From Rhetorics To Action!

Posted by: Keji Ogunbanjo on: October 13, 2009

• In: Inspirational | Nigeria | Reflection
• 1 Comment

It was Independence Day sometime last week precisely on the 1st of October. A day that usually starts with people tuning in their television and radio sets to listen to the live broadcast of the President to ‘fellow Nigerians’,a day that the dress code changes for the mean time to people wearing a mix of green or white or both combinations in their attire just to commemorate the day,a day that speeches are being read, the drums are rolled out, School children do the march past and the stadium is agog with colorful activities marking this day and yet for some people it’s just a day like any other with no reason to celebrate, a day that will come and go with no consciousness of Patriotism written on the minds of our hearts perhaps because people have tried to be patriotic in times past but the systems that could and should sustain it are not in place…Well maybe perhaps Independence Day is just another day not to go to work (at least another day to rest) because in deed and in truth we are not truly free so what exactly are we celebrating? I wonder,  I just wonder…

Our Great Nation Nigeria is 49years after gaining independence. I guess that’s not the news…Going by the way the day was celebrated, it is very obvious that Nigerians are visibly agitated and are just plain tired and frustrated. When asked a good number of people who tuned in to listen to the President’s speech, I got answers in the negative. Isn’t it sad that Nigerians are no longer interested in what The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has to say concerning the direction of the country? Isn’t it a shame that the words of our leaders past and present have over the years lacked credibility and integrity? Speeches made in times past have just been mere words promising everything but doing nothing…Nothing to rescue the nation from its sickly state so much so that the one called the ‘Giant of Africa’ is still struggling behind nations that have far less resources but have leaders who are running with a vision for their country. That we are still groping in the dark and have not gotten clear cut direction and strategies on how to begin to rescue the state of the nation leaves much to be desired talk less of rolling out the drums to celebrate…Phew!

Actually I’m not here to condemn Nigeria and Nigerians. I agree that Nigeria may have sold its birthright to other nations and is probably oblivious to the fact because one wonders why and how a nation with so much human and material resources lags behind “lesser nations” with not as much but are doing quite well e.g Ghana I guess we all know that. I know that many Nigerians have left the shores of this country to other distant shores and who have brought great changes to those countries in terms of intellectual capital and are who are consistently adding value to those countries, I know Nigeria commands a lot respect because of the size of its population and has become a stop for investors seeking business opportunities from around the world but we are still being ripped off in the outcomes of these mega business deals; I also know that God definitely has a plan for Nigeria…There may not be many things fundamentally wrong with this nation but as a people there are many things fundamentally wrong… But still…

I see a time when this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed; That we shall be truly free from what has held us bound in our minds and in our thoughts and in our actions, that we shall awake from our slumber and begin to do what we have always known how to do to make a country great, that truly the labour of our heroes past shall not be in vain, that one day this nation will value the lives of the citizenry , a country worth dying for, that our country will be built once  more on its true values of freedom, justice, love, honesty,  peace and unity,that the true leaders of this nation will emerge from their various cocoons and rise up to take responsibility to steer this country to greatness once again…

I see the dawn of a new era in our great country where there shall be meat and drink available to all at unbelieveably low prices; I see a time when the essence of education shall be returned to our schools and students can afford to go to schools for their right to education, a Nigeria where Nigrians shall be able to speak out for their rights and their right to be heard, a Nigeria that will become soon enough the most desireable nation to live on earth!

Sounds farfetched? sounds like the same old rhetorics without action? Sounds impossible, unbelieveable, unachieveable? One thing I know is this it may sound like a whole lot of familiar things but what will sound and will be unforgiveable is after having witnessed and gone through so much as a nation, we as a people sit back and do nothing about the situation, about our leaders, about ourselves…Then we may as well not point accusing fingers at anyone but ourselves for allowing ourselves become sitting ducks while we allow people who are not as intelligent and without as much qualifications and skill govern us.

This country is bounded by freedom and free men we are and free men we shall be!

Tags: Independence, Nigeria, Responsiblity, The Future, Values