We Must Ask Ourselves: What Kind of Future Do We Seek to Build for The Next Generation of Our People?

Address by Senator Neda Imasuen, Representing Edo South Constituency at the 2025 Benin Summit, Holding in Benin City.

Protocols:
Distinguished elders, esteemed leaders of thought, brothers and sisters of our great tribe, ladies and gentlemen

I stand before you today with a heart full of gratitude and pride. Gratitude, because it is a rare privilege to be called upon by one’s own people to speak at a gathering of this magnitude. Pride, because this event reminds us that though the world around us changes rapidly, we remain a people deeply anchored in our history, culture, and values.

Today’s gathering is not just a celebration of who we are, but also a call to reflection.

We must ask ourselves: what kind of future do we seek to build for the next generation of our people?

Our ancestors handed us a heritage of courage, dignity, hard work, and resilience. It is our responsibility to ensure that these values do not merely survive, but thrive in the face of modern challenges.

As your representative in the Senate, I carry your voices, your aspirations, and your concerns with me to the national stage.

I am keenly aware that we have contributed greatly to the fabrics of our State and Nation—in education, commerce, agriculture, the arts, and public service. Yet, I also know that many of our communities still yearn for better infrastructure, greater opportunities for our youth, improved security, and fair recognition in the national scheme of things.

Let me assure you: I remain committed to advocating policies that will bring development to our homeland—roads that connect our villages, schools that equip our children, healthcare that preserves life, and empowerment programs that unlock the talents of our young men and women.

But government alone cannot do everything. We, as a people, must stand together, and with our fellow brothers to build a viable Edo State. Let us invest in ourselves, support one another, and harness the strength of unity.

Our people are always known for solidarity. Now, more than ever, we must translate that solidarity into collective progress.

My brothers and sisters, let us hold on to our culture—not as a relic of the past, but as a living guide for the present and future. For culture is not just about festivals and attire; it is about values, discipline, respect, and the spirit of community. These must never be lost.

As we celebrate today, let us leave with renewed determination to build communities that our children will be proud to inherit, a State and Nation that recognizes the strength of diversity.

I thank the organizers of this event for keeping our heritage alive.

I thank our elders for their wisdom, and our youth for their energy. Together, let us keep the flame of our people burning bright.

May our people prosper.

May Edo State Prosper.

May our nation, Nigeria flourish.

And may the Almighty God and our Ancestors continue to bless us all.

Thank you.