Time wasted can never be regained
My father says this in Latin because it was drummed into his head as a kid. He beams with pride when he says it, I assume because it is a thing of pride to remember something so important.
In Nigerian history, there are many periods that arouse emotions: the first coup, counter coup, the civil war, numerous military governments, the annulment of Abiola’s election. But perhaps the most disastrous period (to the Republic) is that extended period of time when most of the previous generation just gave up on the political arena.
You see, most of the previous generation got married (and began to have kids) in the 80s. This had a domino effect on the pursuit of liberty and equality. The struggle against tyranny and oppression is infinitely more difficult if you have a vulnerable three year old to protect. Whether you like it or not, that burden of responsibility (consciously or unconsciously) prevents many people, that would otherwise have been at the forefront of the republican war, from participating in that war and gives others a ‘legitimate’ reason to not participate.
Truthfully, it was perhaps an understandable position to take. Fresh from a civil war and numerous military coups, most people focused on the accumulation of wealth and status for themselves and their families as perhaps, a subconscious search for normalcy and peace. Death and rumours of death permeated the landscape and though many Nigerians realized that all was not well with our nation, very few were interested enough to change the political scope.
This citizen apathy towards the events affecting this country has had consequences. It resulted in many of the last generation believing that national progress was a pipe dream and the focus might as well be on material gain. This is exemplified by the attitude of parents towards education (study hard so you can make money later) or the current mentality of this generation (an exuberant pursuit of material things). Which, again, to be fair, is understandable. For many of us, we have seen poverty and the lot of the destitute, we have seen how dignity is stripped from the have nots and we never want that to be our fate. This chase results from the previous generation allowing the nation to fall into chaos.
Tragically, I think this generation is in danger of making the very same mistake. We have pursed an individualistic and materialistic view of the world, so much so that we may have lost sight of our moral obligation to our people. We are pursuing wealth and family as means to escape the Nigerian condition and though I do not think that we are consciously doing this (although some people are), it is still profoundly dangerous and we must consider the consequences of our decisions. It may be a subconscious response to the environment. When we find love, we are loathe to let it go and in times/environments of adversity and despair, love gives us hope. Love is our escape.
But, I implore us to see beyond the despair. If we continue to pursue our individualistic goals without any plan for connecting it to the salvation of the republic, we are dooming millions of our people to a painful life. Equally as important is that we make concerted efforts to move the black continent into a position of world superpower, not just for reasons of glorification but as a beacon of pride and identity to all black men and women across this vast blue rock we call earth. This dream of continental progress will require no small sacrifice and we need to be willing to make these sacrifices (if only for a short time).
And some people have begun to make these internal sacrifices in pursuit of that ideal. Some have sworn not to marry or have children forever, others have sworn for a period of time. Others still have fought their personal desires for material glory and have decided to join the political battle in some form or the other. But the thing is, not all sacrifices have to be as drastic as these are. There is ALWAYS safety in numbers and if we want this to work as quickly as we would like it work, then it is absolutely imperative that you buy in to this. That you join the conversations in many ways, that you find (and join) political groups and unify to support political candidates. That we are willing to go the extra mile to fulfill a goal.
I know this is not going to be easy. The allure of love, wealth and family is strong and it is beautiful to see many of you in my generation finding love and happiness. But, as much as we may want to deny it, as much as we might want to run from it, we have a job to do. Though we may try, we cannot hide behind apathy or fear forever. Destiny still needs her champions and if we refuse to pick up the gauntlet then it will be our children or our children’s children that will bear this burden.
This war is not only winnable, it is vastly easier to do so now than at any other point in Nigerian history. Our parents did not have this luxury: of instant communication, not only across the country, but across the world. In our pursuit of truth, love and happiness, let us also see the beauty in justice and contribute to the realization of it. This republic has seen so much pain, her people deserve retribution and paradise.
