Free Will

We have read so many theories on how Entity Nigeria was forced on us by the British colonialists. In 1914, the Southern and Northern protectorates were amalgamated for easier administration. Nigeria was conceived, as a “marriage of convenience.” Is this now becoming an inconvenient truth?

 

Two years short of a century since the perceived Contract Nigeria was signed (or imposed on us, as many would like to put it), is it not time that we accept that we are an entity and by any stretch of the imagination have achieved something? A 98-year-old marriage, I believe, can be described as a successful one, especially in these turbulent times. We really have no justification to continue undermining the unity of this nation. We should roll up our shirtsleeves and simply get on with it.

 

Every sovereign country today has its own internal struggles, mirage or reality, which militate against unity. This follows from the fact that the concept of absolute national homogeneity is almost impossible in today’s global village because language, social, ethnic, cultural and religious issues present certain challenges in the quest for national unity. However, many nations of the world have done so through equity, fairness and justice – the three unifying vehicles for national harmony.

 

Our colonial masters may have “cloned” this nation, but they did not divide us into ethnic regions. Our creation of geo-political zones has only had an effect on hampering our unity more than any other singular factor. These are merely ethnic demarcations built up on political lines. Nigeria as an entity has nevertheless survived over the years; we have Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Nupe, Ebira, Tiv, Fulani, Urhobo, Ijaw and many others ‘residing’ in Nigeria, but Nigeria is yet to be. We are not real. We are only diverse peoples occupying the land mass called Nigeria; people of the ‘Niger area’ but not Nigerians.

 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with acknowledging our differences. If anything, this could even strengthen us. Where the problem lies is when our politicians duel, in deadly fashion, with these differences in total disregard for the damage that may be caused, whenever it serves their selfish interest. This is when we act as complete strangers wary of each other except, of course, when there is personal gain to be had. This is why, after nearly a century, we have not been able to harness our potential. The real strength of a nation comes from its people. If we want to move forward, the time to start being Nigerian is now.

 

A US study predicted our disintegration in 2015. The late Libyan leader, Muammar Gadhafi, also urged us to divide along religious lines. No doubt, his ‘advice’ was premised on his ignorant view of us as a country made up of a totally “Muslim north and Christian south”. It is clear that he obviously did not understand even the changing dynamics of his own land. We should not allow this to happen here.

We must just resolve to be Nigerians. We need to find that patriotism. We all must be included. We need to be proud to call ourselves Nigerian. It begins with the parents who tell their children to embrace other ethnic groups. With the father who consents to his daughter’s marriage even though the suitor is of another land or religion and the young man who was born and has lived his whole life in a particular region being able to access all the benefits and attain all the heights that an indigene can, because he is Nigerian and belongs.

 

Changing the status quo has never been a painless adventure, but the success of this nation depends on it. Most people simply accept situations. They live life in the path that has been set for them. They are too afraid to explore any other way. The devil that they know is better than the devil that they don’t know. Sometimes we are not even aware why we do things in particular ways. It has always been done so, so we continue for that reason only. But once in a while, people come along who knock down all the obstacles that are put in our way. These people realize that free will is a gift that we will never know how to use until we fight for it.

 

This is God’s real plan for us. We should rise up as a people and fight for this right; come together as one and build our Nigeria with love and determination.

The Life Cycle

The most potent test tool for the essence of a people’s existence is their culture. The late Kenyan environmental activist Wangari Maathai referred to culture as coded wisdom in the custody of the elderly in every African community. Here in Nigeria, such wisdom, which defines what a people are, is not in short supply. In fact, I am yet to find a country with a more complete value system entrenched in the ways of life of its people than Nigeria. We are however quickly losing this as we navigate more and more to cities and lose that community spirit and respect. Nobody listens to the elderly anymore. We squander their knowledge, as we do the abundant natural resources that God has gifted us with.

The world over, it is the parents’ responsibility to care for their children. In almost all Nigerian cultures, this value system pushes that sense of duty a notch higher. It is not enough for the Nigerian parent to provide for their children, they do so with the consciousness that their children will either be a blessing or a curse to the larger community, depending on the kind of care they receive early in life. Beyond being duty-bound, our culture measures parents’ virtues by what their children turn out to be in life. This is why the single mother selling roasted corn by the roadside has children she is educating, sometimes up to university level, when her daily income is nothing to write home about. This is why fathers will sell their property, rather than watch an opportunity pass their children by, be it qualitative education or a business opportunity. They just don’t want to fail only the children but also society at large.    

Traditionally, our culture of care does not end at the parent-to-child level. In reality, care giving is a cycle whose beneficiary is interchangeable. As is expected of parents to adequately provide and care for their dependent children, so are the children bound to respect and honor their parents in their old age.  Every senior citizen is the responsibility of the younger generation, as every child is the responsibility of an adult. This reciprocal system is validated by two Nigerian proverbs. “Though one woman gives birth, the entire community cares for the child.” and “When a rabbit grows old, it sucks from its offspring’s milk.”

