Heroism, patriotism and January 15

Some analysts have always confused heroism for patriotism, especially in circumstances that border on self-sacrificing, self-effacing dispositions. Somehow, there is a thin line between the two, even though some people have chosen to look at them disproportionately. Philosophically speaking, heroism could be viewed from a moral prism and involves high-level distractions. As children, growing up, we had our heroes and heroines.

For me, my childhood hero was John Wayne, whose films aroused awe and stupefaction in me, and many of my friends. Curiously, as we grew up, our mental capacity grew as well, making us view heroism more from an intellectual standpoint. This was when, for me, I started looking at the lives of great men and women such as George Washington, Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison. Interestingly, as I studied the lives of these heroic personalities, my curiosity grew in leaps and bounds.

To capture the real or global meaning of heroism one has to look at it again from the mythological angle – connecting it to divine attributes, which result in enormous strength and ability. Some can define heroism from an individual’s perception of a person of admirable qualities and uncommon courage. There are yet others who see heroism from the perspective of individual accomplishments in research, science and the rest. Nonetheless, I find Andrew Bernstein definition of a hero quite instructive.

According to him, a hero is an individual of elevated moral stature and superior ability who pursues his goals indefatigably in the face of powerful antagonist(s). Bernstein went ahead to list four components of heroism as moral greatness, ability or prowess, action in the face of opposition, and triumph in at least a spiritual, if not a physical, form. In his assessment, moral greatness stands out. We will come back to heroism later, but let us look briefly at patriotism. What is then patriotism? It can be defined as a person’s love, devotion, loyalty to one’s nation or country or homeland. It even involves one’s disposition to defend one’s nation’s sovereignty, even at the expense of one’s life. It is an entirely natural instinctive disposition borne out of love for one’s fatherland.

The United States is what it is today, because of the patriotic attitude of its citizens to its growth and development. Now, the question: Is there any meeting-point between heroism and patriotism? Definitely, the answer each individual proffers will be divergent, depending on the thinking and orientation of that individual. In essence, people’s perception of both concepts differs in degrees of rationality. Marrying the two concepts, however, reveals an interesting pattern. And that pattern has to do with moral values and tendencies. A hero, in the concept of morality and rationality, showcases some elements of patriotism. Ordinarily, one’s deep love for one’s country can make one commit heroic acts.

This is where the great Herbert Macaulay, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello, Chukwuma Nzeogwu, JTU Aguiyi-Ironsi, Olufumilayo Ransome-Kuti, Margarate Ekpo, and other nationalists and patriots come in. These men and women at various times in the socio-political development of Nigeria played courageous roles to win independence for it and defend its sovereignty. Some of them lost their lives in the numerous struggles to keep Nigeria united. The peace, unity and development we have had so far would not have been possible without them. The history of the socio-political development of Nigeria is replete with the names of these heroes and heroines.

There are even some whose identities have not yet been known. These ones were those that worked silently – putting their lives on the line – to ensure the continued existence of Nigeria as a corporate entity. One beautiful example will suffice. During the futile third term battle of the Obasanjo regime, some politicians and civil activists mobilized and confronted the monster and subdued it at their own peril. Some of them lost their life-long investments and risked death and other forms of persecution. But these did not deter them from ensuring that the tenure elongation agenda did not pull through.

In this context, it was patriotism that drove their courage to embark on the perilous adventure, when they were fully aware of the consequences. By implication, patriotism is the major driver of heroism, while a combination of the two boosts citizenship and national consciousness. These men and women that stopped the third-term agenda monster were heroes and heroines in their own rights. And what this means is that heroes and heroines may not necessarily be dead people. Indeed, many of them are still alive today. The mutiny of January 15, 1966 led by Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu in which some prominent leaders were killed gave rise to a number of incidents that have reshaped Nigeria’s socio-political equation.

There was also a counter-coup the same year in which top military brasses such as Head of State General JTU Aguiyi-Ironsi were killed. Then followed the Nigerian/Biafra Civil War and the surrender of January 1970. It is the commemoration of these incidents and others that culminated in the Armed Forces Remembrance Day – which has become an annual national event. On January 15, the nation will mark this year’s Armed Forces Remembrance Day, which brings to the fore the sacrifices made by our forbears and others for the unity and peace of Nigeria. In their effigies, they are referred to as heroes and heroines. In my assessment of their contributions to national development they are both heroes/heroines and patriots. Their lives have remained a moral compass for us they left behind to find the way to sustainable unity, peace and advancement of our fatherland.

If what we are celebrating are the heroic acts of our forbears, then the name of the occasion does not capture its essence. By implication, what we celebrate is the lives of all those that died in any struggle –whether military or civil – to build the unity and peace we enjoy today. After all, there are thousands of our fellow citizens – victims of these struggles – languishing in poverty and penury across the country with nobody fending for them. Agreed, thousands of Nigerian soldiers and policemen were killed in the Nigerian Civil War and the various peace-keeping operations across the world, but does the celebration cover the interest of all our heroes and heroines and patriots that suffered varied degrees of persecution or death for the sake of our dear country? Definitely the answer is in the negative.

