Nigeria, Oct. 12 -- Nigeria stands today at a difficult but decisive crossroad. Ours is a nation that has endured much, yet still possesses within its soul the possibility of greatness. But before we can rise, we must acknowledge the sobering truth - we have lost a lot.

We lost decades to military rule while the rest of the world was racing into modernity. We lost the oil boom to waste, corruption, and short-sighted policies, instead of building enduring wealth. We lost countless lives to insecurity, poor healthcare, and preventable tragedies. We lost trust in institutions that should have protected us, and we lost many of our brightest minds to other nations because they could no longer find space to dream here.

And yet, while we have ...