WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

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A pledge is a very serious promise. When we make a pledge we are saying we will do everything we can to make sure we do what we have said we would do. So lets look at the Nigerian pledge in a bit more detail:

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I pledge to Nigeria my country 

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The pledge is a promise to someone else. The first line here makes it clear that the pledge is being made to Nigeria.

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to be faithful loyal and honest 

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When we pledge to faithful to Nigeria and to be loyal and to be honest, we are pledging to be all of those things to the best of our abilities, to be all these great things not just for ourselves and those who love us, but also for our country.

 

to serve Nigeria with all my strength

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We promise when we say the pledge to serve Nigeria. Serving Nigeria means different things for all of us, it might mean being the best we can be at work, at school, at a sport, or at charity, but what we promise every time we say the pledge is to do whatever we do with all our strength, so that in our own little way we can serve Nigeria.

 

to defend her unity

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We promise to defend Nigeria's unity. For some people in the armed forces this can me going physically somewhere to do a job defending Nigeria's peace. For all of us everyday this means appreciating all the different types of people, the very different places and cultures that make up Nigeria. When we appreciate our differences and we even celebrate how different and diverse we are, we are holding up that promise to defend Nigeria's unity.

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and uphold her honour and glory

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When we pledge to uphold Nigeria's honour and glory, that is another job we can do everyday. Simply by being the best we can be, the kindest we can be, the hardest working we can be, so that when people see the great job we are doing, we make Nigeria and Nigerians look just that little bit more awesome. 

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so help me God.

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The pledge ends asking God for help, because it isn't just a promise to do all these things, but  our pledge to Nigeria is also a very serious oath. So we end with a prayer for God to come in and help us get it  right!

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