TRUTH ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH – Abdulrazaq O Hamzat
http://mrrights.com.ng/index.php/2015/08/30/truth-alone-is-not-enough-abdulrazaq-o-hamzat/

Some years ago, a speech i delivered in a programme was titled ‘’The Truth About Nigeria’’. That paper was published on several online media platforms.

In that speech, I stated that,truth is the solution to all problems, without it, no measure works. I went ahead to state that, truth must never be substituted if we truly want to progress as a nation. This is so because, when we avoid telling the truth, that is when the nation crumbles upon itself. I pointed out further that, some people might tell half truth in some cases, but even with that, progress would be delayed, because when we avoid telling truth as it should be told, we are preventing progress as we should progress.
After observing and learning from events as they unfold in the country, it occurred to be that, truth alone is not enough. It must be accompanied with mercy and reconciliation. We must all develop the habit of having mercy with each other and being able and willing to reconcile our differences. We must not continue to live as friendly enemies, suspecting each other of certain ulterior motives every time. Rather, we must improve our relationship to that of partners, always struggling to make our relationship work better.
Lederach (1997) said- “Truth and Mercy have met together. Justice and Peace have kissed”. The above analogy by Laderach was used as themes to guide one in better understanding the components that aid long lasting reconciliation. He concluded in his finding during his workshop in the Peace Commissions in Nicaragua thus: “Without the person of truth, conflict will never be resolved. Yet, truth alone leaves us naked, vulnerable and unworthy.”

He went further that, on Mercy, images emerged of compassion, forgiveness, acceptance and a new start. Without the person of mercy, healthy relationships would not be possible. Without compassion and forgiveness, healing and restoration, would not be possible. Yet, mercy alone is superficial because it covers up too quickly. Then came the role of reconciliation.

Reconciliation is a procedure that moves us away from hatred and prejudice of the past towards building structures and procedures for establishing durable peace with adversaries once groups have entered a post-settlement phase (Ackerman, 1994). It is a process that restores broken relationships of those who have been estranged from one another by conflict to create a community again. Reconciliation begins with the restitution between the injured and the injurer, and reciprocity is essential.
Going back to my speech titled ‘’The truth about Nigeria, let me reproduce some parts of that speech so you can understand my thought on this subject better.
I took it upon myself to talk about truth, because I see it as the beginning and the ending of our challenges as a nation. Some people have opined that, inefficient leadership, corruption, unemployment and others are major problems facing Nigeria, but what I consider as the major problem holding us down is the lack of truth and sincerity.
If the leaders are truthful, they would lead truthfully, and if the followers are truthful, they would support nothing but the truth. But again, where is the truth in our leaders and even we,the followers?
Without any doubt, successive events in the country have shown that,Nigerian leaders have with time, shaped citizens reasoning to their way of thinking for easy exploitation,making it almost impossible to reason properly without a trace of sentiment and sectionalism.
99 percent of our leaders are fakes with no single trace of public consideration while in office, they only hide under the banner of North and South to deceive the populace. Since ethnicity in our part of the world has been positioned by these leaders to be seen as the only guarantor of personal security, they ride under this tent to continue their deceit to seek re-elections or appointments. No wonder their was public outcry after President Buhari made some appointments few days ago.Its all about appointments for these set of leaders.
The leaders do not tell the followers the truth, anything they say is a mere word to mislead the people. Neither are we, the followers willing to listen to truth anymore.
This ushered in a situation, where the poor are no longer truthful to the rich, neither are the rich to the poor. Men are not to women, neither are women to men. Parents not to children and neither are children to parents. We have fake pastors and Imams who mislead people in the absence of truth, business organizations, banking sector, even in our universities, a supposed center for shaping character and learning. Truth has become a scarce commodity.
Governors, Senators and even the president, all sunk in deceit and insincerity. Always suspecting each other and trying to outsmart themselves in their business of falsehood. How then do we expect peace and progress in the midst of such suspicion and insincerity?
However, we must refer to a popular quote which states that: Hurt me with the truth, never comfort me with a lie’’. If you hurt me with the truth, the bitterness of truth will eventually fade away, because according to—Arthur Schopenhauer: “Every truth passes through three stages before it is recognized. In the first, it is ridiculed, in the second, it is opposed and in the third, it is regarded as self-evident.” Therefore, the comfort we derive from lies may be desirable and sweet, but the seed of lies and deceit is sorrowful, appalling and discordant.
In essence, what we are witnessing today in Nigeria is the natural fruit of discord, which usually occur between two or more insincere partners, relating with each other deceitfully. If those who sowed the seed of deceit didn’t live to reap its fruits, surely, their offspring would unless it is corrected.’’ We must now correct our deceitful ways.
Having made the above submission few years ago, I feel the need to add that, while truth is indeed a way forward, we must combine truth with mercy and reconciliation to have a desirable effect.
From my interaction with some Nigerian youths,especially on the social media, it occurred to me that,some seems to perceive certain wrong doings against them or their tribe/region or religion. Whether this feelings are true or not, we must make deliberate effort to reconcile with their feelings and assure them of truth and sincerity.We must also show them mercy and ensure a reconciliation. If not, all their actions and thoughts would continue be shaped by their perceived imaginary conflict with enemy and this would continue to affect the nation negatively.
In conclusion, let me refer to Feldman (1991) who said,there are a number of essential components to reconciliation as a political concept, including equality, trust, acceptance,partnership,friendship, and the development of mutual interests .Yet for these components to be manifest among former enemies or perceived enemies, a significant transformation is necessary. Frost (1991, p.200) suggests that, there are two primary requirements for this transformation to take place:… the ability of people to make agreements to live reciprocally in new ways, which contrast to the ways of the past; and the freedom to enter into these agreements with integrity, setting aside, not the memory, but the continuing hostility and need for retribution associated with the memory of the painful past. We must pursue this path of reconciliation as an antidote to move Nigeria forward.

