Being Ordinary

A lot has been written and spoken for and against the Nigerian Merit Awards. Why are we so obsessed with titles and where are our heroes? We are not content to do our work with passion and commitment and are not satisfied until we have a few letters before and after our names. As long as this excessive crave for marks of distinction continues, National Merit Award medals will continue to dangle on the necks of many undeserving recipients.  

Well, maybe we should at least credit the federal government for managing to contain the ‘rejection syndrome’ that has been a major talking point in previous ceremonies.  It has been achieved by ensuring that would-be recipients are compelled to respond before the list comes out to save the government from “avoidable” embarrassment. Who would want to be seen standing on the same podium as some of these our oh so unsavory characters. This year however we have been consoled by the fact that the list was pruned down from last year’s, and the Para Olympians who brought glory to the nation by winning gold at the London Paralympics were honored. The fact still remains that the credibility of the awards has not improved.

Where do we get our leaders? We cannot even compare their situation with the Sir Jimmy Savile case in UK. A great celebrity famous for making especially children’s dreams come true with his weekly program Jim’ll Fix It and his charitable organizations. He did a lot of good!

It turns out that he was a pedophile and sex fiend and his corruption was covered up by elements in his industry. He was all but given a state funeral but his crimes have caught up with him even in death when he cannot defend himself. A sad end. We just cover up with a bit of cash and it is hushed up but is it?

            

It is only Nigerian politicians who carry the honorary doctorates conferred on them by institutions of higher learning as titles. Their jostle for such awards upped their demand while cheapening them at the same time. Add that to their political titles – Excellency, Right Honorable, Most Distinguished, etc – and you have phrases of titles longer than their real names. In fact we dare not call them by their names. They are our Lords Spiritual and Temporal, Our Excellencies Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary! Na wah O! I sure se most Naija no even know what this means eh?!

Yet, it was in Japanese writer Yukio Mishima’s prose, Thirst for love (translated to English by Alfred H. Marks), that Kensuke said to his wife, Chieko: “The highest point at which human life and art meet is the ordinary. To look down on ordinary things is to despise what you can’t have. Show me a man who is afraid of being ordinary, and I’ll show you a man who is not yet a man.”

 It takes ordinary people to do extraordinary things. It takes extraordinary Nigerians to travel our tortuous roads and deal with the light and water situation here. It takes extraordinary Nigerians to give birth to children in poorly equipped hospitals, and raise them in a country where infant and maternal mortality rates are some of the highest in the world; it takes extraordinary Nigerians to keep vigil at fuel stations in one of the world’s largest oil-producing countries. It takes extraordinary Nigerian youth to navigate this abyss and still come out on top on the world stage. It is amazing that our leaders think that it is ok to travel in first class and get all these services in other countries. I suppose that it is ok for them as the visa process is not an issue. They are titled and have protocol. Big man no de queue!

 Arguably the most famous Nigerian is our music legend Fela. He gave the world Afro beat and his lyrics all ring true even today long after he has left us. He was also a political activist and died doing his thing here in Nigeria amongst his people. Where are his awards? Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, I could go on and on.

   

This nation can only reach the highest point of development when we start to appreciate the genius of our ordinary extraordinary people. We have many recipients of international awards, why not here? We should appreciate what these truly extraordinary Nigerians do in promoting us and use them as role models and hope for our nation.