Unfortunately, the elderly, who are the most vulnerable in our society, have neglected the younger generation as they have drifted from home. We are already experiencing the results of a broken duty.  Senior citizens have been too readily cast aside. Their ways are outdated and of no use. We too will soon be old and will soon be experiencing the same treatment!

We are generation selfish who feel that we know it all. We forget the cycle of life and are blissfully unaware that soon, we shall not feel so strong and invincible but will have knowledge to transfer if our counsel is sought and will need a shoulder to lean on.

 There is no merit in setting up Ministries of Niger-Delta and youth development and pension commissions, etc. if the ideology and the principles, which have necessitated their creation, are not valued. They are thus set up purely as moneymaking ventures for those politicians appointed to oversee them. They cannot perform a civic duty as the corruption of the officials only feeds fat on the sweat of its citizens.

Think of a child, think of the joy that the sounds and the sight of a child bring. Think of what we learn from watching a child grow and think of the unconditional love that our children give us. What would the world be without this love?

Then think of us, able and strong with the ability to care for these children and do what ever we need to protect and nurture them.

Our parents do this for us. On life’s journey, they acquire all the skills to flourish, protect us and survive. They made mistakes on this arduous quest, and when no longer physically able, have the ability in their memory drive to guide us down the beaten track and thereby give us a formula to enable us avoid their failings and improve on their successes. They have empowered us. We should not throw away this gift and should remind ourselves of this culture, as our failure to do so will cost us dear and deprive us of that success which so desperately eludes us.                         

Reputation

There are always two sides to every coin, good and bad sides to every situation. With automobiles for instance came road accidents and carbon emissions; with the World Wide Web and smart banking came Internet fraud, “yahoo yahoo”. And now, with the social media comes a new form of crime perpetrated by cyber predators.

No situation is all bad or all good! That man-made creations come with their headaches is evidence of our fallibility. We should however not hide under our imperfections.  Nigeria is not the only nation where there is moral decay and the resultant social unrest due to the neglect of our cultural values.  Our situation is not peculiar and we cannot afford to isolate our country in this time when the world has become a global village and so many are celebrating their history and advances. It is our responsibility to choose how to be influenced, either positively or negatively.

 A reflection of the brilliance of our youth is the speed at which we learn, despite the poor situation of our schools, the erratic power supply and the poor ICT services. Nigeria has nevertheless one of the highest cybercrime rates in the world! We will always find a solution to any shortcomings that we face. Why do we more often than not choose the negative way though? What is it that makes us follow this path? Is it because that is what is mostly in the public eye, or is it because it is easier to be irresponsible in a place where the authorities are not big on consequences and do not appreciate the damage that is being done daily to the country’s reputation?

The value of a good reputation I believe is clear. It is crucial for us to build a reputation for being generally good. The character Cassio in Othello describes reputation as “the immortal part of myself” and it is certainly true that once no one suspects that you are likely to be bad, it is remarkable what we can get away with. Be consistently good and a blip in our behavior may even be overlooked! Cassio goes on to say that without reputation, “what remains is bestial”, and while this is more true for some than others, we should not allow ourselves to forget that there are always consequences and we are not animals.

Hitler managed to con a nation to rise against a sector of their people. It was amazing that a small beady-eyed dark haired fellow was the architect of the Arian race of which he was not one. He captivated a whole nation with his oratory and his propaganda and we all saw the devastating result that it had on Europe and the rest of the world. He was no doubt brilliant but channeled his energy to the dark side.

 The result was terror, theft, genocide, great suffering for all and ultimately war. Despite the great strides in inventions that he encouraged for the German nation, they only then attracted odium, isolation and destruction. They have had to work very hard to repair, reconcile and work still to ensure that this dark chapter in their history never repeats itself.

We should learn from this. There are Nigerian youths who are still socially responsible and morally upright. It is the reason why we cannot give up on Nigeria; why we all should not give up on this country. Some have decided to touch lives through the use of social media. An example is a group of young people who mobilized their ‘friends’ on Twitter, Facebook and BBM to raise over six million naira for Osarere Idiagbonya, a 28-year-old breast cancer patient. These are the Nigerian youths we need to celebrate!

In present day Nigeria where family and community have been replaced with the every-man-for-himself attitude, our youth have little guidance from the country’s leaders.  Therefore, to ensure that they focus more on the positive side of every invention, we must crave moral restoration. Society should reward good deeds and stop celebrating those who have clearly altered our collective definition of greatness. When those who stand up for justice, those who are morally upright and selfless, are portrayed as models of the society no matter their social standing, it won’t be long before we start to earn the type of reputation that should rightly be associated with Nigeria. It is only then that the governments branding of “Good people, great nation” can be realized. It can be achieved.   http://www.facebook.com