America is a beautiful country. They call themselves ‘God’s own country’. It is a collage of every tribe and race in the world; making it highly diverse. Friends and foes stay awake when any event is taking place in the US; especially the Presidential elections, because the political choice America makes has far reaching implications on the economic, social and political lives of several countries across the globe..
Nigeria is a beautiful country too. Only this time we don’t know what to call her; maybe God’s own village or perhaps ‘egunje’ country. Once more, what we learnt from the Yankees is that the beauty of their democracy mirrors our wretched political system. You see the ambience and smell the aroma of their democracy-it’s a sweet smelling savor, and then you try a sniff at ours, you quickly discover that it is putrid.
When you look in the mirror, you ought to see your sweet face. But what happens when the reverse is the case, where rather than seeing your face, you are staring at a Dracula? Nigerians gazed at the American democratic mirror with such intensity over the past few months, and the emerging picture is not just the beauty of God’s own country. What we actually see is the utter wretchedness and stuttering of a promising but consistently under-performing giant–another God’s own country becoming an ‘egunje’ country.
Nigeria is America and America is Nigeria. This juxtaposition is so true, yet it could be dismissed with a wave of the hand. It is akin to having a good dream and a nightmare in one fell swoop.
Full of promise and potential, one falters while the other soars.
In the wake of the most expensive elections in United States history ($5.8 billion, the presidential race by itself cost about $2.5 billion) the world was spun into a lather that only a washing machine would be envious of as the results came tumbling out of polling centres. After a nail biting campaign, it appeared the world was relieved to see Barrack Hussein Obama declared President for the second time, matching Bill Clinton’s achievement in that respect.
While the twitter chatter was abuzz with the results of his victory and the near hysteria that many Nigerians exuded, others were left bewildered. Some went on to ask how his victory will put food on their tables, others threw bile at those celebrating simpletons, others couldn’t see any good in his election (ala FFK).
But while they cursed and swore, we must admit that the United States of America has always been held in giddy affection by most of the world for its sheer openness and strong promotion of diversity.
God bless America! That is the popular refrain from the Americans, both from their leaders and their citizens-the power of positive confession. Little wonder they are so blessed.
America is the world’s greatest democracy .This is a heritage from their founding fathers, who through foresight laid a solid foundation that makes America God’s own country, a model for the world, beacon of light to the oppressed, an epitome of freedom, openness and liberty-virtues sorely lacking in most parts of the world including Nigeria.
While our founding fathers dithered, and their succeeding sons squandered, the standard became mediocrity. Theirs bequeathed them a mantra- in God we trust.
It’s from the Americans we first heard of democracy been “government of the people, by the people, for the people”. Their Declaration of independence says “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”.
It is a testament to this declaration that America today has as its president the first black man in the White House. But it wasn’t always easy for them. They fought a civil war and emerged stronger for it, as they dealt with the issues that caused it rather than running away from it. They fought racism and racial segregation; and we heard one of history’s most inspiring of speeches- I have a dream. They fought for the rights of the woman and thus came Roe Vs Wade. They have set landmarks which will be nigh impossible for other nations to come close to.
Millions look to America, and they see hope, they see that by dint of hard work anybody can make it. It doesn’t matter if you had no shoes growing up. What is paramount to them is that when you have your shoes, help others to also have theirs. It’s a country where you can live your dreams, where you do not need god fathers to become successful either by zoning formula or being from the largest tribe, but by the sheer force of your idea and the abiding constancy of your dreams, you can rise to the highest office in the land by the ballot box. It’s a culture that honors ability and competence over age, tribe or religion.
In America, we see what we can become, but we are not. When we see a Barrack Obama and rejoice, we also know that it will never affect the price of garri in the market. What we see is an audacity of hope that if it can happen in that country we too must demand that such standards must be applied to our clime; challenging the culture of mediocrity, mendacity and impunity that pervades the land.
Truth be told, American is not perfect; never will be. But at every point of their lives, they understand the need to fix a broken system whenever they notice stagnation, leading them to enact several amendments to their constitution, they have passed landmark laws that have redefined and retooled their society and released it on the path of cutting edge leadership.
They might accept homosexuals (now called gays) to be married or even run for office. They might legalize marijuana (something we will recoil at). But they are an accommodating nation. Its’ a nation bursting at the seams with creativity– the good, the bad and the ugly.
Nigeria will never be America, we will always be Nigeria. But what type of Nigeria do we want to be? What values do we want to promote and hold on to? What is the Nigerian dream? Do we want to continue in this political circus, or do we want to toe the path where life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunities for each according to ability or achievement regardless of social class or circumstances of birth or even geopolitical location? What we have so far is a fuzzy dream. We don’t yet know where we are going, so any road is okay, any man can become President, Governor or Legislator by hook or crook.
America is strong and virile because it has accommodated people from all over the world. It is constantly a society with a cross fertilization of ideas, constantly improving, constantly bringing forth innovations that keeps the world in awe–the land of the Apple, Google, Microsoft, General Electric. Because they have a roadmap, they are arguably the most advanced nation on earth.
The similarities between both nations are many, but the chasm in differences is cavernous. They love truth, openness and service with a severe distaste for corruption. Ours is the complete opposite.
Americans tend to honor wealth creators as long as they know they’ve helped themselves and others openly and honestly. These billionaires pay huge taxes and release basic information about their personal wealth and income without any compulsion. Our billionaires and elites are untouchables. Overnight, we see them on the scene flaunting their wealth. No questions asked, no issues brokered. We keep mum and they ride rum. They help nobody, not even the communities where they do business, they fund no initiatives that will transform the society, offer no scholarships of note, and start no endowments.
On another note it is fascinating to watch their Presidents go prematurely grey. Clinton, George W Bush and Obama went grey very quickly in the White House. They work hard for their people. Rather than thinking of how to corner oil blocks, they have vowed to protect their territorial integrity and will not cede an inch to another.
America issues us the challenge of a paradigm shift. Their declaration of independence is a text book case of joining forces together to break free from oppressive impostors and combining to form a new nation.
The revolution or change that we seek must come from an avalanche of social, political, and intellectual transformation in the society which will sweep away the lies of the impostors.
When a nation is unable to raise the next level of leaders to the cutting edge, then that nation is on the way to fossilization. Like the dinosaur, it will progressively become extinct.
We can imitate America, not in the entirety of its lifestyle, but in its triumphalism over mediocrity, injustice and oppression.
We can draw inspiration from them by holding steadfast the content of a person’s character and competence rather than where he comes from.
So if these impostors who are in truth bandits, and are in a large way unrepresentative of the people, whose words have no fire and thus cannot inspire, then we as a people must force the advantage.
As Seneca rightly put it “it is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult”.
Until we come to a great awakening, we the people of Nigeria will be unable to challenge the status quo, we have to begin the ground war, run from a vast network of community organizing. That’s how they threw away the impostors and colonialists more than two hundred years ago.
We must trade this coughing jalopy of a country for a new one and emerge by ourselves a redeemed people.
Someone will have to depose them, and what brave soul is up for that job?
Their reign is over. Let’s organize for Nigeria. Sign up! Wake up, it’s time to etch the Nigerian dream.
I am involved @oheguridu
No comments:
Post a Comment