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At 44 years of Independence, our nation Nigeria is still far from realising her manifest destiny. Nigeria is like a house built on sinking sand. A nation in tears but with the abundance human and natural resources.
Nigeria who should be a land of abundance for all people, a beacon of hope for the black people everywhere, and a major player of global political economy. But Nigeria is found wanting in all of the above mentioned abilities. In our case it seems that we are trapped in the potentially great zone.
Our per capita income is nothing to take home or lament on because we are expected to be one of the countries with the lowest economy and social indicators are in dismal. Our physical and social infrastructures are in disrepair and our people are increasingly pensive, irritable and disillusioned to the breaking point.
For us to move forward as a people’s nation, as a building with solitude all these bad attitudes of ours must change. But change cannot be wished into being. All hands must be on deck; we must work hard for a possible positive change, and we are sure to have some work to do. Our tasks have been compounded by decades of misrule, by shallow policy choices, by pervasive corruption, among other things.
Such heavy combinations of bad omens in my country have only lead us to under-development and more still poverty of abject nature. However, this vicious cycle we must break together as a people. We all have our stakes and roles to play in revitalising this great nation and in making it work again.
It is a hard task indeed but the reward of hard work they say is greater than hard work itself. We frittered away the opportunities of pulling our potentials together for our independence. Many decades had passed and today, we are all witnesses to the outcome of it. Losing faith and hope in everything, in politics, in people, in institutions and in the country.
It is hard to blame us for our past but cynicism is easy. The hard part is thinking of ways out of the bind and working for change when I mean change I mean the real change, transformation and rebirth.
Change is the medicine we need for our moving forward, and the change can be adopted in selfless service, honesty, sincerity, dedication, hard work, and commitment.
My father once told me this story, a story that motivates me and it goes like this: An old man planted an apple tree, people laughed at him and said:” Why do you plant this tree? Many years it will take to get fruits and by that time you are already died?” The old man replied them thus:” I know that I wouldn’t be alive to eat the fruit of this my tree, but after many years those who will eat from this tree will be grateful to me.” I learnt so many lessons from this story it gives me a hint about selfless service and its meaning.
Selfless service does not look for personal gains. It is giving and the joy derived from it is incomparable. For one to live authentically in this life you must live part of your life selflessly. The very aim of our living is to liberate man from his dilemma. Liberation and selfless service begins with you and me today.
Nigeria will be better if we act and work towards eradicating corruption and make Nigeria great and a happy society free of poverty.
Make it real.
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Writer Profile
Henry Ekwuruke
Henry Ekwuruke is Executive Director of the Development Generation Africa International.
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Comments
[10] clarita zarate | Mar 16th, 2005
THIS SAYS THE MOST! I SAY THAT WE LIVE BY WHAT YOU SUST SAID. EVERYONE OF US. THEONLY REASON ONE APPEARSMOREBEAUTIFUL THAT ANOTHER IS BECAUSE ONE HAS TAKEN FROM ANOTHER AND TRIED TO JUSTIFY BY MAKING HIMSELF LOOK BETTER. THAN COME THE CHILDREN OF OPPRESSION WHO REALLY DON'T KNOW HOW THEY GOT THERE. ALL THEY GROW UP KNOWING IS THAT THEY ARE NOT AS GOOD BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT THEY HEAR AND HOW THEY ARE TREATED. THE ONES WHO TREAT THEM THAT WAY GROW UP HEARING "YOU ARE BETTER THAN THEM' BY THE ONES WHO COMMITTED THE CRIME THUS THEY LDON'T KNOW EITHER. THEY REAL LOOSERS ARE THE ONES WHO COMMIT CRIMES OF INJUSTICE AGAINST OTHERS AND THE WINNERS ARE THE ONES WHO SUFFER THE MOST IN THIS WORLD AND BECOME AWARE OF THE TRUTH.. BUT THERE SHOULD NOT BE WINNERS AND LOOSERS. WE ARE ALL THE SAME. THIS IS A NEW SILENT GLOBAL MOVEMENT UNLIKE ANY OTHER. WE SHARE ONE NAME ONLY. THAT NAME IS"WE ARE ALL THE SAME'. WE CANNOT BE DESTROYED BECAUSE NO ONE CAN SEE US. OUR MINDS ARE CONNECTED IN PURPOSE SO WE SHARE THE SAME THOUGHT AND NO ONE CAN HEAR US BECAUSE WE DON'T NEED TO SPEAK TO HEAR ONE ANOTHER. THEY CAN NOT DESTROY US BECAUSE WE ARE SCATTERED ALL OVER THE EARTH. THEY CAN TELL WHO WE ARE BECAUSE WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT COLORS. THEY CANNOT TURN US ONE AGAINST THE OTHER BECAUSE WE KNOW THE TRUTH AND OUR HEARTS ARE BONDED WITH THE STRONGEST GLUE OF ALL 'LOVE' . WE ARE ALL AGES THEREFORE WE HAVE STREGTH AND WISDOM. AND HARMONY .WE ARE MOVING FORWARD AND WE CAN FEEL IT, NO ONE HAS TO TELL US. WE ARE NOT COMPETING WE ARE JUST HOLDING ON AND LETTING THE WIND BLOW US BY THE HARMONY WE GREATE AS ONE PEOPLE. THOSE IN POWER WHO ARE GREEDY WILL BE LEFT BEHIND OUT OF THEIR OWN CHOICE TO FACE THEIR OWN SADNESS.
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