ReachOut Nigeria is a movement. It is not an event but a crusade to usher in a nation that we all dream about, talk about, wish for but have never lived in. Nigerians, through the many republics and different incarnations of government and administrations that we have experienced, have always yearned for a country where infrastructure works, social amenities exist, a vibrant economy is in place, human freedoms are guaranteed and the playing fields of human endeavor are level for all the citizens irrespective of gender, ethnicity and social status. The search for such a nation has been so elusive that it seems an El Dorado!

However it need not be so. This Nigeria of our dreams can be a reality but only if the gross mental attitude of the citizens are changed. Changing the mental attitude of Nigerians is the reason for the ReachOut Nigeria campaign.

Rev. Chris Oyakhilome, the author of Rhapsody of Realities with his wife Rev. Anita, believes that the mind is the greatest resource of any nation. Increase the gross mental output of any people and the gross domestic product of that nation must increase. The low gross mental output of Nigeria is the bane of the nation. Pastor Chris believes that the only way to improve the mind (and therefore the mental output) is through the word of God, hence the Rhapsody of Realities devotional.

The questions might arise: why not a hospital or a school or a library? While all those are laudable and lofty projects that contribute to nation building, yet none accommodates the teeming masses of Nigeria’s massive population like a book can. Because of its diversity (being published in different Nigerian languages) and spread, potentially one in every ten Nigerians will get a copy of this book and as you well know, books do not only belong to the owner. More than any other resource, it gets passed around from sibling to sibling; parent to child; friend to friend and so on. Books never grow outdated.

Beginning from 2007, ReachOut Nigeria launched a movement that echoed J.F. Kennedy’s evergreen challenge: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” The results are already outstanding. Columnists no longer take joy in Nigeria-bashing at Independence celebrations or other national holidays. Young people are looking for ways to give back to the country and there is a genuine moral re-affirmation in our society.
God bless Nigeria!