This year, I have the privilege of joining millions of Nigerians around the world in commemorating our great country's national independence, which is currently beset by pains and pangs crying for help. Despite the backlash I received in 2010 when the country celebrated its 50th birthday, I was hesitant to write this article. My experiences, however, prompted me to write down my reflections.
My sin was mentioning the reasons why, amid the country's poor management, we should commemorate the 50th anniversary of our independence. And my counsel was that we should take that time to both celebrate and reflect on the nation's deplorable state. Thus find solutions to our distressing state and a renewed commitment to successfully resolve them. However, I later came to a conclusion that such chastisement would not force me into silence. Instead, now is the time for me to join the effort to save Nigeria from collapsing. The Nigerian state's soul must be rescued. On this basis, I chose to use the modern emancipation tool in what will go down in history as a peerless critique of change in our nation's history.
Famous Nigerians known as "the liberation heroes" or "the liberation generation," whose illustrative ghost we stand to celebrate, battled and brought independence to Nigeria fifty-four years ago. This monumental accomplishment served as a colossal beacon of hope for a country that had been stifled by the colonial masters' withering oppression. There was a palpable sense of relief in the air, as this was a welcome break from the dragging night of the colonial master's infringement, trespass, and misdeed. Now is the time to take command of our fate and propel ourselves into the ranks of the world's most prosperous, powerful, and desired nations. Our liberation heroes was a generation who shared a common goal, worked tirelessly to achieve it, triumphed in the race, and handed the baton to the next. Remember that it was their shared commitment to this cause, not their professions, that brought them together. They had clearly fulfilled the mandate of their generation.
A few years later, Nigeria was already seen as a rising world power. In terms of quality, our educational system is ranked sixth in the world, with our universities competing with the best in the world. The reassuring dawn has, indeed, arrived. And it seems that we're making progress on the rungs of our expectations ladder. Nigeria, too, became a lighthouse for other countries and a safe harbour for many of our regional neighbours. In the minds of all, Nigeria's name conjured up images of dignity, hope, and greatness. Our economy was in such good shape that we were able to trade $130 USD for Nigerian currency. Across the country, about thirty commercially viable mineral resources were discovered. All seemed to be going well for our nation.
After a few years, the supposedly revelation generation that obtained the baton abandoned their generation's mission. They were clearly riding in the wake of a century that had passed them by. Since they squandered their primary assignment and returned Nigeria to captivity. Today, fifty-four years later, Nigeria is now stranded on an insolvent island surrounded by abundance and opportunities.
But many years in-between the supposedly revelation generation that received the baton forgot the purpose of their generation. They evidently rode the vehicle of a dissipated generation. I refer to them as such because they wasted their purpose and brought Nigeria back into captivity. And fifty four years later, Nigeria lives on an abandoned island of insolvency in the bosom of a boundless farmland of abundance. Fifty four years later, young Nigerians are self-exiled in
other countries in frantic search of greener pastures and better chances. An
journey that has damaged our finest while enriching other countries with our
vast potential.
Fifty four years later, Nigeria is still not free and has been crippled by the bonds of insufficiency. Fifty four year later, Nigerians not only wastes away in the corners of the world but found themselves in a self-deficiency in the midst of plenty, raging with unemployment and militancy caused by this dissipated generation. Fifty four years later, health was removed out of our hospitals and education out of our schools. Fifty four years later, safety was no longer in our roads, light in our bulbs, and water in our taps. Where are those promises of the independence gone? What had happened to that joyous moment that came with the declaration of the independence? Where have we gone wrong as a nation and as a people?
We have people that inherited Nigeria with a good future but are almost leaving behind directionless nation wallowing in total despair. Now, they can’t send their children to the same school they went to or the same hospital they were born. Our once great nation is now in a ditch and sorry state. We are now mockery among nations and victims of maltreatment caused by the irresponsibility and inaction of this group. How long can we allow our nation be plunged into this chaos, our dignity been eroded and our national honour been extricated? How long do we have to sit on our hands instead of standing on our legs to place a demand for a rebranded nation?
