The complaining nation: Which way forward?
Esanerovo Agbodo The Nigeria project has been on my mind for decades now and the more I try to forget about Nigeria and her problems, the more I get a push that I should not be discouraged in joining hands with other patriots in finding solutions to the problems of Nigeria. However from my experience […]
Esanerovo Agbodo
The Nigeria project has been on my mind for decades now and the more I try to forget about Nigeria and her problems, the more I get a push that I should not be discouraged in joining hands with other patriots in finding solutions to the problems of Nigeria. However from my experience over the years, I have come to a conclusion that most Nigerians do more of complaining when there is a national problem than take the expected actions to solve the problem.
On this note, I have been trying all these years to factor out what is the root cause of this attitude of complaining and not taking the right action, knowing that the same people will do everything to confront and solve any problem confronting their families or immediate communities, but when it comes to national issues, the same people will end up complaining and doing nothing or very little about it. Many youths have lost their lives in the course of defending the territories of their villages in inter communal clashes, but the same set of youths are not ready to sacrifice a pin for the development of their dear country. This is just an example and not in any way supporting any form of violence or communal clashes, because I believe that most of those clashes would have been averted if the right decisions were taken earlier.
Why am I coming from this angle? Answer: Because I have been active in the struggle for a better Nigeria since the era of the military leadership till date. I have been involved in the planning and execution of several protests from a nonviolent perspective to change the narrative of bad leadership and corruption in Nigeria. I have founded and worked in many nationalistic organizations from my student days till date, so I am writing from more than two decades of experience of active participation in promoting progressive governance in Nigeria.
It really surprises me why people should not defend the interest of their country, which is the singular factor that determines their peaceful and economic wellbeing, but will rather focus more efforts at village and ethnic units. However, after giving it a deep thought, I am now of the opinion that this attitude of most Nigerians shying away from contributing effectively to solving national challenges is either due to gross ignorance on the part of such citizens on how a nation works, or it is just being kobo wise and naira foolish. If we use the same zeal we put up in defending our families and villages to defend the common interest of Nigeria, the country would have soared to the sky in development for ages.
At this point, let us now remind ourselves that it is Nigeria that has the Naira as a legal tender, not any village, ethnic or religious group, and it is the value of the Naira which is actually the state of the economy that influences so many other dynamics in our society. So, if you decide to defend your village, ethnic or religious group and neglect the overall interest of Nigeria, it is actually a foolish decision because the state of the Naira will soon affect you wherever you are either positively or negatively. Your decision and action about Nigeria is what determines the peace and prosperity of the country. You cannot go it alone. You need the happiness and comfort of others all over the country for you to be truly comfortable in the real sense.
Most analysts may be quick to say that the unpatriotic dispositions of most Nigerians today is because of the ill treatment that citizens received from the country (Nigeria) over the years. According to them, this lack of commitment to pursuing positive national ideals in Nigeria is a natural response of the citizens to the neglect suffered over time. Yes, they are right to an extent, but in my opinion, in as much as this is a contributing factor to the lackadaisical attitude of most Nigerians towards committing themselves to solving national problems today, it shouldn’t be an excuse to join in the destruction of the country.
This is the same scenario playing out today in Nigeria. If the citizens feel that Nigeria is packed full of rubbish, we should be working very hard to clean the rubbish rather than joining hands in heaping more rubbish on the system.
Esanerovo Agbodo writes from Abuja