Nigeria at 49: A Clarion Call.

Good morning Fellow Nigerians, I am grateful to God for giving me this opportunity to be alive in Nigeria. As we celebrate our 49th independence Anniversary, so many obvious things stare at us in the face which needs to be addressed. I must confess, we must lay aside all the complaints and decide to do something drastic about our dear nation. Therefore this article, is to help us examine our selves and awaken the giants within.

The norm and custom in Nigeria is to point accusing fingers at our leaders at any slight opportunity that comes our way. It is very amusing to be amidst Newspaper readers. Once in a while, I get to listen to their comments when buying the national dailies. They rant, condemn, praise, and discredit our leaders at will. Ask anyone what he thinks is Nigeria’s problem and he will load you with a barrage of answers. Our leaders bear the brunt of all accusations, ranging from fund embezzlement, fund mismanagement, bribery, public extortion etc. These people can only be partially blamed. This is not to pass them a clean bill, but to examine the root causes of their predicament, our predicament. Leadership has not been a part of them, transparency and accountability was never in their syllabus. They were neither transparent nor accountable in their personal life. What more do you expect from a leader who possesses no leadership qualities? What you don’t have you can’t give. A man who can’t discipline his personal finance will surely squander the nation’s resources. The problem does not only lie with people. Our chief adversary is a vast eroding and decaying value system. A system where money has been used as a measure of success. The amount of money you have depicts how successful you are, even when the source is unclean. If you do not believe me at least you can take a leaf from the banking sector. The alpha bank in the nation has proved beyond doubt that our so called millionaires, billionaires and trillionaires are nothing but debtors.

Who says slavery has been abolished when an average Nigerian youth thinks he can only be called successful when he adorns himself with heavy white chains and pendant. They are there on your streets running around to audition for the next talent or reality show. All thanks to their masters who have decided to embark on leave of absence, because their working conditions are not conducive to productivity. Do you not see why we must awake?

Ours is a system where political offices are filled by selection and not election. A system where hard work is no longer respected and rewarded. Gone are the days when hard work and meritocracy serves as our guides. Today leaders are chosen based on affluence, god-fatherism and selfish motives. Political tickets are given out to the highest bidder, as if on auctions. Ask a primary school pupil his ambition and he tells you “a politician.” There is a new found understanding of what a political position can bring your way. Civil servants are called so because they are to serve the public. Corruption has eaten deep into every fabric of our national entity. By the time present government officers leave, those in secretariats nation wide will graduate. A recurring cycle of decay.

Leaders are distinct personalities and they are so because they are well principled and envisioned. Leaders are so called because they are well disciplined in certain areas of their life. No one is perfect but we must strive to achieve perfection each day. A whole lot of our leaders are doing what they know how to do best which is looting. It is quite obvious that they lobbied to get into primary school, in secondary school they bribed to be admitted, and for the few that attended Universities they cheated too. Have you forgotten the Toronto scandal? Little wonder below 25% of candidates passed the just released WAEC.
Perhaps you do not know that you have a part to play in this nation’s development and you are also to blame if anything goes wrong. I do not expect you to agree with me, but you know it with you that you dare not litter the streets of Dublin when you go there to deliver your babies. You dare not urinate beside the telephone pole in Washington DC. In fact you do not spit carelessly when in Ontario. I have not been there before, but I know you do not practise such. Lagos is a different case, Nigeria as a whole is something else. Tell me what makes it different from other countries. Should our darling Ibadan which is the 14th largest city in Africa be filth-ridden?

This is a clarion call to you as a Nigerian; must we fold our arms and look on like spectators to a duel? On this occasion of the country’s independence celebration, we must awake. Awake oh you sleeping giant of Africa. The whole black continent is looking up to you for direction. Whatever you do today determines who you become in the future. Is it not better if we start raising new leaders amongst us rather than crying over spilt milk? The so called ruling class has become a dried and bent fish, if you strain them they will crumble. Little can be done about them except for prayers. It is clear enough that the only solution to our problems in Nigeria is discipline in all aspects, whether governance, finances, moral, or spiritual etc. As a nation, all we need is a paradigm shift. A drastic change of belief that will rekindle the spirit of patriotism; individual and national discipline. If nothing is done in that aspect history may continue to repeat itself. As a parting gift, don’t forget that when you point a finger at a fellow; the other four are directed at you. A man nodding to the rhythms from the lullaby of a madman can equally be called a madman. ARE WE BETTER?