We don’t have to watch these problems close in without stopping them. We can stop them and we must stop them. I am often disheartened to hear most of us call Nigeria a failure. This is not a Nigeria failure, it is the Nigerian failure. By that it implies that the problem is caused by Nigerians and must be salvaged by Nigerians. The hour has come for a brute intelligible revolution against the mishandling of Nigeria. We need to join forces together to rescue her from the hands of this dissipated generation in order to bestow a better nation to the upcoming generation come next fifty four years from now.
How long can we keep making formal accusations about the injurious state of the nation when we suppose to fix them? When I look at Nigeria I only see people that just explain and complain about the result but not ready to obtain the result. I see chariots of travel agents and not tour guides. People that only want to send others and never ready to take the lead. How do we keep lamenting about the problems that we were created to solve? Ours is the next generation―the Revolution Generation, and we are right in our own generation. Generation as we know is not based on age but hinged primarily on customary purpose. And to every purpose, there is a time. We have a different but unique purpose and that is seen in Jeremiah1:10; to root out, to pull down, to throw down, to build and to plant.
The relevance of Africa will only be actualized when Nigeria is catalysed. Nigeria is the Africa trigger economically and geographically. Until we practically assume that position to trigger the prosperity of Africa, nothing happens. Africa will not be free until Nigeria is successfully free. In one of the speeches of Martin Luther King Jr that I listened to, he said, that, “in the liberation of black race globally, Nigeria must take the lead.” And to reinforce this statement truism, Nelson Mandela said to one journalist shortly before his death, “that Africa nation and black community are looking onto Nigeria and we can’t afford to fail them.” He went further to say that we shouldn’t in any circumstance allow the external and internal forces against the nation plunge her into chaos.
Now I hear the voice of the nation, crying, “whom shall I send, and who will go for me, for my land is destroyed?” I have found that to this end was I born, and for this cause I came into this country, that I should bear witness to the truth of the task and to the purpose of this revolution generation. And I answered, “Here am I; send me.” The call is open for many to answer. Every one that is for this cause and was born to this end must hear the reality of this voice and the fierce urgency of this Call. On this platform, I call on all well meaning youths of the nation to come together and let us stage a Nigeria Rescue Mission Revolution. This revolution is such that will be characterized with vision, passion, strategies and nonviolence, and with intelligible application of the mission to penetrate all the corners of nation and sweep this dissipated generation off their feet. We are well able to do it and we must do it to achieve this purpose.
We are now faced with this urgent wake-up call to bring forth hope to our nation. It is time to make action our priority not just words. We have too many people with good words without good works. The worth of this assignment―the Nigeria Rescue Mission Revolution―is deeply rooted in works not necessarily in words. According Matthew 5:16, which says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.” The glory will only be given via our good works. We must therefore as a matter of urgency translate the good words into good works. Align our work with our words to find the true spirit in this call. Let our words not be disenchanted words; but words of creation, prophecy, possibility, strategy, and incorruptibility.
Nigeria today is calling mostly the youths for her true liberation from this dissipated generation. When the architects of our great nation won the independence, they signed a promissory annotation to give Nigeria a better future. It is today self-evident that this dissipated generation has neglected this promissory annotation, to such an extent as true independence is not considered. Instead of honouring this hollowed accountableness, our leaders and the waste generation alike have built a bad structure for us. But we must reject to live in this structure. I also refuse to believe that the nation is poor not to build a new national edifice of structure. We should as well reject to accept that there is little in the great depositories of possibility of this nation. And so, our dear nation is calling us for a fierce rescue mission. This rescue mission revolution will restore upon action the blessedness of true independence, the dividend of democracy and equal access to our nation’s wealth.
