Being a Nigerian is a
blessing but being a patriot is a bigger happiness. Knowing and inquiring to
understand the state of affairs of the country is a healing and the history of
our polity-heated and unheated-surely brings joy to the heart of a critical
thinker-where we were, where we are and what the future holds for posterity.
Being cynical makes it interesting emanating from this clan of the world because
a lot that appeals to the regular mind means less to a cynical heart and also
what seems perfect is dead-impossible to a critical thinker-as perfection is
but the sweetest and most delicious aberration...
Nigeria is sure and
undoubtedly blessed with all things-from natural resources to human resources;
from religion diversity to ethnic difference; from most corrupt team to the
greatest saint personalities; from the brightest technocrats to the worst
policy makers-we are a people with all blessing at our doorstep. Eulogizing
Nigeria is undoubtedly my hobby because being a Nigerian is more a blessing
than a curse and a grace than a disfavour from Divinity...
Now, the politics of the
country called Nigeria is but one that needs to be saluted and respected because
of its uniqueness. But it has never been so divided through ethno-religious
boundary this much in history, all thanks to the two major competing parties
courtesy their sympathizers and supporters, their name calling agents and
e-rodents that have done more harm than good to the average Nigerian mind of
what the future holds for them while trying to win them to their own school of
leadership. And worst still their slogans which a critical, cynical and
intelligent mind would see as more stereotypical than logical-Transformation
and Change...
Does a country called Nigeria
needs reformation or better still Transformation? Sure, every economy needs to
be transformed-from worse to better or otherwise-because the technological
development of the world is gone beyond it was yesteryears and we need to
transform with the moving train so as not to be a blast from the past. But
transformation should be more than just a slogan but an act, it should be a
lifestyle not a publication...
Transformation is really a solution
to our problem as a Nation. But the deep rooted questions we might have to ask
ourselves are these "Who is the agent behind the Transformation-The
Transformer?", "Is it about the party or the personality?",
"What are the caliber of transformers we should hope for?" And many
more question before we attest to the slogan Transformation. I think a tenure
should not be tagged until the apparent end of its responsibility to its
citizenry and not a political party appealing to the literary taste bud of some
innocent and gullible citizens...
But if Transformation is
about bloodletting, loss of lives, gross corruption, lack of respect for
humanity and misplaced priority with authority and power, then I will never
pray for Transformation. If Transformation is devoid of the understanding of
what the people lack and need as patriot and loyal citizens of the nation, then
I will never look for Transformation. If Transformation is a personalized
concern and not the people being served oriented, then I will stay in my
suffering and detest Transformation more than the killer Ebola Virus...
Because the real
Transformation starts from the transformer and its not an easy task wanting or
daring to be a transformer, you will surely be labelled 'the illusionist' and
'the radical'. You will be seen as a threat to the existing protocol and
modus-operandi. You will be seen as the defiler of the law and a rebel to
status quo. But who are the transformers we have in our beloved country? How
far have they gone to transform and purge themselves from within before they
can deface our challenges? How well do they know about history to fight the
canker worms and legion of locusts that has desecrated our common wealth? I
sure leave the vacuum for us to fill because I haven't found yet an appropriate
answer...
Now talking Change-the most
inevitable occurrence in existence beside death-which even the best of Nations
will crave for, the worst economy will pray for and the dying creature will
dearly hope for. Nigeria surely need a change, from the mental configuration of
the average citizen to the apex in power; from the dilapidated economy to the
ill-equipped education sector; from the many ghost workers in the MDAs to the
inexperienced doctors in our hospitals; from the unemployable graduates on our
streets to the unlearned engineers in our industries; from the kidnapping and
abuses in the deep South to the grave insecurity and unrest in the extreme
North. We so dearly need a Change in this country because it is the only and
major supplication we can render to Divinity...
But the Change painted to our
faces by our political actors seems like a beautiful story told to a little,
young and inexperience child about a world out of his imagination. He was
thereby forced to fantasize, imagine and wonder what the future is like, he
will grow to have a riveted understanding of life-he is for sure as useless as
dead. He was bent to live a dreaming existence because he will crave for the
wonderland he has been told at childhood unless his psyche is adjusted to the
real and deep rooted definition of Change...
We cry for Change at every
corner of the country and my understand became lost in the deep understand of
what Change is. Because if the Change we want is about a cabal of people
craving and fighting for power instead of the interest of the people, then that
Change needs deep and reflective redefinition. If the Change we talk about is
all about a group that are embittered striving to take their pound of flesh,
then we need to readjust our focus to the right direction. If our Change is
that of a person whom has borrowed capital to contest whilst his wife gave out
a huger amount to Charity, then we are only salivating an impossible future. If
the Change we crave is buried in an inexplicable and uncertain future or
discussions, then our present wobbled leg is better than a strange straight leg
in the pluto...
Conclusively, above political
slogans and abuse of literary definition of words, Our Nation is in dear need
of Leaders and less political gladiators. And Kingsley N.T. Bangwell gave a
very outstanding definition of a leader when he said " A Leader is someone
who can display a required COMPETENCE processed through CHARACTER and inspired
by a compelling VISION to improve the state of a PEOPLE or THINGS"...
We desperately need
Transformation but we crave more for Genuine Transformers; we unapologetically
need Change but we thirst more for Sincere Changers. We are more in need of a
passionate head than a political player, and a visionary arrowhead than an
empty gong!!!
Damilola Ayodele
dammex_007@yahoo.co.uk
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