Please visit our page, we are testing the blog and need your comment. http://mrrights.com.ng/index.php/2015/08/30/truth-alone-is-not-enough-abdulrazaq-o-hamzat/

reading


The OP is not far from the truth " Nigerian leaders have with time, shaped citizens reasoning to their way of thinking for easy exploitation,making it almost impossible to reason properly without a trace of sentiment and sectionalism. "

An unfortunately my little time of NL has shown that the truth is always bent; sectionalism, tribalism and ethnicity run amok. In all I beleive Nigeria shouldn't have been one country from the start but for colonialism but here we are therefore we must forgive the issues of the past and work together for a better future and stop allowing politicians using us for their selfish needs.


This thread needs to get to FP lalasticlala.

I tot d poster above me was fast asleep,guess I assumed too much!

Huh, very long. Will read when I wake up....







[size=14pt]God Bless DaBigbroda, God Bless Nigeria...[/size]

Skymiyke:
I tot d poster above me was fast asleep,guess I assumed too much!

siddon for there, i'm sure i've seen her post at every hour of the day...

Too long. I am counting on you guys to read and comment so I'll know wtz up!

SPACE BOOKERS

doublewisdom:
Too long. I am counting on you guys to read and comment so I'll know wtz up!

thread like this dey tire me read especially on politics, nah just to book space and wait till it get to FP...

hum...where is the culture of reading?

This is less than 800 words and you cant read..what if its 3000 words? Somebody need flog you

.

Some people spent time writing long essays to pontificate when truly inside of them they know they are trying to deceive. Truth, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, restitution reconciliation, a new start,....super story...who's to do all that...and to who.

Nigeria isn't set up to succeed. Simple.

I read in the news that Chad has executed boko haram members and have banned face veils. How were there able to do that, common affinity - religion and culture. If one attempt that in Nigeria, an attempt to wipe out a people.
I also read in the news some people who choose to call themselves ss IPOB were killed today in Onitsha and they were unarmed. In a time when a child hv the freedom to denounce his father/family and go alone and astray if he chooses why should it be any body's headache that the Igbos want out. My bile always turn anytime I hear people say its unrealistic. How intolerable. Why do u care?
I write this because I can detect the cord this writer is trying to strike at.
It is a choice and theirs only to make.
...."a new start" from where? When people are tuned to what the positions of the so called founding fathers were on national issues? How this seed of discord was openly cultivated by one of them?

