NIGERIA @ 56: ALL ABOUT PERSPECTIVE

The true story of Nigeria cannot be told without making reference to the year 1914 that marked a turning point in our life as a country- the year Nigeria was born. In simple terms, it was the year Lord Lugard must have thought to himself, “What do I do for my name to be written in the sands of time and be forever etched in the memories of these people whom I govern. Oh! Let’s see. I would join the Northern and Southern protectorates together. That would surely please Her Majesty as it would make for easy administration. My life would be so much happier only if Flora would not stay mad at me. Wait. I can kill two birds with a stone. If I give Flora the privilege of naming this new entity, she surely would have no choice but to dispose of her anger and love me forever.”
Never mind that he was joining two protectorates consisting of people with diverse languages, religious practices, beliefs, customs, traditions and values. He must have thought to himself that with time, we would eventually sort ourselves out. From that year, Nigerians squabbled and fought against each other but on October 1st, 1960, something astonishing happened. The joy of being finally rid of their colonial masters made the Yoruba man forget that he had a quarrel with the Igbo man. The Igbo man forgot that he had vowed never to speak to his Hausa neighbor. For just once, they all stood side by side united in one voice and heart to sing, ‘Nigeria we hail thee!’ Soon, the euphoria of independence wore off as well as the spirit of brotherhood it brought with it. The Ijaw man remembered that he did not speak the same language as the Fulani woman who lived across his street. Each went his own way, mind filled with prejudice, forgetting the part, ‘Though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand’ in the song they sang.
56 years later, we still have not sorted ourselves out. We still see the British as the source of our problems. We lament that the British applied the divide and rule approach with colonialism but isn’t that what we are doing now? We need to stop seeing one another as Yoruba, Igbo or Hausa and start seeing ourselves as Nigerians.
Albert Einstein said that insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result. For decades, we have complained and moaned about how inept our leaders are, how corruption is the bane of our existence and how it threatens to destroy the vestiges of our democracy. What has that earned us? Nothing but sore throats and cracked voices.
It is high time we adopt a new strategy. Instead of complaining, let us act. Instead of destroying one another’s reputation, let us channel that energy into building our nation. Instead of grumbling about everything that is wrong, let us start doing everything right. Let us pull down the walls of tribalism and the towers of nepotism. If you think something is not as it should be, then come up with a solution and apply it. Stop cursing your leaders. It is tantamount to shooting yourself in the foot. It would affect them, in turn, your country and in the long run, you. Instead, pray for your country. Change begins with you so be the change you wish to see in the world.
As we celebrate our independence, let us see our current challenges not as problems that make us a failed state but as opportunities for us to be better. Remember, the glass can be viewed as half-empty or half-full. It all depends on your perspective.

#Happy Independence

#Change begins with you

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