I have also ceased this hallowed medium to remind every passionate youth of the aggressive urgency of Now. This is no time to join in the extravagance of gentleness or to take the relaxing elixir of moderatism. But we should understand that now is the era to make factual the promises of our independence and true democracy. Now is the era to straighten up from the dark, barren and ruined valley of wasteful generation to the sunlit road of national development. The hour has come to move Nigeria from the chains of a sinking nation to the firm rock of transformation. Now is the right time to make reality of this dream. You will agree with me that it has long been overdue.
But we must be aware of and strictly adhere to the rules of this task as we embark on the selfless pursuit for its realization. As we engage in this rescue mission, we must perch on the lovesome entrance which guides into the palace of equity, integrity, honesty and decency. In the course of securing our rightful place, we must not be culpable of misdeeds. Let us not strive to fill our aspiration for a desirable nation by sipping from the chalice of wrongful deeds of this dissipated generation. We must constantly run the revolution on the soaring degree of decorum, dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative pursuit to decline into militancy and violence as we have seen in most part of our nation. In all, we must ascend to the imposing heights of using soul force and mental creativeness to assembly all youths from the grassroots and all corner of the nation to work for this purpose.
And as we engage in this pursuit, we must promise that we shall always stride forward. There will be no turning back. We must not accept to be appeased until we reach the promise land. We must not accept to be appeased as long as the poor is still a victim of the dreadful dismays of the most powerful barbarism. We must not accept to be appeased as long as there is insecurity in the nation. We must not accept to be appeased as long as we are treated with discontentment among the League of Nations. We must not accept to be appeased as long as corruption is still in high demand. We must not accept to be appeased until justice is served and our common treasury is no long looted to developed nation. We must not accept to be appeased until our education system is revamped. We must not accept to be appeased till light returns to our bulbs, health to our hospitals and immunity to our roads. We must not accept to be appeased until our nation is totally rescued, developed and can compete favourably among the best developed countries in the world. We must not accept to be appeased until virtue flows down like winds, and developmental strides around the nation like an indomitable river. Righteousness is only what can exalt a nation, Nigeria not excluded.
Also, I’m not unaware of the erroneousness of this task―the trial, persecution and tribulation that may follow. On the contrary, let us not bask in the valley of despair knowing that somehow Nigeria condition can and will be revolutionized through creativeness, persistence and diligence. And so, even though we face the impediments of today and tomorrow, let the task remain unshaken and never to be aborted. It is a call that is deeply rooted in our desires. It is a call that others―Africa and black race alike are anxiously waiting to see.
Our desires is that one day Nigeria will rise up and live out the true meaning of her ability. We should earnestly fight to reach that day when we will live in a nation where our leaders are not selected by the money they share but will be elected by the content of their character and the competence of their ability. This is my utmost desire! I believe that one day “the old wastes shall be built, the former desolations be raised, the waste cities be repaired, the desolations of many generations be completely restored.”
Let this be our hope and the faith we should anchor as we pursue this revolution mission. Let our action be faith driven as we refused to sit upon the complacency bed of wishing. True faith is knowing what the task demands and going for it believing it shall be earned. With this faith, we will be able to hack out of the mountain of hopelessness and anguish a precious stone of transformation. With this faith, we will be able to transform the dilapidated state of our nation into a country that will be likened to Eldorado. With this faith, we will pass on to the next generation a better nation. With this faith, we will have the most sought-after nation in the world as we all desire Nigeria to be.
And when that time finally arrive―may be next ten, fifteen, twenty, fifty four years from now―it will be the day our own children will unstoppably sing a song with a new meaning. And if Nigeria is to be a great nation again, this must be visibly veritable.
And when this happens, which will surely happen, your name will be inscribed in the sand of history as the people who rescued Nigeria. You will join chariots of other great people in history like Nelson Mandela, Benjamin Franklin, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and the likes of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir. Tafawa Balewa, and Obafemi Awolowo whose unwavering pursuit for true liberation secured for them a glorious future. Your name will not only be written in prints but also in people’s heart. Let’s join hands together to make this dream a reality.
Comments
Post a Comment