Date Published: 05/25/09
FLAME OF CHANGE
by Imohimi Uduigwome Airenevboise
All Nigerians in Nigeria do is whine, write and complain about the bad economy and government. That is what I deduced from a comment posted by a Nigerian who I believe is somewhere outside the shores of our great country Nigeria populated with good people. Now it’s quite obvious to see his anger, other African nations like Ghana and South Africa seem to be the Captain for growth in Africa while our dear country Nigeria is like an old man who has guzzled too much alcohol and is wondering why kids no longer give him his due respect.
Our brother in question had mooted the idea that Nigerians should be out on the streets demonstrating against bad governments at all levels; Federal, State and Local Government. He is tired of all the lovely articles and the misery on the faces of Nigerians, sick of his fellow Nigerians wallowing in the mud of poverty while politicians saturate themselves in milk of wealth stolen from the people. I am sure there are many who would not raise an eyebrow if the Rawlings revolution is introduced into our Nation.
I agree we should do more than write, but we must write. Those of us who can write about the ills in Nigeria should not shy away from doing so. Each of us has to do something, we cannot and should not just sit and wait for God to change Nigeria for us. The dismantling of the road blocks to the White House for Obama to become the President of the United States of America did not just start with Rev Martin Luther King Jr, we had others like Rosa Parks, all those who responded to the Montgomery bus boycott contributing their own little portion to what has paved the way for not only President Obama’s victory but the victory of all African Americans. In Nigeria we must all contribute our quota towards our emancipation from our present political pilots.
The other day a Nigerian in one of the Northern states in Nigerian was bold enough to tell his Governor, straight to his face that all the projects he claimed to have commissioned were fake. He failed to get support, even from the usually vociferous human rights groups; today he is in jail because he stood for the truth. He was tired of all the lies, tired of all the corruption and tired of all the failed promises. He did his part, but have we done our own part, we complain about corrupt politicians but what have we done to expose them? Did we raise our voice to support the man who was bold enough to confront his Governor? Did we write to complain about this gross injustice?
In Nigeria we are still in the embryonic stage of developing the consciousness and the will power of the people; that they have the power to effect changes. That was the consciousness that was existing in America that made change possible, and that is what we need in Nigeria. There has to be a clear understanding that change is possible before we can even move to the stage of effecting a change. So many times we hear comments like ‘its their time” or ‘God will do it for us” Let me make it clear that I am not in any way disputing the fact that God cannot make a change but left to Nigerians God should do all the work while they lay on the golden sand of bar beach relaxing to the rhythmic waves of the Ocean. God will not do for us what he has given us the power to do!
Happily we have reached a stage where are politicians and their cronies dread the mere mention of their names in any scandal, especially on Nigerian online news sites, but these online site managed by Nigerians should go the extra mile and have a hall of shame and a hall of honour where Nigerians can nominate politicians for the two halls and post comments/threads. However what will really be nice is for Nigerians abroad to ALWAYS confront out politicians any time they embark on their senseless trips abroad in search of the elusive foreign investor(money laundry trips will actually be the truth).More often than not we find Nigerians abroad drinking and dinning with corrupt politicians instead of asking them why they are always jumping on a jet out of Nigeria instead of staying at home and effecting a positive change in the lives of the people that voted them into power.
If Nigeria must change, then we the people have to be vocal and we have to write. The fourth estate of the realm; the Press failed the Nation; the vibrancy, investigative journalism, exposé and grilling interviews are missing in the Nigerian press. Vital ingredients for the fourth estate to ensure effective checks on the executive, legislature and judiciary. If Nigeria must change, if Nigeria must take its place of pride in Africa, if Nigerians must be a nation its citizens have faith in, then we must sing, write, act, shout, do any little thing that we feel will be the spark to ignite the flame of positive change in Nigeria.
Imohimi Uduigwome Airenevboise
