I live on a street in one of those developing areas in Lagos. The roads are unimaginable with pot holes the size of craters. During the rainy season the roads become impassable; we live at the very end of the street so by the time we get to our house we would have navigated 30 different potholes of varying sizes. Trust me. I count. Sometimes, some misguided but well- meaning resident will pour concrete boulders and all types of items on the road just to fill it. This usually makes it worse because the car is constantly bouncing, the galloping is incredible and cars are constantly getting stuck. I know with this brief description I just described half of the roads in Lagos state. My story isn't finished yet though. The crux of the story is that we recently got a new resident and this man who lives on one of the side streets off the main road has placed interlocking blocks all the way down his long stretch of road (about 1km) and is in the process of putting these interlocking blocks on the opposite side road to his road. I was flabbergasted. I was impressed. There are so many other residents criticising his actions, describing it as not well planned (due to lack of gutters), deriding the use of interlocking blocks (which according to them are already weakening) etc. I agree that in repairing a road a more thorough evaluation is called for but nonetheless I still applaud his efforts. I was humbled when I saw the work being done by 1 man in an estate of more than 300 families over a problem that has been in existence for more than 15 years!

Although I realize that his motivation to repair the road was less altruistic and probably more self- serving. The goal is still the same, in some minute way he has transformed the face of the estate which is a microcosm directly and indirectly of our country Nigeria. In Nigeria we are all talkers but very few are doers. This man is a doer. He decided he was not going to wait for the largesse of a government that is unsympathetic and unaware of the plight of its citizens. He took matters into his own hands and with mostly successful results too. Now I realise, and herein lies the meat of my opinion, that Nigerians just talkers, who shirk our citizenry and patriotic duties and responsibilities, everything about being a Nigerian is someone else's duty, and another's responsibility. I was guilty of that myself until I heard about THAT MAN that single-handedly repaired his road.

His story got me thinking about the laissez-faire attitude of most Nigerians, myself included. Whether its the rate of armed robberies, kidnappings, road traffic accidents due to bad roads, cars, trailers and illiterate drivers, the story is always the same. 'God dey' is an often used and abused phrase of most Nigerians accompanied by a weary shrug, hiss or shake of the head. I am utterly convinced that our leaders know this hence they continually treat us like fools. It is commonly said 'fool a person once, shame on you; fool them twice, shame on them'. Shame on us Nigerians! We watch our politicians tear apart our country for their own selfish ends and we let them. The truth is the love that we Nigerians should feel for our country can never be replicated by going to another country and as they say 'east or west, home is the best'.

I didn't write this with righteous indignation and a pen spitting fire and brimstone ink or with a holier than thou attitude. I just write with a heavy heart because the kind of freedom we crave and need in Nigeria comes with a hefty price tag. The question is are we willing to pay? Voltaire sums it up by saying 'man is only free at the moment he wishes it'. Are we willing to love our country a little bit more at cost to ourselves even when the government is so determined to make us hate it? Patriotism is a choice, it is a lifestyle change to love our country by standing up for it when things go wrong, accepting our faults and shortcomings, trying to make it better instead of heaping the blame on anywhere else apart from ourselves. The most famous quote on love 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says ' Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast,it is not proud. It does not dishonour others,it is not self-seeking,it is not easily angered,it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects,always trusts, always hopes,always perseveres. Nigerian Christian or Muslim, this is the definition of patriotism for one's country. It cannot be delegated but can only be shared.

Patriotism...whose responsibility? Ours.

Beautiful write-up and I absolutely admire your pencraft. Keep it up!!

However, Malcolm X has a few quotes for you:

You're not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who says(does) it.

Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a (wo)man, you take it.

I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it's for or against.

Hmmmm. Trully Challenging a write-up. !

Thumbs up OP.


....BUT HOWEVER , I tend to be symphatetic with Shymexx's point of view also.

I also believe one shouldn't be blind to Patriotism, especially in this entity called Nigeria !

