BUILDING THE NATION

In the building of a house everyone has a role to play, from the architect to the laborers who will have to clear the site, to the engineers who will start construction, masons and even those who will supply the workers on site with water for drinking and finally, those who will make use of the building have the role of ensuring that the building is maintained properly, so it is with building the nation. Building the nation is a thing of collective responsibility. While the Government has to come up with developmental designs & plans that must be implemented, we the citizens have our own roles to play. We all know like it was rightly stated by Late John F. Kennedy that, we should not ask what our country can do for us but rather ask what we can do for our country. This is a workable pattern of building a nation. It is better for us the people, having full knowledge of our desires, to begin to put our potentials into good use that will be of immense benefits to the nation rather than prowling about various embassies in search of visas, all in a bid to abandon our fatherland and enrich a strange land with our potentials while our own home country still lags behind in developmental trends. Who then will make our country better if we all get visas and travel out someday? There’s absolutely nothing wrong in going abroad to study, do business or have a vacation but everything is wrong when we travel out with the mind-set that we’ve got to leave ‘this God forsaken country’!

I know that the Government has failed us in the past, in my opinion they are failing us presently, still in my opinion they will fail us in the future so long as it is the same crop of people that are being produced as leaders by a corrupt and highly unreliable electoral system. In defense of their flaws they say ‘our democracy is still young’ but I refuse to accept that because it isn’t the word ‘democracy’ that makes a good leader, most of these people have been in the corridors of power even in the military regimes and nothing good came out of their leadership and so what makes them think something good will come out of them in the future, because it is now democracy? Hell no! Unless the electoral system is overhauled and the populace gets involved in the selection process of candidates whose credibility must be proved right from the ‘primaries’ within individual political parties, this system of governance will continue to fail us! However, that the government is going wrong doesn’t mean we the citizens should go wrong too, who will lead who back if we all go wrong?

I see this nation at a Y-Junction with a signpost hanging over it asking, ‘which way Nigeria?’ The map of Nigeria portraying the Nation is at the middle of the junction. The road branching off from the left side of the junction leads to a nation of no bearing (crisis, deception, insincerity, massive looting, lawlessness, proliferation of police brutality, etc) and a few group of persons made up of public office holders and capitalists especially are working successfully towards pulling the nation into this road. The road branching off from the right side of the junction on the other hand leads to a nation with global influence (Human resource development, eradication of extreme poverty, infrastructural/socio-economic development, technological advancement, food giant, low crime rate, high level of environment consciousness, good health, LOVE & UNITY) but the people who are to pull the nation to this road are either placing hands on their heads, sleeping, talking without action, folding their arms, prowling embassies for visas, or encouraging the few on the left road by pushing the map towards them through bribery and actions carried out for perceived personal gains without concern on the negative effects which their selfish interest will have on the nation in the long run!

I agree with what George S. Clason wrote in his book - The Richest Man in Babylon, he said, ‘our prosperity as a nation depends upon our prosperity as individuals’. How many employment opportunities has the government created in the past ten years compared to the number of employment opportunities that would have been created if individuals were courageous enough to start something for themselves? There are needs everywhere in the society, why don’t we begin to proffer solutions to this needs and thereby create wealth for ourselves and ultimately, stare this nation to greatness? How many jobs will be created in the next ten years by the government? How many will be created if individuals and well meaning corporations create new businesses within the same ten years? We shouldn’t be like a tennis player who would put his eyes on the scoreboard instead of the ball. It is time for more action and less talk on the part of us the citizens of this nation.

We must understand that there is no progress without an organized struggle! Why should commercial transporters hike fares simply because there is a traffic jam and you still find the people who cry of poverty boarding these vehicles instead of challenging the hike? If there is a boycott on filling stations that don’t sell petroleum products according to the prices stipulated by the Federal Government, won’t they bring down the prices back to normal? And if they opt to shut down, better for us! We can bear such hardship! The government is hurting us and here we are hurting ourselves also! For this nation to progress there is an inevitable need for us as individuals to embed our dreams into ‘the great dream’ of healing this broken nation and its people by waking up to pull the nation into the road that branches off the right side of the Y-Junction. It is up to us to become change agents to start making changes in any community we find ourselves in, be it an academic community, trade community, political community, industrial community, health community, local community, religious community, Etc. we complain about unemployment but too many a times we fail to make impact in the society when we get employed, giving our jobs the best becomes a problem! We complain about poor education but too many a times we fail to educate ourselves with the educational materials that are available to us. We rather spend our pockets on calls, clothes, electronics and every other thing we can, except for books, newspapers, educative and other learning materials!
It is time we stop paying attention to our immediate families alone forgetting that our immediate families exist in a bigger family called Nigeria. What hope are we giving to our generations yet unborn? Or do we want to bring our nation to an end even before the world comes to an end? It is time to start mapping change from any corner of the nation we find our self in no matter how insignificant our efforts may seem. Remember how insignificant just a stick of broom may seem when single but can sweep mansions when tied together with other sticks. Our nation needs ‘broomsticks’ that will be tied together! It is time to start getting involved in developmental activities! It is time we begin to ACT RIGHT and help steer our nation to Greatness! Our 9JA will RISE to DAZE the WORLD!!!

