Growing up, lights of realities infiltrate gradually into our ignorant, precocious memory, meeting us with strange realities against the intrinsic values advertised about Nigeria in our old school books, in our poems and recitations on the assembly grounds.
Growing up, lights of realities infiltrate gradually into our ignorant, precocious memory, meeting us with strange realities against the intrinsic values advertised about Nigeria in our old school books, in our poems and recitations on the assembly grounds.
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As little folks, we sang lines of the Nigerian National anthem and then, we were made to pledge under ignorance. We chanted them filling ourselves with confidence and obviously drunk with determinations that we would serve
Nigeria with all our strengths. While enveloped in the ecstasy from rhythm of the song of Nigerian anthem, we were obviously blind to the truth that abstract factors we appraised, infrastructures and systems we sang and platforms we expected to espouse in future are either collapsed or non-existing. We were forced to become hypocrites, pledging what we can never be allowed to do. Earlier generations failed emerging ones, and we’re on tenterhooks with no options than to
inheriting the disappointment and continue with it.
Particularly me, I used to be weighed down by the heavy load of dreams I carried about hoping to accomplish them some day. Of course I thought like every child; I was going to be a political luminary, a business man, a sage, mentor to my children, a great ambassador of the
core Nigerian values and ultimately a transmitter of the message of the Cross. I held in high imaginations at those times of cognitive emergence, figures of persons so glorified by National symbols whom I used as bench stones for shaping my supposed career while waiting for
my turn to serve Nigeria. I promoted my mind into the statuses of these great persons, celebrating and developing shadow actions of things I would do, if I were them. I would form mental pictures of a white-haired black Noble Laureate ‘Wole Soyinka and faces on the Naira
coins immortalizing Herbert Macaulay, Nnamdi Azikwe, and other personalities whose images repeatedly motivated me so that I wanted to grow up magically fast and take the gauntlet to push forth apace from where they lost furtherance.
Gradually however, as I grew up, the realness of Nigeria disappeared slowly. As I grew up, institutions I imagined as a child were not existent. I grew up, but other strange realities surfaced against things we were taught in the classrooms. I grew up, but the motivations and strong bones I developed for Nigeria dropped tempo. As we collectively grew up, hopes fainted. And here we are as new comers wondering about the Real Nigeria as against the Ideal one we learned
about. So, here we are told, welcome to the ‘Real Nigeria’. Isn’t Nigeria the same story we were told as the giant of Africa? Isn’t Nigeria the same story of Agricultural abundance? Isn’t Nigeria
anymore the story of self-reliance? Isn’t Nigeria the blessed country with natural resources? Isn’t this the Nigeria bound in freedom, peace and unity?
Each time I reminiscence on my childhood visions lurking the corners of my skull and return to acknowledge realities, I’d be moved to tears. Every time we compare our leadership, democracy, economy, educational system, political ideologies and practices with those of other countries of the world, we almost regret our Nationality. It is not true that they haveresources in more abundance than Nigeria, but in sincerity of their leaders and sacrifices of their people to manage
things well.
In one of my visions, I desire to be a politician, but the political structures are snares of ostensible democracy. If you must go in to change it, you’ll lose your life combating cabals that exist for
destruction. Seek advise and you will learn the unchanging mantra that politics is a dirty game. Why go there if you’re not ready to join the goons or sacrifice your life trying out your ‘change’ formula? Politics, I therefore ruled out.
In one my visions, I’d be fulfilled as a business magnate. One is petrified however, that the economy is in shambles. Everyday, businesses liquidate due to pot-deep holes like death traps on roads which mitigate free flow of goods transportation, outright darkness attracting expensive generators fueling, and insecurity for business investors. How would one consider business at all, where there’s no capital or soft loans – business ruled out?
In one of my visions, I’d be learned and be among the rare elites and bag all the degrees available to give my career a top notch. However, I learned from years of painstaking experiences that no reputable university will give admission to a poor man – not anymore in this ‘New Nigeria’. It is a crime to be poor anyways.
In one of my visions, I’d be a pastor. However in this new Nigeria, it will be the worst idea. I’ll ask citizens to bind demons on the roads, when the roads only have pot holes and no demons. I’d deceive unemployed graduates to pray against their ‘witch’ mothers when government has created no jobs than massive unemployment. I’d request parents to release their under-twenty daughters to me behind closed doors for deliverance from kwashiorkor, when the poor girls are only suffering from improper feeding. I’d falsely cast out demons that never existed. Why should I? It will only make me complement efforts of the government, suffering and deceiving people. If one is not careful, it may turn out that one is working for the ‘devil’, even as a pastor.
In one of my visions, I’d be a lecturing professor. Contrast though, in the New Nigeria that we grew up to behold, I will have no serious job than to sell crappy handouts and join ASUU strikes for two-third of the times that we should deliver sound lectures.
In one of my visions, I would be a politician. Consider it; if I be a Minister or a governor, I’ll be among the Buffons voting in support of removal of fuel subsidy to torture the masses. If I be an Ambassador, I’ll be the mouthpiece to a liar government in one of these foreign countries, beat my wife to pulp, and in defense of my action, tell the world that she threw her head against shoe rack? Oh, no!
Nothing seems to be possible for me to be faithful, loyal and honest to serve Nigeria with all my strength. Therefore, I should prospect my mind on other jobs. Maybe I should sing, but as a musician, I’ll use my talent to sing songs of praises and adulations on thieving politicians. It is the only way to get my share of the National cake and I can also do some ‘kokolet’ interview Mr. President.
Maybe I should forget it all and find a paid job. Hell no! It is difficult for them to implement even a poor minimum wage or review it later. What more options do I consider? All wishes failed. Nigeria is ripe for a revolution. It’s better to face it now and die once than die slowly from cheat and deceptions; brutality will kill a defenseless soul. It’s better to die for something that makes a place
in the martyr’s kingdom than die for nothing. I’m signing up!
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