What you read here is not a prophetic declaration from a known prophet but it is more than what the eyes do see. I was not taken to the seventh heaven to behold what I claim to see but it transcends what an ordinary man can claim to see. This is a vision for those whose eyes are well above their heads, and their Retina interprets beyond their Cerebrum. It is not a vision of a man that sleeps or transit, but a description of a mind that works in tandem with an existence above reality. My eyes are salved with much more than the “Phrygian powder”, soothed more than with the ointment prepared from spices of the Laodicea. What I see is what I write, what you read is what is written, and what you see is what you keep.
What you read here is not a prophetic declaration from a known prophet but it is more than what the eyes do see. I was not taken to the seventh heaven to behold what I claim to see but it transcends what an ordinary man can claim to see. This is a vision for those whose eyes are well above their heads, and their Retina interprets beyond their Cerebrum. It is not a vision of a man that sleeps or transit, but a description of a mind that works in tandem with an existence above reality. My eyes are salved with much more than the “Phrygian powder”, soothed more than with the ointment prepared from spices of the Laodicea. What I see is what I write, what you read is what is written, and what you see is what you keep.
When I open my eyes any day, the only thing I see (and want to see) is a unified Nigeria with the potency to excel above all odds. A Nigeria where there is dignity of human rights to live and be free; to co-exist is not only respected but acceptably applauded as the norm. A Nigeria where Nigerians, irrespective of their tribe and parentage, irrespective of their region and religion, not minding their literacy or illiteracy, unconcerned about their social status or their imagined connection, can aspire and desire to live and flourish in any part of its beloved territory and at any given time.
When I close my eyes the vision of my dream is a Nigeria with all her substances celebrated in the comity of nations as a victorious land that had conquered all her demons, real and perceived. A country where people called "blacks" (who are actually dark brown) all over the world will identify with and call a home. A place of pride for all my people and a place of common identity for those lost siblings the world systems have separated from me as my people. A Nigeria where the Truth flourishes and it has no color of tribe or religion.
I see a Nigeria where liars are applauded with contempt and shame, where deceivers are not accepted, usurpers are punished, saboteurs forsaken, the greedy abandoned, avarice becomes a vice, political jobbers are retrenched, unprofitable leaders despised, religious charlatans disgraced, enemies of the land put to prison, the rich taking care of the poor, the powerful defending the weak.
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I see a new Nigeria where nobody dances to the tune of conflagrations, nobody steps out to tolerate religious mayhem, no one sponsors divide and rule tactics because no one is sponsored, nobody offers to buy votes because no one offers to receive it; a Nigeria where bribes become abomination, disorderly conducts are condemned and public desecration by way of Pee-pee and Poo-poo becomes pooh-pooh.
I see a Nigeria where justice is not just a mere concept and another word in the dictionary, but a moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, national and natural laws, religion, fairness and equity along with the punishment of the breach of said standards. A Nigeria where justice is not just said to be done but seen as done and it is celebrated as an essential definition of our morality and ethics.
A Nigeria where the first virtue of our social institution is justice and truth is the first virtue of our system of thoughts. A Nigeria where retributive and restorative justice goes hand in hand as citizens of a city with distributive justice rule as the kings. A place where oppressive laws and justice are thrown out of the window of a socially benevolent society where mercy prevails in an atmosphere of compassion, charity and generosity. A Nigeria where the the justice system works because people at its helms have character defined in the six pillars of the word – Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship. May be not all that are born by Nigerians in Nigeria are really Nigerians. A Nigeria where Nigerians are real citizens with loyalty to her citizenship.
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I see a Nigeria where culture is accepted as a very fragile phenomenon with attributes that are dynamic in nature and in perspective, but that embraces a fully developed range of learned human behavioral patterns as the basic requirement for membership of a society. I see a Nigeria that invests in the intellectual and the moral faculties of its citizenry through enlightenment, training and integrated acquisition of institutional, vocational or technical training for capacity development for effective management of a diversified and dynamic culture.
