REVOLUTION! REVOLUTION!! The Clarion Call(?) I’m pretty sure a lot of self-styled, left-wing critics would hiss in disappointment after reading this through to the end, but please; don’t let that stop you from reading. I’ve heard a lot of people say “We need a revolution in this country”. And I have often asked, “what do you mean by revolution?” While some fancy a Che Guevara styled rebellion, others believe the Jerry Rawlings approach is what most suits Nigeria now. But when I ask; “after that, what next?” the conversation most times, goes off at a somewhat puerile and asinine tangent. So you’ve succeeded in “Jerrying” our crop of current leaders, then what’s next? Who takes the place of these leaders? What comes after your revolt? Who captains the ship after the mutiny? Because for a revolution to be successful, there must be a forward plan for what happens after all the action. Historically, every revolution that ever was carried out was done with the aim of replacing an existing order that was seen as corrupt or detrimental to the well-being of the people, with a new order that would perhaps be more favorable. So can there be a successful revolution in Nigeria? For the sake of argument, lemme “Yes” for now, but that is not my final answer, as we’ll now discuss the form and shape of this revolution. And I got this from my good friend and astute social commentator, Iz Omoigberale who in a comment on someone’s post said “We need a mental revolution in Nigeria”. Now obviously, this is the ONLY kind of revolution that may possibly work in Nigeria. We tried the “Jerrying” type early in our history as a nation state and it failed woefully, because it was WRONGLY conceived as an ethnic coup (even though one of the Five Majors who hailed from a different tribe than the others has, years later, clearly attested to the fact that it was not). The fall out of that failed revolution was nothing short of disaster. And nothing much has changed since 1966. If anything, the lines of ethnic divisiveness have become more distinct and much more diverged than before, and the tendency towards balkanization more keen, because now it’s no longer a case of 4 regions and 3 dominant ethnic groups; now every ethnic group clamors to be identified and singled out as a pressure group. So then, who do you want to kill, that his brother or kinsman will not go up in arms against you? How do you balance the revolution vis-à-vis the imbalance in the current political structure? Because, if it boils down to Jerrying the corrupt leaders, how do you do it such that one group or the other does not feel that your indices of selecting those eligible for Jerrying was unfair, and then hold a grudge later and come after you? So, a revolution along those lines, will not work. Therefore, “Mental Revolution”; and I go back to my question (remember I said “Yes for now”) can there be a successful revolution in Nigeria? The answer; NO. Nigeria, as is, is incapable of mental revolution because of one thing; Mental Laziness. Thanks Chuck D Chusuni And it’s a truism. Most Nigerians are mentally lazy. No better platform shows this mental laziness than our social networking media, ESPECIALLY this very one we’re on now. How does one define “mental laziness”? Take the root adjective Lazy, which can be defined as “Unwillingness to do any work or make any effort”, then add the qualifying adjective “mental” and you’ll get that most of us who come on social media to criticize at length the state of the country, rue the ineptitude of the government or bemoan the sorry state of our infrastructure and do all these without one day, proffering even the tiniest suggestion as to what can be done to remedy the situation, are toeing the path of Mental Laziness, because you refuse to, or are unwilling to do any work or make any effort towards thinking up a solution, but are comfortable rehashing the problems day in, day out. And most times, we just regurgitate some unverified pronouncements that we picked up from some unverified source, and without taking the time to do the little research that would ascertain the veracity of those “facts”, we pontificate on them at length. Mental Laziness. In the words of Jack Whyte author of The TEMPLAR TRILOGY; “Only a fool would accept the opinion of others about anything without making some attempt to determine the truth of them for himself”. This is perhaps the worst affliction that can befall a people, because it means that we are unable, or unwilling to foster the mental effort needed to engender an attitudinal change that will catalyze the paradigm shift needed for us to break through the layers of decadence that years of mediocre governance has bestowed on us. At best, we navigate through these layers, crying out at the way things are, praying for the way things ought to be, but content to cry and lament and criticize. And if by some miracle, this mental revolution comes to be, then what next? Who are the leaders to replace our present crop of leaders? Our present crop of youths? Really? Let me make a somewhat sordid reference; how many of those who went for the NIS test were actually “Unemployed” or even “under employed”? Millions of applicants and about 500,000 shortlisted, and majority wanting a “government job” because a government job is one where you come by 10am, sign 8am on the ledger as your resumption time, put in the minimum effort required, then close by 2pm, Monday to Thursday, and on Friday you probably don’t go at all. Then at the end of the month, you’re SURE that you’ll be paid a full month’s salary for putting in “all that effort. Who amongst us reading this, does not hold that notion about a government job? So mental revolution, even if it comes to be, has little hope of surviving the first crop of renaissance leaders that it will put up. So what’s the way forward for Nigeria? The only way forward that I see (strictly my opinion, you don’t necessarily have to agree) is for each individual to undergo a personal revolution. Let’s change Nigeria one citizen at a time. The change you seek begins with the person you see in the mirror when you’re alone in your bathroom in the morning. If we start with the small things like: Do not litter; do not dump refuse indiscriminately; don’t drive against traffic; obey traffic lights even if there’s no policeman at that junction; ensure your vehicle papers are correct and up-to-date; do not offer bribes to policemen on the road; refuse to give inducements to get service which you are rightfully entitled to; refuse to be bribed to render service which you OUGHT rightfully render; do not cheat in examinations; do not offer lecturers inducements for good grades; do not jump a queue or attempt to jump one; stand up to anybody who tries to do so around you; kick against poor service anywhere you go, especially in government establishments; be honest in your dealings with others; dont criticize without proffering a solution; do not lament a corrupt government then demand N12m to partake in a discussion on how to better the country... …and above all, don’t believe everything you read in gossip tabloids and newspapers. Research is key to knowledge, and knowledge is power; the only power we can wield to ensure that the Revolution we seek will come soon. And if we begin by addressing the simple problems with simple solutions, we will one day evolve the mindset and mental acuity needed to tackle the complex myriad of problems that bedevils our country and to effect the much needed institutional change Nigeria needs to undergo for her to thrive. But that institution consists you and I, so we must be agents of the change we want to see. It must start with YOU.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 11:50:51 +0000
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