If ever there should be "a new start", the "truth" is that that start should reset itself to the past - true federalism.

Nigeria isn't set up to succeed? Who determines what is setup to succeed or not? You?

?

[quote author=mrrights post=37508306]TRUTH ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH – Abdulrazaq O Hamzat
http://mrrights.com.ng/index.php/2015/08/30/truth-alone-is-not-enough-abdulrazaq-o-hamzat/

Some years ago, a speech i delivered in a programme was titled ‘’The Truth About Nigeria’’. That paper was published on several online media platforms.

In that speech, I stated that,truth is the solution to all problems, without it, no measure works. I went ahead to state that, truth must never be substituted if we truly want to progress as a nation. This is so because, when we avoid telling the truth, that is when the nation crumbles upon itself. I pointed out further that, some people might tell half truth in some cases, but even with that, progress would be delayed, because when we avoid telling truth as it should be told, we are preventing progress as we should progress.
After observing and learning from events as they unfold in the country, it occurred to be that, truth alone is not enough. It must be accompanied with mercy and reconciliation. We must all develop the habit of having mercy with each other and being able and willing to reconcile our differences. We must not continue to live as friendly enemies, suspecting each other of certain ulterior motives every time. Rather, we must improve our relationship to that of partners, always struggling to make our relationship work better.
Lederach (1997) said- “Truth and Mercy have met together. Justice and Peace have kissed”. The above analogy by Laderach was used as themes to guide one in better understanding the components that aid long lasting reconciliation. He concluded in his finding during his workshop in the Peace Commissions in Nicaragua thus: “Without the person of truth, conflict will never be resolved. Yet, truth alone leaves us naked, vulnerable and unworthy.”

He went further that, on Mercy, images emerged of compassion, forgiveness, acceptance and a new start. Without the person of mercy, healthy relationships would not be possible. Without compassion and forgiveness, healing and restoration, would not be possible. Yet, mercy alone is superficial because it covers up too quickly. Then came the role of reconciliation.

Reconciliation is a procedure that moves us away from hatred and prejudice of the past towards building structures and procedures for establishing durable peace with adversaries once groups have entered a post-settlement phase (Ackerman, 1994). It is a process that restores broken relationships of those who have been estranged from one another by conflict to create a community again. Reconciliation begins with the restitution between the injured and the injurer, and reciprocity is essential.
Going back to my speech titled ‘’The truth about Nigeria, let me reproduce some parts of that speech so you can understand my thought on this subject better.
I took it upon myself to talk about truth, because I see it as the beginning and the ending of our challenges as a nation. Some people have opined that, inefficient leadership, corruption, unemployment and others are major problems facing Nigeria, but what I consider as the major problem holding us down is the lack of truth and sincerity.
If the leaders are truthful, they would lead truthfully, and if the followers are truthful, they would support nothing but the truth. But again, where is the truth in our leaders and even we,the followers?
Without any doubt, successive events in the country have shown that,Nigerian leaders have with time, shaped citizens reasoning to their way of thinking for easy exploitation,making it almost impossible to reason properly without a trace of sentiment and sectionalism.
99 percent of our leaders are fakes with no single trace of public consideration while in office, they only hide under the banner of North and South to deceive the populace. Since ethnicity in our part of the world has been positioned by these leaders to be seen as the only guarantor of personal security, they ride under this tent to continue their deceit to seek re-elections or appointments. No wonder their was public outcry after President Buhari made some appointments few days ago.Its all about appointments for these set of leaders. Quote You were writing well, but the last two sentences show how insensitive you are on our political dispensation. You don't see anything wrong with Buhari loopsided appointment as you may not see anything wrong on his 5%. Statement. Nigeria has six geopoltical zone, how does it look that more than 18 appointments given no appointment has come 2 a particular zone? Don't tell me that more lists r coming cos they key ones have been given. When there is a loopsideness in a multi ethnic country like Nigeria, people will complain without the leaders inciting them. Rise up and say the truth, stop blaming your leaders. They shd'nt control ur thought. We are always conscious of the truth wether we like it or not.

Brother,we have always given every zone appointment,yet we have always cried of marginalization. We must solve the problem with good governance.

Good then

.