NIGERIA: LONG WALK TO TRANSFORMATION
At the dawn of Nigeria’s golden jubilee independence day celebration, I woke with a rather patriotic zeal .I grabbed my phone and observered my daily ritual of facebooking.To my dismay, I read different status updates falling in between optimism and pessimism. Some young Nigerians chose to see Nigeria as a glass cup that is half full, while others viewed Nigeria as glass cup that is half empty. On the flip side, some other individuals are of the opinion that there is nothing to celebrate, rather we need to lament our failure as a nation after five decades of nationhood. Prior to October 1st 1960, a crop of people fought through lumps of sweat and blood to birth our nation’s independence. Some of these national heroes and ‘Sheroes’ sacrificed their lives on the altar of selflessness, believing nothing was too big to usher in our country’s liberation. They jubilated at the declaration of independence , beaming with high hopes, and dreaming of a green land full of possibilities and started a walk.Yes!a walk to transformation. They left the waiting room of colonialism, and embarked on a journey towards building a new nation.
Today, all you need to do, is to fast-forward to the present day Nigeria. A country devoid of navigational and inspiring leadership , where regular power supply is a big deal, unemployment rate growing in leaps and bounds, where national security is elusive , a nation where the citizens are their own local government. Beyond all these tragic flaws, I believe the next 50 years can be full of major milestones to record in our history books, and things to smile about. It can only happen, if we are willing to tread the path of least resistance , and rewrite our national script. How long will it take for Nigeria to be totally transformed?i guess it doesn’t take forever, if we leave this sidelines of apathy, and become active players in Nigeria’s evolving transformation. What will the coming generation say about you? if you refuse to contribute your own quota to the development of our nation.’But I cannot do anything, I am not even a politician’, to that I say you can effect your own change by being a good citizen of this country.In the words of Tolu Ogunlesi, a Journalist/literary critic:’This is a country whose biggest trade is not in oil, or in scam letters, but in hope, a land whose true currency is not the Naira, but optimism, one whose biggest industry is the one that recycles resilence.’Inspite of our perilious realities and challenges, we still choose to rise.
Its time to jump off the couch of ‘siddon look’ .We need to go beyond discussing national issues in beer parlours, updating our status on networking sites, to charting a new course .Its stale news, Yes! The government has failed us, but we cannot afford to fail ourselves, we must give ourselves a pass mark. Thank God a lot of individuals are looking beyond Aso rock for the change we desire , and have kicked off their own national transformation campaigns /projects, which is in harmony with their passions and inner yearnings.You deserve a new Nigeria, a new national psyche predicated on working towards the emergence of a great nation. Heed to the clarion call.Nigeria can be great again, it begins with you!
Kehinde Ajose is a Talent development coach, Motivational speaker, syndicated columnist/writer.He helps individuals to discover and develop their talent solutions , so as to create wealth, and become global brands.To book him to speak at your next event, pls cal 08024212530/splendidkenny01@yahoo.com