I don't consider his actions patriotic at all. Patriotism, in this case, would be him standing up to the gov't in his country - because it has failed to meet the best interests of the people, for one reason or another. A patriotic action would be him giving voice to the damaged roads and doing so nationally, raising more awareness on the issue, gathering supporters {and if this fails, still continuing the quest himself}. Patriotism here would mean bringing about change for everyone and not just repairing the potholes on the two roads closest to him only. If he wants to start small; with the local roads, it would still entail being vocal about the issue, not taking it upon himself to fix the roads nearby only. His approach is actually ineffective and counter-productive. Selfish too. He didn't consult with the other residents to get their opinions or give them the chance to throw in their suggestions. As you've said, some of them are complaining because his idea wasn't well-planned and the repair method used isn't the best, as the interlocking blocks aren't getting the job done. If he had communicated with them and not a single person, out of the 300 people in the estate wanted to either take a stand with him to raise awareness on the damaged roads or to even work together {although I would find this hard to believe} on how to successfully fix them, then I can understand him resorting to this. It's great he took the initiative to act, but this isn't the best way to bring about the necessary changes to the roads.

Teamwork:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQoeBUKZQBg

Yield: I don't consider his actions patriotic at all. Patriotism, in this case, would be him standing up to the gov't in his country - because it has failed to meet the best interests of the people, for one reason or another. A patriotic action would be him giving voice to the damaged roads and doing so nationally, raising more awareness on the issue, gathering supporters {and if this fails, still continuing the quest himself}. Patriotism here would mean bringing about change for everyone and not just repairing the potholes on the two roads closest to him only. If he wants to start small; with the local roads, it would still entail being vocal about the issue, not taking it upon himself to fix the roads nearby only. His approach is actually ineffective and counter-productive. Selfish too. He didn't consult with the other residents to get their opinions or give them the chance to throw in their suggestions. As you've said, some of them are complaining because his idea wasn't well-planned and the repair method used isn't the best, as the interlocking blocks aren't getting the job done. If he had communicated with them and not a single person, out of the 300 people in the estate wanted to either take a stand with him to raise awareness on the damaged roads or to even work together {although I would find these hard to believe} on how to successfully fix them, then I can understand him resorting to this. It's great he took the initiative to act, but this isn't the best way to bring about the necessary changes to the roads.

I somewhat agree with what you said. However, in a country like Nigeria, where the people are innately docile and the mentality is non-chalant, he would end up as a "lone ranger" fighting an unwinnable battle, by trying to get others involved or creating awareness.

I guess he understands the mindset of the people, hence why he decided to "take the bull by the horns" and do it by himself.

It kind of goes both ways.

shymexx:

I somewhat agree with what you said. However, in a country like Nigeria, where the people are innately docile and the mentality is non-chalant, he would end up as a "lone ranger" fighting an unwinnable battle, by trying to get others involved or creating awareness.

I guess he understands the mindset of the people, hence why he decided to "take the bull by the horns" and do it by himself.

It kind of goes both ways.

There's no such thing as being "innately docile". Are you being being sarcastic? I do see where you're coming from in terms of Nigerians not being doers, but I don't think Nigerians are docile at all. If we were docile, there wouldn't be a lot of crime in the country -because obedience to the law would be a priority and the 'one man to his own" ideology many have wouldn't exist. Rather than Nigerians being [innately] docile, we have simply become negligent to the things we should be fighting for and when we do stand, they're usually for the not-so-important things; misplaced priorities.

Him doing it by himself because he assumes he knows how they would act doesn't help break the cycle of people being docile (your word) or negiligent. He never gave them the benefit of the doubt nor the chance to contribute, so merely assuming and going ahead to do it by himself is just as destructive as people doing nothing at all.


nm

Yield:
There's no such thing as being "innately docile". Are you being being sarcastic? I do see where you're coming from in terms of Nigerians not being doers, but I don't think Nigerians are docile at all. If we were docile, there wouldn't be a lot of crime in the country -because obedience to the law would be a priority and the 'one man to his own" ideology many have wouldn't exist. Rather than Nigerians being [innately] docile, we have simply become negligent to the things we should be fighting for and when we do stand, they're usually for the not-so-important things; misplaced priorities.

