Arise, Oh Compatriots!
There is a common feeling and belief that Nigeria is bad and can never be good. This thought fills the mind of millions of Nigerians. To some, the hope of a new Nigeria is only an illusion, and to some others, the dream of having a better Nigeria is a delusion. However, we have failed to ask ourselves a very important question: who is the cause of this mess?
Surprisingly, we are the cause - you and I. We have wrecked our nation and we are to blame for this incessant political, economic and religious crisis ravaging us. We allowed race to disconnect us, religion to separate us, politics to divide us and wealth to classify us.
We have lost all sense of patriotism. According to Chinua Achebe, a patriot is a person who loves his country, not one who says he loves his country. He is one who cares deeply about the happiness and well-being of his country and all its people. A true patriot will always demand the highest standard of his country and accept nothing but the best for and from his people. Since we have lost our love for our dear country, prejudices, rebellion, terrorism, corruption, assassination and other like ills have become the order of the day, and the unity of Nigeria has now become more or less a puerile phantasm.
The irony of our situation in Nigeria is that we say we want change but we do not intend this change to happen. Our actions often betray our intentions. We say we don't want bad politicians, but we still collect money from them and vote them in. If a politician gives out money to mobilize thugs, he finds more than he actually paid for. If he gives out money to rig elections, he wins. Why will he not do it again and again? Because we are as bad as he is. We encourage him. We are his accomplices. We empower his depravity by allowing him to use us. We leave his conscience pure - free of guilt and condemnation. Our weaknesses will not allow us to fight them, and they will not change because they borrow strength from our weaknesses. We still relish the dividends of corrupt practices in Nigeria, and as long as the rewards still appeal to us, we cannot have sustained passion for the desired transformation.
Many Nigerians have fled the country because they felt things are not working. Nigerians in diaspora have refused to return home because they feel we have no working system. Some are even afraid to come back because they do not want to lose their lives due to the rising level of insecurity. It is true that things may not be working as they should - no good road network, epileptic power supply, muddled political process, dying educational system, abuse of fundamental human rights, poorly equipped medical centers, annoying bureaucracy in public services, and all that! We know. But we will only be cowards to run away from these challenges. If we all run away because things are not working, who would then make them work? If we refuse to come back home because the environment is not friendly, who then would transform the environment and make it habitable? Friends, it is high time we realized that Nigeria is ours to build, not to plunder and not to abandon.
Fellow compatriots, there is hope for a new Nigeria if we alter the mindset that "things will never be good" and rather think of how to make them good. Admittedly, the task of changing Nigeria is not an easy one. It requires that we jettison our primordial sentiments that reminds us of our differences and deepen the gulf of religion and ethnicity. It requires that each one of us resolves to do the right thing at all times in our little corner. We must together promote our common humanity and the strength in our diversity, while taking advantage of our rich endowment in human and natural resources. It is a tedious, turbulent, but honorable journey that begins with each of us taking one bold step.
This can be strategically achieved when we apply the principles of patriotism and ethics in our official, spiritual, political and family dealings and when we adopt the values of positive thinking and self-belief.
With united effort, sincere commitment and patriotism, we the Nigerian people can evolve a better society. Nigeria will become great, if we all do the right thing. The ultimate power to effect positive change lies with us and us alone.
If the past is lost, and the present is painfully challenging, at least, we have a future to redeem. The future is in our hands and that is all we have. We can save it or waste it. The choice is ours.
*Ezinwanne Onwuka is a speaker and writer. She writes unique and research-driven content about life, politics, religion and more.
She writes from Cross River State.
Email:ezinwanne.dominion@gmail.com
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