OURS TO CHANGE

Sometimes in 2019 I wrote and published a piece titled “Ours to change” against the 2019 general election; inferring from the current unfolding of events in our nation, I am left with no option than to retouch this piece and share it again as it carries some nuggets that will guide us as we commemorate the 2021 democracy day. However, the burden I have is heavier than this single piece; hence I will try to capture that which is relevant for the season – June 12th.

Our Current Reality 

"NEXT LEVEL”, “LETS GET NIGERIA WORKING AGAIN”; I know these two slogans strike a chord in your faculty of reasoning. However, do they in any way provoke nostalgic and saddening thoughts in your mind? Can you say with a significant degree of certitude that you are comfortable with the pragmatic connotative and denotative meaning of these words? As long as these words are concerned, the questions can go on and on in the quest of finding constructive, society-oriented and definite answers.

For the past two years of the second tenure of the current administration, politics and governance in Nigeria have been dominated by the aforementioned set of words, though right and correct in themselves but wrongly advertised, publicized and used by men and women with good wishes but bad motives and intentions for us as a nation; quite unfortunate, wishes weigh ounces while motives and intentions weigh tons. However, it would be a costly assumption to push the blame to the people we now call politicians, as all of us have our fair share of the blame as citizens. Thus it is imperative that we redefine democracy and what we as citizens have to bring to the table even as we celebrate Nigerian democracy day.

Democracy in its real sense as a system of government entails the free and equal representation of people, where leaders are elected freely and equally by citizens. With this comes different political parties that every election year will in consensus come up with a candidate of their choice to campaign for the votes of the citizens. These political parties often come with slogans or mottos that ought to guide every little detail of their administration. Hence at the moment, Nigeria is at the mercy of the change/next level government of the All Progressive Congress.

Nigerian politicians with the utmost sense of humility, respect and sensibility, I can say have over the years failed Nigerians. I don’t mean to be prejudicial toward politicians here but I intend to open up the wound of our dear nation that hitherto has been shrewdly closed so that wholesome and people-oriented healing can take place. However, this healing will not take place when you and I as citizens do not rise to take a stand and be responsible. Revolution begins with us; we sure need to take a stand as we voice out our grievances against the government that is careless and care less about our pains as citizens.

The Way Out

Our problems as a nation do not only consist of politicians or leadership, the bad structure of governance, dysfunctional education system, bribery and corruption and the rest of the popular ones we all know; it will surprise you to know that our problems go deeper than these. You don’t kill a tree by cutting its leaves or branches but by killing it from the roots. True, if we must tackle the different problems bedevilling this nation, we have to go back to base, only then can we truly experience an upsurge of change within and without.

Dear Nigerians, as we commemorate this democracy day, we should remember that this nation is not only the responsibility of any political party or administration to change, but it is solely ours to change. Change begins with us as individuals; we must come to internalize true change as a way of life, and true change is a transformation by the renewing of the mind which can only be done by God Himself, only then can we become agents that can move for true change in Nigeria starting with our Families, Communities, Local Government Areas, States and the Nation at large. 

Succinctly, as citizens, we carry in us the power to change almost anything detrimental to our dear nation; it starts with us redefining our values, being citizens of true integrity in every little detail of our lives and in turn relates same to all irrespective of age, religion and socio-political position in the society. With this firmly rooted, we can now protest regardless of opposition to demand for what is due us - good leadership.

With deep pain in my heart as a patriotic citizen of Nigeria, I will like to stress that Nigeria is bigger than any political party, or coalition of parties. Unless we come to understand this and put Nigeria first, moving forward toward registering our name and presence in the gathering of international communities will elude us. Hence, as we go out to protest peacefully in our way, we should do so with the next generation in mind, less we get bought over for mundane transient and selfish benefits, thereby mortgaging the future. Could this be why most of our protests do not yield much fruit and get hijacked? Case study of the 2020 #ENDSARS PROTEST.

It is high time we quit whining about our ugly situation as a nation and begin to be the change we want to see in the country. Yes we might not be able to do it all at once, but if we all will rise to do the right thing even in the most informal little things, change will ripple throughout this nation. It begins with you in your little personal corner, in your family, your neighbourhood, your place of worship, your working place and your community at large. True change is ours to experience. We should all remember that whatever we permit as a nation will persist.

Now to the Youths

If the way forward is protest, by all means we should do so with singleness of purpose, with a deep conviction that if need be, we are ready to die for the sake of this nation and the future. If it will mean us becoming mavericks, heretics and rebels for all the right reasons so be it. We are all we have.

As the hope of this nation, time and space have brought us to a dispensation where we must turn back and look how far we have come. True, the road hasn’t been easy, but it is filled with diverse yet equally important and instructive signposts of where we ought to go from here. Why sit we here till we die when there is much we can do? Why folding our arms when we carry in our hands the needful tools of rebuilding this nation? Why withdrawing into the cocoon of passive youthfulness when we have the active explorative power, prowess and knowledge of making this nation enviable? Why keeping silent when the destiny of this nation lies in our creative tongues and on our resourceful shoulders? Congruent with the hymn writer, I will humbly say with a deep sense of responsibility that let none hear you idly saying, there is nothing I can do.