The Cleaner The Mirror, The Clearer The Image

Last week I wrote about starting with the man and woman you see in the mirror. You and I. Didn’t get any responses. Well maybe nobody has read it yet. No wahala. I’ll keep posting. Like I said recently on my facebook page: Live Your Life….Don’t wait for applause!
So I’ll keep doing what I wanna do.
In this post I’ll be revisiting the issue of the man in the mirror. (I’ve decided to start trying to relate my posts to each other as much as possible. Sounds like good thinking right? Good Thinking. Good product)

I think part of the problem we have in Nigeria is the image we have of ourselves both individually and collectively. On one hand, I don’t even think we have an image that is unique and that everyone shares as a people. What I mean is: I can’t say we have a strong Nigerian image or vision that everyone shares.

For instance you don’t need to be American to know that all Americans share what they call, ‘The American Dream’, or that they consider America to be the ‘Land of the free’. They see themselves as world leaders.

On the other hand, I think we Nigerians have a negative image of ourselves. We hear it time and again from our own lips, “We Nigerians are so corrupt”. Or, “We are so lazy, cunning”. And we see Nigeria as a backward nation, a land filled with problems. This kind of negative imagery, though easy to imbibe considering the frustrating way things are, can’t help us to go forward.

We need to begin to see ourselves as an intelligent, vibrant, creative and progressive generation. Now we are talking about rebranding Nigeria, giving her a new image. That is wonderful and I hope we succeed. But to do that, we need to take the negative stereotypes associated with Nigerians and replace them with something new.

That is why I said, the cleaner the mirror, the clearer the image. We need to refine however we look at ourselves, (the mirror), so that we can have a better picture of whom we are and what we can do for Nigeria (the image).


Let us concentrate less on the negative things about ourselves as individuals and focus on our strengths and virtues. Let’s bring out the discipline, hard work, honesty and righteousness in us. Only then will we find the strength to do what must be done for this country.

Man In The Mirror!

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, asking myself this question…How do we go about changing Nigeria? How do we grasshoppers bring down the great giants of evil in our society? How do you slay a dragon that has so many heads? The dragon is Nigeria as we know her today. The many heads are the many facets of corruption and societal ills that plague her citizens daily.
Any ideas anyone?
You know we really have to think about this because most of the talk about Nigeria is always about the problem, hardly about the solutions. So let’s get solution-oriented right about now and task our grey matter till it starts to steam.
…….well here is what I’ve come up with for now.
First step to changing our society is that we must first set about changing ourselves. I know we’ve heard that before probably a number of times. But the truth can never be overstated.
We must create within us, the change we want to see on the outside. Lemme break it down a bit. Do we want to see more discipline in our society? Then we must first instill discipline into our individual lives.
Do we want to see development? Then we must make efforts to develop ourselves. Are we hungry to see increased literacy rates among our people? Let’s not wait for government to make necessary changes in our educational policy. Rather we can start by taking the time to read and study hard ourselves. We must create in our lives the changes we want to see in the society. We must develop our individual potentials.
Obama would never have been seen as the man who can change America, if he hadn’t taken the time to train himself to become someone people can put their hope and confidence in. I’m sure it must have taken him long hours of practice and countless days of diligent study to become as eloquent and composed as he is, when addressing crowds, inspiring hope and confidence in his listeners.
I guess what I’m trying to say is it starts with you and I. Michael Jackson said it all:

“I’m startin with the man in the mirror…
I’m askin him to change his ways….
And no message coulda been any clearer…
If you wanna make the world a better place,
Take a look at yourself, and then make the change….”

Remember the song? Man in the Mirror?
Yeah we talk about corruption, the lack of integrity among our leaders. If I must see a change in that area, then I guess I have to ensure that I am a man of integrity first. Then maybe that will rub off on others and they too may choose integrity over corruption.

And all this for what you might ask? I mean who cares? Let’s all just take things as they are and live like we’ve been living all these decades. Well that should be ok for those of y’all who don’t see the great potential that lies in this country. But for people like me who get so frustrated when I’m watching Chelsea thrash it out with Liverpool and suddenly the lights go off, or when I’m trying to make an urgent call and the network is so f’’’d up, or when 3 weeks into a new month my salary hasn’t been paid yet, or when I see sick people who need urgent medical care and they can’t afford it, or when the state government fails to employ enough doctors or give them good pay and patients end up seeing quack nurses in general hospitals…..yeah for people like me, solution-seeking is the way forward.

Well, na so. Nuff said.



Selah

A vicious cycle???

Poverty and corruption....twin brothers, lovers...bedmates if you like. Lovers who are entangled in a vicious cycle of sorts.

One leads to the other and vice versa. Though some argue that while poverty does not have to lead to corruption, corruption always leads to poverty. However you look at it, there is a strong symbiotic relationship between the two.

Let me share one of my own personal stories. Currently I'm working in the northern part of Nigeria. Far north to be "almost" precise. A place so hot, I sweat like a pig about to be grilled whenever am indoors and PHCN cuts the power supply. One of the most backward states in Nigeria actually.

There are a lot of issues about the state that make you wonder wether the state government has literally blinded the eyes of the people, but one of the most aggravating is the issue of fuel.



I've been told that tankers of petrol meant for the state are routinely diverted to the border, where they are sold for profit, leaving people stranded in queues at filling station. Infact, there are some stations that have never had fuel in the 8 months I've been here.