Him doing it by himself because he assumes he knows how they would act doesn't help break the cycle of people being docile (your word) or negiligent. He never gave them the benefit of the doubt nor the chance to contribute, so merely assuming and going ahead to do it by himself is just as destructive as people doing nothing at all.

[size=1pt]You good? [/size]

Based on comparative analysis with other people, using percentiles, and how the average Nigerian would never want to "rock the boat" wherever he/she may find himself/herself in the world. Rather, the average Nigerian would leave the status quo the way it's and find a way to survive within it. Using this as a premise, would you agree with me that the average Nigerian is "innately docile?"

You cited "crime" and that kind of added credence to my assertion. Crime signifies finding a way to survive within the status quo, due to human survival instinct - rather than finding a way to change it and asking for rightful entitlement(s). Also, when people become negligent for too long - then docility would start creeping in. I guess that's the story of the average Nigerian. I'm Nigerian as well and I know most Nigerians prefer being in their "comfort zone" and hoping for a miracle, as long as they can get by - regardless of how dire it's.

Finally, I would say him taking the initiative shows he's ready for a change. And if the rest care, the way he cares, they would've joined him and asked for ways to help or look for ways to form a solid group, that would be able to question those responsible for fixing the road. However, I bet most of them would just drive-past him and ignore all his efforts.

[size=2pt]dgggggg[/size].

lolz.

No ethnic beef? certainly not my type of thread.
I'm out... Lest i forget, @ OP i do admire your choice of lexis... So on point!

Nnewi1stSon: [b]No ethnic beef? certainly not my type of thread.
I'm out... Lest i forget, @ OP i do admire your choice of lexis... So on point!

Ethnic beef? Mcheew. You're right, this isn't your type of thread if you're looking for a fight.
I don't fight people on the internet (and not irl either), sorry to burst your bubble.

Yield:
Ethnic beef? Mcheew. You're right, this isn't your type of thread if you're looking for a fight.
I don't fight people on the internet (and not irl either), sorry to burst your bubble.

onye nkea osino ani? , abeg aunty park well jor, i dont recall mentioning or quoting you, why did u suddenly go haywire?




Or have u been on the cider lately?

Nnewi1stSon: onye nkea osino ani? , abeg aunty park well jor, i dont recall mentioning or quoting you, why did u suddenly go haywire?




Or have u been on the cider lately?

Je lele onwe gi n’enyo.

Yield:
Je lele onwe gi n’enyo.

are you Igbo?

Thought you were Yoruba from Kwara or something.

Yield:
Je lele onwe gi n’enyo.

, nwannem nwayi? Nne biko obi gi adina oku. Uchem bu na ibu onye ohe. My apologies. . Ada ebe k'ibu na Alaigbo?

shymexx:

are you Igbo?

Thought you were Yoruba from Kwara or something.

Emotional goon

Nnewi1stSon: Emotional goon

Clown!

Why are you always trying to troll me under this handle and what happened to the old one?

Anyway, real Gs don't get emotional. That's why I always keep a straight-face and I'm a triple OG!

shymexx:

are you Igbo?

Thought you were Yoruba from Kwara or something.

I'm Yoruba. And yes, both of my parents are from Kwara. I have never been there and I actually do not know anything about it. But I'm trying to learn. Did you remember my past posts where I mentioned my parents being from Kwara? I believe I only mentioned it once on NL. The only other times (about twice) when I mentioned Kwara in my posts were when I read some posts from people living there and got excited and wanted to befriend them. My best friend is Igbo, she's the one teaching me the language. Two people have told me I look Igbo though, whatever that means; I think I look like me. How did you know about Kwara? I'm sure I mentioned it once, long ago too. You have done some research ...Detective Shymexx =p.

Nnewi1stSon: Emotional goon

What is your problem? Leave him alone.
I have answered your question. Based on your response above, it appears the only reason you supposedly changed your attitude was because you thought I was Igbo? Shame on you.

Yield:
I'm Yoruba. And yes, both of my parents are from Kwara. I have never been there and I actually do not know anything about it. But I'm trying to learn. Did you remember my past posts where I mentioned my parents being from Kwara? I believe I only mentioned it once on NL. The only other times (about twice) when I mentioned Kwara in my posts were when I read some posts from people living there and got excited and wanted to befriend them. My best friend is Igbo, she's the one teaching me the language. Two people have told me I look Igbo though, whatever that means; I think I look like me. How did you know about Kwara? I'm sure I mentioned it once, long ago too. You have done some research ...Detective Shymexx =p.

