WHEN A NATION FAILS…

Had this Thursday night’s bomb denoted elsewhere, it would have only been logical for people to say, “Yes, the security cordon on that road has succeeded. See the terrorists going to another place!” Alas! Despite the massive security check on that road, this had to happen again. And before you know it, someone would spin […]

Had this Thursday night’s bomb denoted elsewhere, it would have only been logical for people to say, “Yes, the security cordon on that road has succeeded. See the terrorists going to another place!” Alas! Despite the massive security check on that road, this had to happen again. And before you know it, someone would spin the tragedy to say that it is the security cordon that has succeeded in making sure the bombers did not reach their destination. In fact they had, for many are dead!
We are failing as a nation. BUT, and another BUT, many nations fail yet rise again. But in this country, it is our LEADERS that are the failures. The French have a proverb: “Only he who does nothing makes no mistakes.” When philosophers and management experts discuss Failure, one would think they are discussing its opposite term; Success. When one visits modern management sites, the rags to riches stories one reads seem to always suggest and reinforce the feeling that there is no Success UNLESS there is a Failure preceding it. Advocates of Failure as a great learning and management tool towards success always mention that even Genghis Khan lost some early battles. To wit, the first two years of Genghis’ rise as to the khanate were abysmally horrible; even his wife was abducted.
Almost all commentators worth their pens or their microphones who have written or spoken these last few days have given this Administration, all four years of it (and the many years of this ruling party), the lowest possible score: Zero. Many commentators are even suggesting that the country is actually going down negative territory, way below Nought. Defenders of the indefensible are, however, continuing to scrounge and scratch for anything worth touting; holding on to straws when drowning seems not a too distant possibility.
Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 has disappeared into thin air, or deep water. In South Korea, over 300 young souls are feared perished in a ferry disaster. Coming home, our 234 Chibok Girls (and we can’t even get the numbers correct) have apparently disappeared into thin desert and thick forest, in a nation that prides itself as the Giant of Africa, the Heart of Africa, and a Great Nation. If one compares and contrasts what governments of Malaysia and South Korea are doing on their respective calamities, it obviously seems that some in this Administration are failures, or sadistic, or just want to inflict more pain on us.
It is very apparent that the top people mis-advising our President to be stoic, and not to talk to us and not to explain anything to us. Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Najib Razak has held the hands of flight MH370 passengers’ relatives and sobbed with them; South Korean President Park Geun-Hye has, as a woman, not only held the hands of mothers of the young people who have perished in the ferry mishap, she has cried and wailed and screamed with them. To date and to the minute, our President, who thrives on Goodluck, has not visited Chibok, nor has he held the hands of even one parent.
Is it failure they fear? How can one fear failure after failing? It is illogical. In his book, THE POWER OF FAILURE, Charles Manz says, “Failure is one of the most dreaded words in the English language. The very idea of failing is enough to stop most people in their tracks. It can cause the majority to simply pack up, turn around and retreat without even trying…Failure is not something to be feared [however, as] it contains a positive challenge for success…”
When people say this country is beyond redemption, a discerning corner of many a mind tends to agree with them. But brave optimists could counter such arguments of ‘a nation irretrievably adrift’ with the Qur’anic (and Biblical) story of the Prophet Uzair (upon whom be peace) who was raised from the dead, and his donkey with him, after a century-old slumber. This had followed the rhetorical question: anna yuhyi hazihil arda ba’ada mautiha? (Could the Lord really revive this land after its death?) And the Lord did it for Uzair’s land. And He could it for ours.
Nigeria is not dead, yet. Of course many Nigerians are dead. And they continue to die. They die from terrorists’ bombs. They disappear with terrorists’ abduction. They die from police bullets. They die from armed robbers’ bullets. They die from pipeline explosions. Then they also die when second-hand tyres burst on third-rate roads. Finally, if they refuse to die after all these attempts and are taken to hospitals, they die because the doctors are on strike, or apply the wrong medicine. But we must still keep hope.
It does not make any sense for failures (persons) to fear failure (term). And who says if one is a failure one cannot try again? Joey Green, in the book THE ROAD TO SUCCESS IS PAVED WITH FAILURE, discusses how Walt Disney’s first cartoon production company went bankrupt, but Walt went on to become the famous creator of Mickey Mouse and Disneyland, and producer of such children’s animated delights as Bambi, Cinderella, Snow White and Pinocchio. Or John F. Kennedy who contested for class captain in his school days, and lost. Or Elvis Presley who scored a C in music, and his teacher told him he could never sing.
Let us ponder then on this famous Eastern story about ‘Focus’ as elixir to success. Its broad title runs: ‘When one eye is fixed upon your destination, there is only one eye left with which to find the Way.’
“A young boy traveled across Japan to the school of a famous martial artist. When he arrived at the dojo, he was given an audience by the sensei. “What do you wish from me?” the master asked. “I wish to be your student and be the finest karateka in the land,” the boy replied. “How long must I study?” “Ten years at least,” the master answered. “Ten years is a long time,” said the boy. “What if I studied twice as hard as all your other students?” “Twenty years,” replied the master. “Twenty years! What if I practice day and night with all my effort?” “Thirty years,” was the master’s reply. “How is it that each time I say I will work harder, you tell me that it will take longer?” the boy asked. “The answer is clear,” says the master. “When one eye is fixed upon your destination, there is only one eye left with which to find the Way.”
Finally, Genghis Khan had told his troops some basic truths: “Only a fool fights a battle he knows he cannot win.” He also said: “A man who seeks power needs friends who have power.” And he also added: “Men are loyal only to a strong leader. A warrior does not win a battle by virtue of his birth.”
Therefore, this is a clarion call – RISE TO THE OCCASION! TO CHIBOK YOU GO!