NIGERIA AND I- Abah Joseph Idenyi

Nigeria is the responsibility of every Nigerian, having this in mind, Nigeria at large will be liberated from its current state of corruption and mass poverty, but neglecting this very fact, we will be inevitably drowned in the ocean of mass misery. The problem with the country today is that every one feels less concerned, and the believe that every easy way is the way out, no one wants to carry the cross but every one wants to wear the crown, forgetting the old saying which says that “no cross, no crown” remember that gold must pass through the crucibles of fire before it begins to glitter. No man wants to sow but every man wants to reap; the question still remains “the fruit of whose labour?”
 

St. Paul says “let he who refuses to work not eat” every man is looking at the government to alleviate poverty but forgetting the fact that  each citizen is part of the government, we are currently practicing a system of government called democracy which is the government of the people, by the people and for the people. This is to say that every individual is responsible for the government of this country; the few selected government officials are better called representatives of our state rather than leaders, we collectively have the right to give them charge over those offices and we as well can collectively tell them when the time is due, that is the power democracy gives us. If we say that the government is corrupt then we are not an exception because we constitute the most important part of a state or federal government. We are currently practicing a system known as government of the people, by the people and for the people, that is to say that everything done is done by the people, everything done is done for the people and the government in general is that of the people. Many know this very definition of democracy but are not aware of the message it has to pass across, a country as blessed as Nigeria should not for any reason be drowned in this ocean of abject and dismal poverty. If Nigeria is corrupt then every single individual in the country has a part to play whether you accept it or not, the funny thing is “we are the perpetrator of the act and yet we are the ones that are grossly affected by the act”.

          I employ the words of the former president of the united state of America (J.F Kennedy) and edit it thus “ask not what your country can do for you… ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world… ask not what Nigeria will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man” if we have this in mind then the world would definitely be a better place for the human race.

As citizens of this country, we have series of obligations and promises which we keep on renewing on daily bases but yet we fail to fulfill. Everyday we go on reciting the national anthem and the national pledge which is our national heritage. We keep renewing the promises, promising to uphold unity and also to serve the country, our fatherland with power and might. We recite this on daily bases but have not taken time to meditate upon the lyrics of the anthem.  Let us make an individual declaration to take the country to a greater height, let’s stop waiting upon the government to lend us help because the help may never come, many waited for this and yet they never saw it till they joined the choir in the great beyond. Our case is a different one because we have heard the message, and the only thing we need is the determination because ambition without determination they say, has no destination. There is no better time to start than now. Together there is little or nothing we cannot achieve in this very planet of multi diversity.

          To shoot up the flag of this nation, we must learn now more than ever to get united because unity is the spicy that makes peace, let’s collectively neglect those features that separate, let us start anew to ponder upon those features, those inheritance that unite and bring us together. United we stand and divided we fall! Let’s enjoy the spicy the name (Nigeria) gives, let’s learn to be our own brother’s keepers, lets stand together to defend our nation, say no to killings, say no to corruption, stand in defense of our national inheritance and heritage, by doing this, we are granting life to our generation and the generations yet to come. Unity in diversity!!!

          Until we all realize that Nigeria is our own property and that we all need to look after it jealously, until then, the country remains in its current state of gross poverty and corruption. The many Nigerians who have fled the country in the past in search of a more promising future never made it back alive, we have the human resources, we have the mineral resources, we have youths with great vigour and enthusiasm, yet we still beg for food and depend on other countries around the world, what is then the problem? Who is to blame? Who is to be questioned? And who is man enough to ask these questions? We have series of answers to give and our government officials should have something to say as well. Life is a two edged sword but one end is sharper, we are all in the same picture, the difference is that we all have different poses. The question still remains: who is to blame for this corruption in an incorrupt state? Who is to blame for the poverty of this wealthy nation? Who is to blame for this hunger in a well fed nation? Is it the government or the masses? Many wouldn’t wait to read through the question before giving the answer. The greater majority would definitely blame the government but the bitter truth is that both parties have a part to play whether they choose to accept it or not and until we accept this truth and work against our wrongdoings, nothing will change. Change they say is the only thing that remains constant in life; some things may change but away from the positive and towards the negative end, which means retardation. Many wait till they become a government official before they start living the change, forgetting that habit grows with man, a corrupt citizen would definitely make a corrupt leader, a great mind once said that the problem with Nigeria is that we have corrupt citizens and this citizens has grown to be our leaders, and therefore we have corrupt leaders, lets live a legacy behind that will in turn live our names in the fingertips of history. The right hand washes the right hand and the left in turn washes the right “the reciprocity of life” Ask yourself a very tactical question and take minutes to meditate upon the answer you give “what happens to Nigeria if you are made to take charge of it?” some would speedily give the answer but the message is “your today determines your tomorrow”, “live your life as if today is the end time.” Those things you wish to achieve as a leader, practice them in the little ways you can. Lay good examples and forget about who and who is not watching, kick against corruption anywhere you find yourself, stand for unity, you don’t need to be in the government house to do this, make the decision to live the life of patriotism, “charity the say begins at home”. It is not easy to practice but with determination, success is not doubted. Let’s make Nigeria a better place for our generation and the generations yet to come. Change they say starts with the man in the mirror!!!

          Furthermore, don’t give thoughts to violence, promote peace. Peace fathers unity and violence fathers national anomie and agony. Robert Green in his work titled 48 laws of power states thus “woe to the statesman who goes to war without the same reason that would still be valid even when the war is over” think twice before you take actions, Bishop Eneje of blessed memory says “think before you act, and after acting, don’t think again” now more than ever, we ought to be matured and disciplined to a standard, moreover a man that loves peace lives as long as the planet, and when finally he dies, he dies peacefully. Peace gives life, peace brings joy and harmony, peace gives hope, peace promotes development, peace gives wealth and peace is wealth. It promotes national unity; it gives the children hope of a better tomorrow.

          This is therefore a call, employing once again the words of J.F Kennedy “now the trumpet summons us again… not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need… not as a call to battle… though embattled we are… but as a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle… year in year out, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation… a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny… poverty… disease… and war itself. Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance… north and south… east and west… that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that history effort?” the decision is to be taken now!!!