What is your problem? Leave him alone.
I have answered your question. Based on your response above, it appears the only reason you supposedly changed your attitude was because you thought I was Igbo? Shame on you.

Lmao...I do read your posts and I noticed you referenced Kwara in one of your posts. Not stalking you, though. Were you born in Canada or you just grew up there? I defo need to hear your voice to know what the Canadian accent sounds like on a Nigerian. That would be nice.

Are you light-skinned? - perhaps, that's why naija people think you look Igbo. You know most Nigerians think everyone that isn't dark-skinned is Igbo. I get the same thing all the time, hence why I tell every Nigerian that I meet my Yoruba name, just to avoid all that. Learning an alternative language is defo. a good look. I also know a few Igbo words. Nicked some from nairaland. An Igbo chic I used to check when I first moved down to where I live now showed me a few Igbo words. And some Igbo uncle I used to run some biz with, with my friends also showed me a few words. Still nicking their words, though. An Igbo poster must have cursed me out in Igbo a few months because she thought I wouldn't be able to decipher it - I just laughed at the prick. Same for those who curse me out in Yoruba, thinking I won't be able to decipher it.

Anyway, all my Igbo friends that I grew up with can't speak Igbo for shiit. I also doubt they understand the language. So telling them to teach me their language would be mission impossible.

[size=2pt]Shout me>>>>>[/size].

Interesting story, I admire the gentleman.
Though I would say this - patriotism cannot and will never be for sale. It comes from the inner chamber of a man's heart where his soul finds love, peace, camaraderie, and courage to do tasks for the fatherland. It can make a man walk into the unknown and defy the very worst. Its a reason men freely lay down their lives for their fatherland.

Patriotism! Patriotism is arguably more powerful than religion. It trumps ethnicity, it beats negligence and stupidity, it shatters mediocrity, it upholds fairness, and it lights the fire of competitiveness in countrymen and women alike. It pushes us to go over and above to avoid defeat lest we bring shame to the land we love. patriotism is the reason a man would leave his newly wedded queen for a life in the trenches.

Can anyone divorce patriotism from a nation? Is it possible?
The nation dies when patriotism dies just as patriotism dies when the nation dies. Both are inseparable.

In our hearts we wished Nigeria was better. Not just better in terms of physical structures, after all what are those - are they not mere structures that collapse from time to time? are they not things that we can build whenever we want to? - that's not what a better nation entirely entails. A better country is a country that gives not some but all citizens a sense of belonging. You just can't describe but somehow you know feel something that imbues in you a sense of pride and justice and you'd be dam.ned if anyone crosses your nation.

The reason small nations like Iran challenge big and powerful countries like The US is not because they can win the battle, its because of the amount of pride they have in Iran - that right there is patriotism, like it or not. And I know without any doubt that the same amount of pride in Iranians, the same thing that makes them challenge 'almighty' US is also in all Nigerians. We posses it like the Iranians and my guess is that, perhaps, we have it more - we just have it for our respective ethnic nationalities, not for Nigeria.

The reason we don't have it for Nigeria is because our nation died a long time ago. We've just been in denial about it. We might get it back if and only if Nigeria gets restructured such that all regional groupings take total control of their resource and political destiny - wherever it leads them. But for as long as many of us can't worship, live freely, and pursue our dreams to the fullest extent of our desires, for as long as we have this unstable combustible mixture of radical political Islam with 10 million almajiris waiting in the corner to be used as tools, for as long as we have and maintain this age-long ethnic zero-sum slug-fest, for as long as we refuse to level the field, conduct a clean census, destroy the unity school cut-off sham, accept each-other as equals, kill born to rule ideology, and return land and the resources therein to the owners, then we might as well stop worrying about patriotism and accept that Nigeria has peaked. What we should be asking is how hard the fall is likely to be.

But who knows, the National Conference might do the magic. I hope it does.