Just as there are millions of unnamed saints, so also there are millions of unknown and unsung heroes and heroines –living and dead – whose contributions led to the unity, growth and development of Nigeria. I find it very nauseating why government has not deemed it worthwhile to widen the scope of the celebration to include these unknown and unsung heroes and heroines – dead or alive. Every year we roll out drums to celebrate the brave feats of our fallen compatriots, without considering the sufferings those they left behind go through. What of those that served the country selflessly in other capacities (other than in times of belligerency) and are today abandoned, when they needed our help most? Among them are ace ex-footballers, musicians, comedians, academics, scientists, policemen, soldiers, etc.

These men and women are found all over the country in different pitiable conditions. Even the Nigerian Legion, the umbrella body that caters to the welfare of ex-servicemen and women, is overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenges facing it. More worrisome is the fact that nothing has been done to alleviate the sufferings of these men and women on a permanent or sustainable basis. What we hand out to them annually are peanuts compared to the pressing needs confronting them. One had expected the government to have established programmes that would take care of the basic needs of the dependants of the fallen compatriots, including those still alive.

There had been cases of great compatriots that died in penury. Some of them died because nobody showed them love or affection. We recall the pathetic conditions in which people such as Enebeli Elebuwa and Ashley Nwosu – both of Nollywood fame – lived and died. These national figures died because they could not afford decent medical attention. By the time help came, it was too late. Nollywood has had a harvest of deaths these past two years and the end seems very far. Are we going to fold our hands and watch these men and women perish? Does it make sense to come to the assistance of somebody in need at the point of death? There was no way Enebeli should have died if we had shown him some compassion.

There are many Enebelis out there dying in silence, yet we watch and do nothing. What does Armed Forces Remembrance Day worth when we cannot extend support to our dead or living heroes and heroines and their dependants? Giving a few millions to them (as the case maybe) annually cannot do anything for them. What they need is something sustainable and impactful. They need encouragement and recognition, love and affection, material support such as scholarships and free medical services for them and their dependants, and any other thing that will add value to their lives (for those still alive) and the families (of the dead). I prefer government scales down the scope of the celebrations and save some money for the direct upkeep of the legionnaires and their families.

Does it make sense to spend N1 billion on preparations for the Armed Forces Remembrance Day and donate N100 million later for their welfare? As far as I am concerned, the legionnaires do not necessarily need the annual bazaar organised for them. What is of utmost significance is practical solution to their existential needs. If asked, I would advise the government to conduct a thorough head-count of all our heroes and heroines – living and dead – and their dependants to ascertain their actual number, conditions under which they live, what they do to sustain themselves, state of health, and any other information that will enable it to reach useful conclusions on how to improve their welfare.

It is very detestable that we have, as a nation, not shown sufficient interest in the plight of the fallen and living heroes and heroines, yet we pretend to celebrate them every year. There is no way the blood of these innocent citizens will allow us to have peace. Peace, progress and unity can only come with justice, fairness and equality. I must not fail to acknowledge the effort of the Goodluck Jonathan administration to improve the lot of the suffering legionnaires. He has introduced a few programmes that have brought some respite to them. However, all what he has done is like a drop of water in the ocean.

Again, we need to ponder why our nation had had to fight a war to stay united. The events that preceded the 1966 coup actually accounted for the bloody civil war. The coup proper was a carry-over animosity of these sordid events. The pain in my heart today is borne out of the fact we seem not to have learnt anything and forgotten nothing. As far as I can remember, there is no significant difference between what is happening in our nation today and the events of the pre-1966.

Does any rational person need be told that Nigeria had passed through excruciating situations to get to where it is today in the comity of nations? How has the political class responded to these situations? Answers to these questions have become necessary now that we are looking for solutions to the multifarious problems besetting our nation, with a special reference to the legionnaires. We must individually and collectively offer whatever assistance we can muster to assuage their sufferings and give them hope to live. This brings us to the intractable problem of security. There is no place in Nigeria that is safe any longer: It is either infested with kidnappers or suicide bombers.

While the southern part of Nigeria is reeling from the devastating consequences of kidnapping and other forms of banditry, the north is at siege from Boko Haram and other criminal elements. From available statistics, Boko Haram has killed more people and produced more refugees than the Civil war had done, when both are relatively compared. So, the celebration of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day should be holistically reviewed to accommodate some of the critical issues raised in this piece. The era of gathering serving and retired military and policemen at the Unknown Soldier Arcade is prescient. We are in a modern age where things are done with digital precision.

We should also be seen to be moving with the times through the innovations we bring to bear on the celebration in order to achieve maximum benefits from it. I use this medium to extend my deepest condolences to all those that have lost dear ones in the numerous conflicts that had bedeviled our nation and continent. I urge us to continue to promote mutual coexistence, love of country, peace and unity among our different peoples, so that the sacrifices of our founding fathers would not be in vain.



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