There are a couple of filling stations that almost always have fuel, but at such places it is sold at at 80 to 100 Naira per liter, instead of the recommended 65 per liter. The interesting thing is that at every station you find black marketeers buying fuel in hundreds of gallons, to be sold later at exorbitant prices to stranded vehicle owners.

Barely 2 hours ago I was queuing up at such a station and I painfully observed what was going on. At that time I frankly didn't give a rats ass about the price. I just needed juice in my car. I contemplated feeling angry at that point, considering the stinking fact that because of the hard-heartedness of the state government, we had to be starving in the midst of plenty. And I was tempted to direct some of that anger to the young black marketeers that were pestering the station attendant to fill up their 25 litre jerry cans.


But I took a closer look at them and I was filled with nothing but pity. I mean you could see poverty written all over their sunburnt faces and cracked feet. Tell me why they wouldn't connive with whoever to make sure that petrol was scarce, so that it could be sold at higher prices. In a country of over 120 million people all hustling for scarce Naira, people will do whatever to feed their stomachs.

Pity!

The corruption of the elite that steals the future of the masses.

Visit: www.humanrights-geneva.info/Corruption-nourishes-poverty,3534

They make the fuel scarce so that they can make profit. And the poor help them to achieve their goals because in doing so, they can make a few bucks to see them through their miserable lives.

I wish I could write this article with a knife, using the skin of some corrupt leader as my paper so y'all can see the blood and tears that are sacrificed on a daily basis. Needlessly for that matter.

But...(if wishes were horses, then plastic surgery would be hot cake for our upcoming doctors!)

Well folks, I've come out of my shell after a long period of silent observation of Nigerian society. I hope after reading this piece, you will feel what I feel and make a commitment to rid this country of the twin evils. No matter how long it takes!

ENFORCING CHANGE Part 1

Alan Cohen:

It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.

Andy Warhol:

They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.

Barack Obama:

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.

Felix Adler:

We cannot adopt the way of living that was satisfactory a hundred years ago. The world in which we live has changed, and we must change with it.


These are just a few quotes that help me to think about the change we need in our world today as citizens of this country. What stares me in the face as I read about change is the fact that change is not a function of time but rather a function of individual and collective responsibility.

I read somewhere a few days ago that responsibility is simply 'response-ability'. That is the ability to respond. We all have the responsibility to effect a positive change.

When we are confronted with unwanted realities, our response-ability is to respond positively by being pro-active about what we can and should do to remedy the situation. Most of us are just reactive rather than proactive.


We don't have to do things the same old way. Kudos to governors like Fashola of Lagos state and Namadi of Kaduna who have decided that out with the old style of governance and in with the new! Who says successive governments have to keep battling with the unfinished projects of their predecessors? Who says traffic in Lagos can't be improved, and old rusty railway tracks in Kaduna can't once again function the way they were originally designed to. Now people can get from one part of Kaduna state to another cheaply and easily. Kini big deal (what's the big deal) about that you might ask? Well you might not get it if traveling by train is taken for granted where you reside. For me it's a big trip cos I get high on progress. Years back I used to travel by train to boarding school. It was so easy and stress-free. But like a lot of other things in this country, the whole system just collapsed. I just hope the progress can be sustained. One day, like a slowly growing forest fire, the whole country will be lighted up with a fully functioning and well connected railway system. Then people will remember it started with just one state.

Whether it comes slowly or at lightning speed, one thing is sure- change is inevitable. However it must be the kind of change we want- positive change. And that my friends depends on our ability to respond (remember? - responsibility?)

One Step at a time...

"The audacity of hope!


In the end, that is God's greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation; the belief in things not seen; the belief that there are better days ahead." President Obama

Keeping hope alive. I guess that's what remains for someone who has longed to see change. Like a desert traveller, climbing sand dune after sand dune, hoping for an oasis. As he stumbles in the dust, he passes carcasses of animals and men who have succumbed to the thirst and harsh elements. He looks as far as his eyes can see. More carcasses lay strewn ahead. He lifts his eyes up to the blinding sky. Vultures patiently await his demise.
He looks around. Bad roads, broken down power stations. To the right, ethnic and religious crises. To the left, corrupt police and customs officials. He turns behind him. Little children, exposed to harsh society, dying of malnutrition and poverty, roaming the streets and abandoning school. Finally he turns to what is in front of him. He tries to ignore the flashy cars and opulent lifestyles of the bastards responsible for this chaos. He tries to focus on hope; that things can improve even if it takes one brave individual at a time.

One step at a time he moves on through the desert. One breathe at a time he keeps himself alive.

One brave individual at a time...Change will come.

It starts with you!

True to Society!

I must confess to you, as one who started out campaigning for a new Nigerian vision, promoting a belief in a greater Nigerian society, I have many a times given up faith in the Nigerian system, deciding to abandon ship and pursue fulfilment away from the shores of this country.
Don't blame me. Many of you will admit that living in this country and witnessing the mess that goes on is so frustrating. So many times I have had to question my faith in Nigeria. Even now my campaigning morale is low. I have decided instead to dedicate my thoughts and write-ups to studying the lives of people who have in one way or another ignited change in their respective societies. People like Ghandi, Martin Luther King, and of course, Obama.
Maybe in the course of studying these people, I will discover a renewed zeal to see things change for the better in this country. No matter what, I will still try to remain true to society!

Contemplating Victory....