union to
remain in peace and progress, the leaders must be willing to be transparent and
honest to the teeming followers, thus they must always exercise the political
will towards leading transparently.
The electorate, on their part, must equally
reciprocate the gesture by being loyal and submissive. Any union is anchored on
reciprocity among its overall members, and Nigeria isn’t an exception. We must
take into cognizance that national unity would continue to suffer from epilepsy
if trust is nowhere to be found; and there will never be trust if honesty and
transparency is missing.
Happiness ought to be seen as a keyword by the
people or groups who constitute a certain friendship or union, irrespective of
the circumstance. Of course, we aren’t unaware that human beings can clash very
easily, which is why it’s hard for some persons to maintain many friendships at
a time or simultaneously. In view of this assertion, members of a particular
friendship are expected to uphold absolute honesty at all cost with the sole
aim of sustaining the relationship in question.
Another pertinent factor to
acknowledge towards sustaining national unity is unconditional acceptance. The
various ethnic groups across the federation must be prepared to accept each
other unconditionally since they are bound to be one indivisible body. We found
ourselves together, or as one nation, thus we must strive to sustain the
oneness regardless of our respective distinct cultures and backgrounds.
Arguably, this is the only way we can boast of unconditional love, which
is the only factor that can yield the awaited societal uplift. Unalloyed love
produces absolute peace and unity that are required for both human and capital
developments. The various ministries of Information and Culture in collaboration with numerous relevant bodies, can help in making
the general public comprehend this fact via awareness cum thorough
sensitization campaigns.
During
penultimate year’s commemoration of the International Day of Friendship,
precisely on 30th July 2016, the then United Nations Secretary-General,
Ban Ki-moon urged the global community to use the potential of friendship to
strengthen common bonds and inspire efforts for peace and sustainable
development.
The immediate past UN boss
further stated that “The day is an important opportunity to confront the
misunderstanding and distrust that underlie so many of the tensions and
conflicts in today’s world.” He went further to say that the event is a
reminder that human solidarity is essential to promoting lasting peace and
fostering sustainable growth among mankind, therefore enjoined the
international communities to cultivate warm ties that would strengthen our
common humanity and promote the well-being of the human race.
Hence,
I call on Nigerians both home and abroad to strive towards achieving national
unity through the effort of undiluted friendship. It was Lucius Seneca that
said “One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand
and to be understood.” In her words, Helen Keller stated that “Walking with a
friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.” Similarly,
Hubert Humphrey succinctly disclosed that “The greatest gift of life is
friendship, and I have received it.” To this end, I appeal to us to receive
friendship in our various endeavours since it has been proven beyond doubts to
be the pathway to man’s eternal gladness.
Acknowledging that two good heads
are truly better than one, it’s therefore not needful to state that all hands
are expected to be on deck toward ensuring that friendship is created as well as
sustained at all cost for the sake of national unity and harmony, which
definitely would yield the long awaited national development. Think about it!
Comrade FDN Nwaozor
Executive
Director, Docfred Resource Clinic - Owerri
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