limestone, niobium, lead and zinc. In terms of geography, the nation is ranked 32nd largest country in the world. The former British colony is not only blessed with favorable weather condition with little or no natural disasters but also a landlord of a vast arable land for the purpose of agriculture.
With so much endowment, one would expect the 12th largest producer and the 8th largest exporter of petroleum in the world to be one of the strongest economies in the world; but reverse is the case. After 50 years of independence and close to 13 years of democracy, the nation is still crawling: an average Nigerian lives below a dollar per day; there is massive unemployment, poor health care services, lack of (or let me say inadequate) basic social amenities and infrastructure, dysfunctional education system. All these among others constitute the curriculum vitae of the nation.
Many a time, I have asked myself why a nation with so much enjoys little or nothing. Interestingly, the answer is not far-fetched. "Blame it on poor leadership, non-performing, corrupt public office holders, a system of government designed for theft and exploitation, a destructive, selfish, greedy and wasteful cabal that run the affairs of the country". This, most people claim is the reason behind Nigeria’s retarded growth and development. I do not object to that school of thought but I make bold to say that Nigeria’s failure to be a home where dreams come true is because of a large number of crippled minds occupying it.
Yes! We all can point accusing fingers to the government. We can put the blame on a mega-party built on falsehood, deceit and negative motives. We can blame it on the effect of military governments in the country. We can blame it on a political-prisoner turned democratic President who attempted to amend the constitution for his self purpose. We can throw stones at the man who hand-picked a man struggling with health issues to assume office as the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of a vast and complicate country like Nigeria. Furthermore, we can continually bite our fingers for voting in a man (who, as a child had no shoes to wear but now own several private jets) for the state of chaos and disorganization in the nation. Yet, the truth lies in the fact that our national problem is more that the indecisiveness, inaction, lack of wisdom, ineptness of an individual or a group of individuals but the contribution of crippled minds to the state of the nation.
Our nation is in such a sorry state because most people possess a crippled mind. They are everywhere: religious centers, in our streets, schools, hospitals, companies, financial institutions, student unions, trade unions, civil service, military, public offices etc. These are people who are dogged to fulfill their own selfish desires at the expense of their relatives, neighbors, employers, employees, customers, consumers, business partners, shareholders, leaders, followers, citizens, country and the world at large.
What will you say about the management of one of the most popular and patronized fast foods in Lagos that refused to pay its workers’ December, 2011 salary not until January 22. 2012 (and is yet to pay January salary at the time of writing this article? For crying out loud I have never seen someone visit a popular eatery to by food on credit. So, why does that fast food management treat its workers like the colonial masters treated us? It is only a crippled mind that refuses to pay its workers’ salary when due.
What will you also say about the Vice-Chancellor that shut the gates of a citadel of learning because students protested against his astronomical increase in fresher’s acceptance fee from two thousand naira to twenty thousand naira without a concrete reason? Will a gifted brain that knows the effect of disrupting a higher institution’s academic calendar make such decision? Only crippled minds that have greed, selfishness, lack of sympathy to the common man, lack of vision and direction running in their veins can make such a decision.
What is your view about a university lecturer that dubs materials from the internet, mandates his students to buy it, and award marks based on that without testing their knowledge on topic treated? With little or no contribution to the academic excellence of the students, he embarks on a compulsory holiday (hiding under the umbrella that the government failed to implement his salary increase policy) at the expense of the student’s progress. He is short-sighted, lazy, and lacks will and passion for his job. Such an individual possess a crippled mind.
Really, I need someone to tell me what he feels about a student who fails to attend classes but parties instead; who eventually gets caught for examination malpractice. Or a student that chooses to trade in drugs and alcohols, as well as practicing cultism? He or she doesn’t see beyond the present; people like that lack sense of purpose and direction in life. They also possess a crippled mind.
I need not mention public office holders that amass wealth at the expense of the masses. I need not write about the incompetent leader who does not know how to communicate his vision to his followers; that chooses to apply force in a democratic government against his own electorates. Such a person is not worth to be my head boy, talk less of my class captain. Any one that lacks the ability to think before he talks, make consultations before he make decisions, cannot communicate his visions clearly has a crippled mind.
Nigeria is so blessed that so many crippled minds dominate the helm of her affairs. They constitute individuals that lack character, quality service, honesty, excellence, diligence, wisdom, fair judgment, courage, the appropriate leadership skills, integrity, creativity, uniqueness etc. These are individuals that promote terrorism, ethnic and religious crises. Until we flush out these individuals in our homes, schools, places of worship, leadership positions, civil service, and public offices Nigeria’s breakthrough as a nation is just a fairy tale.
Our country can only move forward when we (as individuals and as a nation) decide to be at the right place at the right time, do the right thing at the right time, and speak the right words at the right time, irrespective of the reward or consequences. Only by so doing can we build a Nigeria where dreams come true and visions are accomplished.
God bless Nigeria
By Olabode Emmanuel
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