 I am overwhelmed by the achievements of our kind, but we call him rookie. So let's just, we'll just keep it as rookie today. All of us know him well, call him rookie. So I'm just completely taken by all that he has achieved in so short a time. And there's just a long list of them. So it's really a pleasure to be here today for the formal presentation and book launch of the Memory of Seasons, a collection of poems by Ruki, or Arokaino Umookoro, speaking of nationhood, faith, life, and humanity. There's a paragraph in the prefix which says that these poems weave stories, reflections, imaginations, and love into an embroidered yarn. Because the purpose was written by the author himself. So when you see and hear that the use of words and the excellent rhythm of the language, you know that it could only come from a poet of such great talent. It says they also navigate the seasons of love, the crux of humanity, and the nuances that generally reflect a genuine concern for society. At the heart of the poet's codex, it's called, according to codex, I believe it is, God, nation, and humanity. End of quote. I mean, you know, sometimes people say that what they're showing here is complex, you know. So when you read some of his poems, you know. But I think that it's very good. You sometimes have to reflect when you read some of Ruki's poetry. You have to think again and reflect. I agree with his characterization of his poetry. Because I read a few of them myself. And I'm also glad to see that the project of which he spoke to me about, which is this book of poetry about two, three months ago, has very quickly come to term. I'm proud of his effort and the creativity that it took to deliver such a wonderful set of poems in a very, very short time. A chairman has already told us that Ruki started as a child poet. And I think the emcee has also told us his father, Mr. Godwin Dean Mokoro, also a brilliant poet and writer, encouraged him from a young age to be creative and to use his writing skills. We're told that when he was still in primary school, his father helped him publish his first ever fiction story titled One Who Turned Deserves Another. It was published in the then popular Democracy newspaper in Katrina State where he lived in his family at the time. The chairman has also very kindly offered to make a friend copy of that publication. I hope that we will also get a friend who will frame it ourselves. Two of his poems, Stuber and Love Is, have been featured already on the BBC Network Africa and the West Africa Democracy Radio respectively. But this will be his first full collection of poetry. And Ruki's themes, quite frankly, do not surprise. The themes that he chose in his poetry do not surprise. He is a consensual, public intellectual and very restless social activist who believes in this nation further. And that shows that practically everything is demonstrated in what he talks about, what he writes about and practically over everything. The people of this event, conversations on Nigeria's unity in diversity, challenges, opportunities and benefits, is one of his favourite issues. And I'm glad that there are still members of that panel who spoke so thoughtfully and so insightful on many of the salient issues. But one thing I'd just like to add to all that said and already, I think, two of the speakers mentioned this is that we need to talk up our country. We need to talk this country up. A big part of nation building is talking up your nation to Lu and Benit Malkwe a few moments ago ask what sort of narratives about Nigeria do we push? What are the narratives that we push about Nigeria? The stories of nations written by others focus on their own agendas, the agendas of the authors. The negatives of course sell more and much faster. We must tell our own stories. I attend a lot of conferences. I used to attend a lot of conferences anyway. And I will soon be attending and putting up more conferences again. But it is only frankly, and this is the honest truth, I have never found a place where a conference where anyone is seeking ill of their country or running down their country. If it happens, the future lives on Nigeria. And that's the truth. Everywhere you go, no matter how fun the country may be, we will never hear anyone speaking negatively about their country, you know. No matter how bad the country is. Today we hear that we know that in the US so far between January and now there have been well over 150 mass shootings. Mass shootings. Well over 150. In schools, in malls, in car parks, in places of work. People are just shocked and drowned out. By one person, they'll sometimes shoot people. But you will never hear, well secondly, I mean you hear an American attend a conference and say, my country is on stage. It's insecure. People have reached whatever they do. No, you won't hear it. Every country talks about their own country. Every people of every country talk about their country. When we get home we can criticize ourselves. Oh yes, we can say whatever we like. But we must talk about our country. We belong to one side. One side of that side is the Nigerian side. So I was talking about that a few moments ago. That's not the way it is. Because that's our side. That's our side. We take the side. They may not be the best. They know we know the type. But that's our side. This country is our side. So we must talk about this country. And we must continue to talk about a mixture that in every way that we can will give the very best impression of our country. Our country is not its politicians. It's not even its religious leaders. It's not its business leaders. It's you and I. Our country cannot be defined by any group of people, any political party, or any head of a political party, or whoever else is defined by us, those of us who are born Nigerians, born by Nigerians, or who we call Nigerians by naturalization. Our stories must be stories of our aspirations, our dreams and our hopes planted in the successes of our journey and the future of great hope because we have the incredible talents and material resources. And already on that journey we are very, very far ahead. And I think that the poem, that poem Imagine Nigeria, which is in the book and one of the speakers spoke to it. I think it was the gentleman who spoke about it. But I'm going to read portions of it just to encourage us, I hope. And in this poem he says, Imagine in all the movies, winning Oscars every other year, From Care, A. J. Roe, and Sabay on the global stage. Imagine the Super Eagle winning the World Cup, finishing top five on the Olympics medal table. Imagine food baskets all over the country sufficient to feed 200 million people yet enough to export. Imagine the U.N. asking third world countries to learn from the rapid development of the West. Only this time it is the southwest of Nigeria. Imagine the rise of groundnut pyramids like the Spilks in the northern desert. Imagine those cattle on a thousand fields and valleys whose daily products are sold in world. Imagine Harvard and Jigawa, MIT and Kevin. Imagine the canceled world. Imagine the best results in Africa and the Niger Delta where children swimming clean water flowing from the creeks. Imagine Hawaii in Aqaibon or Bielsa, Disneyland in Roe. Like I said. Now that's truly imaginary. Architecture of myself easily. And they both cruise in the Niger Delta. Imagine one Naira to the dollar. Imagine 24-hour electricity in every village. Imagine PCM storage, PHDM storage for your children. Old tales, fairy tales. Everyone laughing about it. Imagine the first Nigerian astronauts taking off from their Buddhist space agency. Imagine Tumwush in Kaffa and Mada and Bangasu on the regular menu list at the World of Astoria. Imagine that over 250 ethnic groups understand their differences, harness their diversity into strength to become a truly indivisible country. Imagine the one Nigeria tried. Imagine a country with focused selfless leaders and strong institutions. Imagine a country where the rule of law prevails. A country where there is dignity in labor where justice is a meal both for the rich and the poor. This Nigeria by imagination is possible. For as long as we have the light of Ruki in whose hearts burn brightly the reality of this nation. Congratulations again Ruki. We will talk about the donation. Thank you all very much.