ARE NIGERIANS COMPLACENT...OR WORSE?

 

Treat a man as he is, and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he could be, and he will become what he should be"...Ralph Waldo Emerson. (1803-1882) American essayist, lecturer, philosopher and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century.

True Pictures Don't Lie

It is probably generic for our parents to teach us not to tell lies while we were kids and growing up, but in some conflicting ways, our natural ingenuity if you may, lets us discover that they don't actually practice what they preach. In fairness to them, we do get a much clearer picture when we grow much older and find ourselves in relatively compromising situations, which is of course similar to their's, requiring knowledge, wisdom and experience, we then perhaps unwittingly discover that we are political animals that rely on diplomacy to at the least live in the illusion of sanity.

Photography is a multi billion dollar industry, why? One thing is certain, we are visual by nature, and by implication our curiosity only has a semblance of satisfaction when we can repeatedly see objects, nature and even ourselves to the point where we can in the least understand them. 

It goes a notch further when we can see ourselves as beautiful. This singular aspect is perhaps what gives photographers a hard time, remember the code word here 'beautiful'...In as much as pictures don't lie, we still want to appear beautiful, and this why another set of multi-billion dollar industries associated with photography are the beauty products, photoshop technology, plastic surgery and image consultancy.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing"...Edmund Burke. (1729-1794) Irish statesman and philosopher. 

Soro Soke (Speak Out Loud))

Yes! there is definitely a price to pay when you tell someone that he or she looks dirty and ridiculous, or isn't presentable or beautiful, just like having the courage to speak out in the face of tyranny, which is usually a state where societal ills are being literally covered with cosmetics, but on the upside, there is also a prize for those that use their voices to fight for a better way of life, protests as we know have been one of the most powerful tools that has changed the directions of administrations for the better. 

There are bad guys everywhere, both in the real world and even in movies, and they come in different forms with various motives only to satisfy their selfish and clandestine purposes. In the real world however, the quest for material gains for self over others or at the detriment of the needy brings out the evil in them, thus diminishing the tendencies of making the world a better place. surprisingly, lurking in every corner are certain good people that have enormous gifts and powers, strong enough to cause a positive change to stop the bad guys from letting the people perish, but astonishingly, they just keep quiet.

In Nigeria for instance, it is very obvious even to the blind that the country is currently in a state of emergency. There are no good roads, there is massive unemployment, there is poor medical care, there isn't adequate power supply, the education is abysmal, corruption thrives, human rights are being abused, security of lives and properties isn't guaranteed, and still the government and prominent Nigerians act as if all is well, while poverty and hunger ravages the land to the extent that Nigeria is being considered the poverty capital of the world, despite the fact that she is rich in plenty resources. Ironically, many rich and powerful Nigerians seem unperturbed, perhaps because they have all the privilege they need, or maybe they know not the extent of their influence. They don't seem to realize how greatly their voice can help amplify the protests of the surprisingly bold youths.

"Courage, kindness, friendship, character. These are the qualities that define us as human beings, and propel us, on occasion, to greatness"...R.J Palacio (Wonder) (1963-) American author and graphic designer.

Having Honour

It is not only amazing how some groups of people constantly try to conceal truths in the glare of blinding 'apparence', but the effrontery to assume that a people can be suppressed especially in such an unintelligent way, worse still, literally calling citizens fools to their faces.

Human evolution has come a really long way as curiosity, necessity and  countless discoveries have helped catapult technology to a whole new level. It is no accident that we find ourselves in the jet age where information moves with the speed of light, where you can hold a multi-member meeting with every participant at various locations around the world, and where you can watch live streams in space, not to talk of 3 D printing, robotics, driverless cars and drones with pin point accuracy. 

These achievements are all results of the strength of faith, belief and the power of will of remarkable humans, people of great courage, and most importantly, true men of honour, deserving accolades and immortalization. Now, can you dare imagine how far talented people will go if they were all led by visionaries,  you also may conceive the extent their progress would be if they were motivated by charismatic leaders that celebrate excellence and not mediocrity. Also, it is not only dishonorable to be quiet in the face of injustice, it makes the onlookers complicit.

"If you're reading this...congratulations, you're alive. If that's not something to smile about, then I don't know what is"...Chad Sugg (Monsters under your Head) (1986 - ) American singer and song writer.

