OUR NATION

In recent weeks, our nation has once again been confronted with painful reminders of our fragility. Violent attacks on villages, the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers, and the unrestrained terror that stalks ordinary people going about their daily lives. These incidents are not just news flashes to be consumed and forgotten. They are deep, unhealed wounds on the conscience of our country.

Behind every report is a child who may never return home, a parent pacing through the night, a community unsure of what tomorrow will bring. And with each tragedy, something in us shifts, a sadness, a fear, a resignation that this, perhaps, is now our “normal.” But it must never be.

This moment calls for more than sympathy. It calls for a collective awakening.

Nigeria needs her people to rise firmly, and with purpose.
Not in anger, but in resolve.
Not with noise, but with the quiet courage to say: enough is enough.
Because when citizens retreat into fear, those who trade in violence gain ground.

At the J.O. Obaniyi Foundation, our work has always focused on those who bear silent burdens; widows who have lost not just husbands but livelihoods, and families struggling to rebuild from the edges of despair. Our commitment remains to alleviate poverty and restore dignity, empowering widows and the less privileged in rural communities to stand on their feet again.

But this season reminds us of a deeper truth:
No foundation, no community, no government agency can succeed alone.
The safety of our nation is a shared responsibility.
The healing of our society requires collective will.

If we must build a country where children can go to school without fear, where widows can sleep without listening for gunshots, where every Nigerian can dream without interruption, then we must stand together.

Let us choose unity over indifference.
Let us defend the vulnerable.
Let us insist on a Nigeria where human life still carries value.

We owe ourselves that.
We owe our children even more.

Together, we can help this nation find its way back.

We at J.O. Obaniyi Foundation stand for peace in Nigeria.