A day after our great country's
independence I decide to write you this. I want to advocate for my client
Nigeria, and plead her case before those (NIGERIANS) who had charge her to the
noble courts of COMPLAINTS (that might included you & me).
One of my teachers, Wale Salami,
said ''Nigeria does not have a problem, Nigerians do''.
Before now we would have thought
about so many things about our country, if we where to debate against the
country you can outline flawlessly so many points to convince me and others not
to live in Nigeria.
At certain points in my life, I
have also had those thoughts too. I could look and analyses every little thing
about our leaders, the national system of things, on and on and on.
Why go on when this note is not written
to address the ills we have had as a nation.
Ills do have a cure and like ours
too as a nation there is certainly a cure for every problem that we would want
to complain about. For once this Independence I sat back an begin to become
appreciative of the fact that I am a Nigerian.
A paraphrase of what Mute Efe
wrote is ''If we don't believe in a GREAT and NEW Nigeria then we do not
believe in ourselves''. How sad that can be - not believing in myself.
Friend at this stage in our
country's manhood of 52 years, we (Nigerians) need to have the mind shift that
will see us becoming what we ought to become as a nation.
We as a people in the words of
Gandhi have to be the change we want to see. A few years back in school during
one of the student elections as student representative I heard of plots and
executions of rigging of elections, this same set of persons ought to be the
future of the nation.
If so then I guess the future
will be doomed in the mishaps of today, I witness a situation where people wanted
to vote for a candidate not because he was qualified but because of sentimental
attachments that he was our friend.
But then, we want change from the
government or political office holder and to make matters worse this same
students complain about how badly the state of affairs are being governed in
the different states, country e.t.c.
I confronted one of them and
challenged him, how do you expect things to get better when at this level you
cannot gain the composure to show integrity and a sense of good values, and you
expect people to vote you in tomorrow to rule the country. And because you lack
the competence you would also bribe your way through or commit other corrupt
practices.
Do you think that way things will
get better?
Often times when youth are asked
about certain national issues they reply ''its their turn let them eat because
if I have the same opportunity to the national cake I will eat it too'', that
is the kind of stinking attitude that will not make us grow.
When we cannot maintain been on a
queue or wait for our turns to be served rather than make chaos of the
situation. When we cannot stopping cheating in any form all because we want the
easy way out. When we cannot caution ourselves so we can have the pedigree to
stand of what is right. When we cannot allow our hands to be greased with a few
coins against the mortgage of our collective future. When our fathers cannot
let our sisters be. When our lectures cannot stop the sexual harassment in our
educational institutions.
Do you think that things will get
better this way?
I have also seen change agent
dance to the tune of paid pipers and become puppets for different corrupt
motives all because of a few perks here and there and favours all for their
personal gratification
When the future of the country
begin to portray such attitudes then we are in for serious problems.
That's why we need a change of
mindset?
When we begin to demand good
governance from ourselves, then we begin to demand good governance from our
leaders because they are somebody's brother. We need to each set ourselves
straight, we need to each refrain from the greedy and pleasure that our souls
seek. We need to each stand for something that is noble and more nobler than we
are - A NEW NIGERIA. We need to give up all our selfish desires for power,
fame, quick riches by helping yourself to the nations treasury, even if this
will mean stepping on our toes.
We need to; Arise O Compatriots
and obey the call - Nigeria's call to serve our fathers land with LOVE and
STRENGTH and FAITH,.
We need to join our labours with
the labours of our HERO's past that on the grounds of TRUTH and HONESTY will
build a nation where PEACE and UNITY shall reign.
This country will be better only
because you and I decide to make it better by making ourselves better first,
without such a mindset the New NIGERIA ain't coming.
To a new NIGERIA where
FAITHFULNESS, LOYALTY and HONESTY will be our watchword.
The Plus Life | ...adding value
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| Precious |
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