THE COMING BRAIN DRAIN

Just taking a peep into the future, I foresee a brain drain on the way. Don’t get me wrong, I am not being pessimistic or cynical. I am only being critically analytical. I got the inspiration to write this article after receiving an entry confirmation letter from the U.S Department of State for a visa lottery I applied for over a year ago. The letter came at a time I had just decided that I was not going to travel abroad in the name of leaving this ‘God forsaken country’ called 9JA as a lot of Nigerians would say. I could go on a vacation, business trip, academic pursuit, etc but not in search of ‘greener pastures’! Those who have created very green pastures for themselves here in 9JA do not have two heads! I know I will receive a lot of hard knocks from the situation of things in the country but I have resolved to confront my challenges not to run away! I am not afraid of tomorrow because it implies letting a ghost from the future to chase me today! I am sure there are a lot of Nigerians who share a similar opinion with me in as much as there are a lot who have resolved to find their way out of the country to anywhere that will provide them with better chances of becoming successful, mainly ‘financially’. I honestly do not have anything against these Nigerians because if our leaders were committed to steer our Nation to greatness the story would not have been the same.

Amongst those seeking to leave the shores of our Fatherland are: intellectuals; highly skilled personnel; creative minds; promising entrepreneurs; simply put – ‘great brains’! These persons have perceived their knowledge, talents, and skills to be wasting if they remain here in Nigeria. This is why they have resolved to migrate to countries where they believe their potentials will be properly and fully harnessed. Why is this so? One may ask. I know instinctively that it is because they have not been provided with the enabling environment to properly showcase or exude their potentials and consequently derive the perceived rewards and benefits of their work. The frustration that comes with not succeeding at something you really want to do due to a not so encouraging environment isn’t something that everybody can bear. Christopher Columbus, who later became the first European to discover the Canary Islands and America, had to migrate from Portugal to Spain because the Government of Portugal under the rule of the king refused to encourage his ambition to sail across the Atlantic Ocean. Ferdinand Magellan who later discovered the Pacific Ocean gave up his Portuguese citizenship and went to Spain because the Portuguese King didn’t encourage him to go on the voyage, he ended up being celebrated a hero back in Spain after the successful voyage!

There is a coming brain drain if the Government continues being not committed to providing the enabling environment for talented and skilled Nigerians to harness their potentials. Using Port Harcourt as a case study, as days, weeks, months, and even years go by more residents with skills, ideas, talents, and knowledge are leaving for Lagos where they believe their chances to succeed is far better. Likewise, hundreds and thousands are leaving Nigeria for other countries.
However, it isn’t wise for us to jeopardize the potential existence of future generations because of the wrong doings of a few persons called ‘Leaders’. We should still have the interest of this country at heart wherever we find ourselves either home or abroad. Let’s learn to teach the world who Nigerians really are. Stop portraying this country in a bad image! Use yourself as an example to discard the negative impressions the world may have about all Nigerians. When you can, come back home and see what you can use your exposure and success to do at least in your community and family. Our great grand children are coming to see what we have placed on ground for them. What Americans are enjoying today that’s making a lot wanting to go there are things there ‘fathers’ left for them. Please Mr. President, Senator, Governor, Minister, Commissioner, Chairman, Councilor, Police, businessman, Parent, Student, Applicant, Pastor, Soldier, and all other well meaning citizens let us try to anticipate the future consequences of the things we do today, let us not be short sighted in our thoughts and actions. The decisions of today are the realities of tomorrow. Imagine the rate at which people (brains) are flying out daily, what will happen in the next 25 years if things continue the way they are? I believe strongly that through our little efforts from whichever part of the country we find ourselves together we can avert the coming brain drain! Sacrifice and patriotism is what we need! I believe we can and we most certainly will!

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