We Must Be Hopeful

Hope is an audacious act of courage as opposed to fear of both the known and the unknown, which is bred by lack of faith. It has been scientifically proven that being hopeful brightens our day and livens our spirits, giving us a reason to look forward to better days.

It is the power of hope that encourages us to wake up each morning to show up at work by all means necessary in order to make a difference and also make the world a bit better each day. It is hope that lets us choose love as our line of defense against hate, religious intolerance, tribal conflicts and makes us choose to constructively criticize rather than expressly condemn. It is hope that things can and will get better that causes youths to protest peacefully on the streets to create massive awareness for a much needed change.

We really must be hopeful, and creative in our approach. It has become imperative that the government must be led by the ideas and proactive actions of the populace. The talents, treasures and time of the citizens need to be systematically harnessed to create prosperity, unity and justice, this way our hope rather than perish, will energize and lift us up.

Thank you.

Akin Abimbola

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SOURCES: Brainy Quote, Google, Goodreads, Holy Bible, Unsplash, Wikipedia

This article is an original piece by the author. It was reasonably researched, contains considerable opinion and is composed in the unique style of the author. The names in the published stories are usually coincidental, except for news and quotes, which are typically referenced.

IS(N'T) NIGERIA FAILING???

 

"Failure is not failure unless we fail to learn  from it"...Craig D Lounsbrough An American licensed professional counsellor, and ordained by the Evangelical Church Alliance.

Knowledge, Wisdom and Understanding (K,W&U)!

Isn't it amazing to know that development and technological advancement has leaped forward a hundred fold in the past decade compared to the last century. It's definitely a good thing King Solomon summoned the courage to make the perfect request from God, otherwise where would we be without the KW&U?

New discoveries have been made, new inventions have been created and quite a number have been patented, many commendable people have helped us have genuinely brand new perspectives on various issues about our lives and our environment. Summarily, we have accumulated so much knowledge, wisdom and understanding about life through the experiences, which by the way includes failures and mistakes of courageous people that have challenged the status quo, only to realize it only gets better.

A school of thought describes this period of our lives as the wisdom age, a gargantuan metamorphosis from the stone age, especially in developed nations. However, what on earth qualifies a nation to operate in a wisdom age, talk more of being developed?

I guess it is simple even in a troubled and seemingly complicated world. Developed nations have graduated through the stone age, agrarian age, Industrial age and the Information age, only to arrive at a semblance of the top of the food chain, the wisdom age, a territory belonging to the great eagle, which hovers over the earth, carefully navigating both calm and rough terrains, as if to supervise activities going on down below.

Developed nations operate in the wisdom age because they are truthful to themselves as they align with the principles that govern the earth. They embrace top notch education and research, they inspire their citizens to be creative by providing enabling environment for them to thrive, and they reward excellence and integrity. All these actions are an aftermath of painful failures in the past, which has served as experience from lessons learned. The bottom line here is that developed nations have taken the initiative to practically let their citizens know that they are powerful, important and that governance is about them.

"Action expresses priorities"...Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) Indian Lawyer, Politician, social activist and writer who became the leader of the Nationalist movement against the British rule of India.

What have we done?

Back in Nigeria, the ongoing activities and the way the country is being run has enlightened Nigerians and the entire world baffled enough to ask 'What is really going wr(on)g? 

Without prejudice, I make bold to say (or reiterate) that corruption rages the land like wig fire, illiteracy complements it, poverty amplifies it, not to talk of the heightened presence of obvious insecurity, kidnapping, terrorism, poor healthcare, unemployment, bad roads, I wish the list of grim milestones wasn't longer, but it definitely works my nerve to keep mentioning the ills of the society, moreover, I don't want to diminish my apparent dedication to constructive criticism.

To add salt to the already festering injury, the government has failed to be realistic with current happenings and adapt to the change of the times. I don't know for a fact whether it is the wrong people that are in government, or if they just lack the political will to build strong and sustainable institutions and infrastructure, but one conspicuous fail is that there priorities when it comes to policies and administration is systematically flawed.

The representatives of government have proven that they are not financially intelligent by the ways they spend money, their lack of creative and smart money making strategies, their lack of accountability, shady procurements of overpriced luxuries without sustainable value in the glare of poor and deprived citizens, corruption, and their flagrant disregard of the citizens with the ways they borrow monies from international financial institutions at ridiculous terms, a debt liability for future administrations and generation.

"Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth"...Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American Naturalist, essayist, Philosopher and poet.

Power and purpose of Truth

The current bewilderment that has added flesh to a sustained negative stereotype raises questions such as 'Are Nigerian elites deliberately depriving the citizens of skills and education in order to weaponize poverty'? or 'Are they simply blind to see that they stink with arrogance and mediocrity'? or 'Are they wicked as a result of pure evil'? I am sure it is pretty hard to say, but one thing is for sure, a majority of them do not tell the truth.

"What's done is done, what's gone is gone. One of life's lessons is always moving on. It's okay to look back to see how far you've come, but keep moving forward"...Roy T Bennet. A thought leader, that shares positive thoughts and creative insights.

We Move

No matter what happens, in as much as nature isn't in a hurry, life keeps moving forward. One of the most beautiful things that life teaches us is that things get better, especially when we choose to live deliberately and look out for the good in people and situations as their beauty is revealed.

The belief that things will get better has driven many a men to find solutions to problems, and challenge the greatest obstacles in order to add colour to humanity and quality to life. The hope that things will get better has kept many people alive, keeping the faith that there is indeed light at the end of any dark tunnel, and true to the quests, they were right.

The greatest achievements such as end to slavery, women's right to be visible, to vote and be active, dark skinned people's right to vote in America, end to police brutality and not to make little, were initiated by courageous people inconvenienced themselves by risking their lives to protest peacefully in order to get the government's attention for a clamour for the much needed change in the most civil and constitutional way. 

even when some bad elements of government that vowed to serve the people resist the protesters both psychologically and lethally, the truth bares its face, and yet the movement stands strong with a momentum second to none. This is because, when we look back at how far we have come, and with all the progress we have made, we realize that it is too late to turn back, only cowards do that.

"And now these three remain: Faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love"...1 Corinthians. 13:13

Love thy Neighbours...

I cannot, even in light years fully explain what love is, I doubt if anyone has ever even scratched it's surface. Yet many have tried in their own unique way analyzed it, perhaps it is too sacred to analyze, or maybe we are just unworthy to understand it talk less explain it.

All I know is that love is a beautiful thing, feeling, expression or whatever fills the gap in the context you choose to lay it. Love heals, melts hearts, forgives and really does conquers all. Love lets you look out for not just your family, but also neighbours and even strangers.

It may interest you to know that Rotary International, Red Cross, Salvation Army and many more foundations like Bill and Melinda foundation give billions of Dollars worth of gifts and services to poor and less privileged people that they don't know around the world, solving many problems, touching and saving lives, boosting economies and raising hopes of hopeless people ravaged by hunger and war.

If such organizations can do such amazing things, how much more responsible should the government be? The government collects taxes, exports resources, require citizens to pay for services, yet refuses to be held accountable for their shortcomings that has resulted in so much poverty that the citizens are hungry and angry. 

If only the government embraces wisdom enough to realize that love is required to lead the nation. If they choose to love the citizens, they will ensure that office holders hold office by excellence, so that competent people can build the National Institutions. 

Isn't embarrassing enough to know that a massively oil rich nation such as Nigeria is the poverty capital of the world and hugely infested with terrorism, making it relatively unsafe to live freely, yet the leaders have the effrontery to try to attract foreign investors.

Is Nigeria failing? The truth is this type of question will not be necessary if we get to work right now, and be true to ourselves in what we really have to do.

Thank you.

Akin Abimbola

Support us:

Subscribe to comment on, and share our content.

Twitter: @akinzogee

Facebook: Critical Lyric by Akin Abimbola

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Did we make your day? Then spread the word, tell them it happened here. Become a fan, follow us and share our content.

You too can become a Critical Lyricist!

Talk to us, tell us what we missed, and what you think.

Be grateful for being alive, and let your content flow.

Remember that you are special, and you have something good to give to the  world and humanity.

SOURCES: Brainy Quote, Google, Goodreads, Holy Bible, The Light in the heart, Walden, Wikipedia

This article is an original piece by the author. It was reasonably researched, contains considerable opinion and is composed in the unique style of the author. The names in the published stories are usually coincidental, except for news and quotes, which are typically referenced.