I see a Nigeria where the culture of impunity and immunity is thrashed for the culture of responsibility and accountability. A Nigeria where our treasure is our unity and our disdain is disunity. A Nigeria where our appropriate courses of action and outcome is predicated on a consistent value system that honors those that serve the nation and dishonors those who want the nation to serve them and their immediate generations.
A Nigeria where thieves are not crowned as kings while those who strive for excellence in life are degraded as less human, where rogues are kept in the gulag and the righteous rejoices in his work for daily bread. I see a Nigeria where a man will not be allowed to steal from our national income and then come to the village donating crumbs to provide borehole water. A Nigeria where everyone’s income is equal to his/her travails in the market place, where unexplained wealth is utilized for road construction with street lights.
I see a Nigeria where religion is no longer a way to define anyone but who you are and what you represent. There are too many Muslims and way too many Christians but faith is very scarce in the land. The Churches are filled every Sunday but those who come out of it are just liars deceiving everyone even to their own conscience. The Mosques are jammed packed on Fridays but alas, only religious people with distorted understanding of the teachings of the Book.
I see a Nigeria where you can only be recognized as a Muslim because you live the life of the prescribed standard of the Quran. A Nigeria where you are Christian because your life depict the teachings of Christ. I see a Nigeria where no one hides under the cloak or garb of religion to perpetrate evil and get away with it. I see a Nigeria where brothers of Islam and brethren of Christianity are no longer defending their own because of a religious tag, but where evil is denounced even if it comes from the Pope or the Sheikh. I see a Nigeria where truth has no religion but consistent with humanity.
I see a Nigeria where Islam and its practitioners do not feel undermined and emblemized and Christianity and its practitioners do not feel threatened and under attack. A Nigeria where those who have the conviction of Islam will practice their right to the religion without abuse or disrespect. A Nigeria where those who have the conviction of Christ are allowed to worship with the eyes closed in prayers without fear of an attack. I see a Nigeria where religion becomes a thing of the mind and the heart, and not what to flaunt in the public domain with regalia of hypocrisy and contradictions.
I see a Nigeria where corruption becomes a stigma and the corrupt becomes expelled on our streets. A Nigeria where a single corrupt man brings shame to his entire family and village. A Nigeria where the people themselves expose those who deal in scams and live off the livelihood of others. I see a Nigeria where what had been stolen is retrieved and shame becomes the adequate punishment of misdeeds. I see a Nigeria where being smart is not being deceptive, corrupt, misleading, beguiling, deluding, specious or fallacious.
A Nigeria where yes is yes and no is no. I see a Nigeria where wives are protected exclusively for their husbands; men who are married are no longer targets of easy virtue ladies. A Nigeria where university girls are not seen as apples to be tasted severally and left infected with diseases and a bleak future. I see a Nigeria where young girls call themselves bright stars of the future and the young men see themselves as great pillars of tomorrow.
I have not seen a Nigeria which cannot be unified or aligned on a wheel of common destiny for greatness. No. I have not seen a Nigeria that should divide and be exposed to several wars of tribal and inter-tribal definition. I have not seen a Nigeria that cannot function on her God-given mandate to be what she is being denied now I see a Nigeria that works with many shocked to their bones.
I know I am not the only one who sees this vision of Nigeria standing tall in the comity of nations. I know I am not the only one who knows Nigeria is destined for a great place in the annals of the accomplished. I also realize we do not all see it as I see it. Some see Nigeria as a contraption imposed by the colonial master, so it is bound to fail. To those I can only say this – do not work to divide it. There are those who THINK Nigeria can be great if we can work together but do nothing to make us work together.
To those I can only say – join to work together to make it stand. I also know there are those who WANT Nigeria to be great, but only on their religious or tribal terms. To those I can only say – Nigeria is greater than you, your tribe and your religion. There are yet those who will do whatever it takes to have Nigeria take her place of pride and prominence in the face of threat, intimidation and name calling but are not deterred.
It is not going to be an easy road to the dreamland but no one can stop me from dreaming. The present evil cannot, the planned breaches cannot, my family is not trying to stop me and so you cannot stop this dream because it is bigger than you and me. This is the position of God on Nigeria.
Olumide Goodness Adeyinka can be reached at [email protected]
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