Africa; the world's second largest and most populous continent and one filled with enchanting flora and fauna, beautiful cultures and arts and a rich history dated back to the beginning of human existence. It is filled with great talents and individual qualities that mirrors its special concentration of human resources and also, blessed with an enviable presence of natural resources, both of which to a large extent have been of little effect, if not ineffective to the growth of Africa.

Egypt, generally tagged as the nation with the oldest existence of human civilization is existent in Africa. Dated back to the paleolithic times by paleoanthropologists who have seen some fossils that signifies the existence of man in Africa since times long gone.

With a population of 1.2billion people and half of which is held by youths, Africa is yet to rise as thought by individuals who now celebrate Africa as a rising continent for its mere increase in the number of people in its 'middle class' and based on its internet penetration and its increasing usage of mobile phones. Of course, Africa needs much more to rise!

If Africa must rise, some things must fall into place, especially its most resource-filled nations and its people. Africa is a continent that has 50% of its population in the "youth" stratum and this has to be richly used and to a great effect. Of Africa's over 1billion human population , Nigeria owns almost 200 million of it and this will increase further by the year 2020. If Africa must rise, Nigeria has to grow.

Nigeria is at the epicentre of Africa's growth and development, holding its highest population, two of its most populous cities in Kano and Lagos and owning arguably its economic capital in the latter. The Nigerian economy as at 2015 was the biggest in Africa and many of her influences even down to entertainment are the strongest selling points of Africa to the rest of the world. If Africa must rise, Nigeria must wake!

The blood Africa needs runs in Nigeria, it has arguably the best individuals ever to have come out of the continent; it is the continent's image to the rest of the world and in every five Africans out there, there is one Nigerian. How then will Africa rise when Nigeria has failed to rise?!

Before now, Nigeria used to be leading producers in agriculture. Now, we can't even produce favourably and comfortably toothpick in our backyards; corruption and a foiled doom in the form of petroleum boom, culprits of our generational decline in value and competence.

The highest ranking by any African team was gotten by Nigeria after the USA 94 World Cup. We were placed 5th in the world and were seen as future super powers in world football. The coming years only got us flattering to deceive and constant managerial changes, inconsistent leadership and stupid power tussles in the federation has rendered us to a typical third world country, even in football. Pele once said Nigeria will be the first African country to lift the world cup. If he still sees what prompted him to make this flattering statement then, I strongly doubt!

Many African nations are underdeveloped and are unconsciously dependent on Nigeria to take them out of their troubled waters- that's why we are tagged giants of Africa and many nations see us as their big brothers. Is corruption Nigeria's biblical porridge? Nigeria has the capacity to be very great, open up other nations and make Africa greater but selfishness and some very negative and bad blooded internal politics won't make us rise as we should.

A government goes out and another steps in and it's the same sad tale of corruption, bad leadership and careless demonstration of "i don kia" towards the people. A nation is as good as its government and a government is as good as those they govern. Nigerians must rise!

We may go carelessly around siphoning public funds and stealing futures with rapture-inviting excuses and build futures in skies and drive vehicles in the wind but as much as we are off the path, we should always remember that, if Africa must rise, Nigeria has to be at the forefront of the pursuit of Africa's long-found, hidden glory as it is its giant, historically and modernly.
God bless Africa!

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