Pouring the old out and filling in the new
If you are like most Nigerians, political talks and the
beautiful games is always in play when two or three are gathered. Well, some
may disagree to that assumption. Religion; you may be lead to believe is the
domineering topic of agreement. The one-liner religious affirmations is a
mantra that is at the forefront, it seems to be a safe bet if you want to
belong socially. It is the only discussion that is laddered with emotion of
which nuances of change is not even a part of.
What is trending now?
Change as of late is one of the most commonly used word in
Nigeria since the peaceful change of guards and custody of Nigerian polity. The
present dispensation was able to convince the populace that they can do better
and have been given a chance, an opportunity and or a platform to activize
their processes of that which they proffer – CHANGE. My question is, who needs
to change? What needs to change in that which needs change? Or rather, let me
put it in another form; that which needs to change will change from what to
what? And what becomes of that which is changed? Hold on now, stay with me
right here, and just watch this okay.
When do you ask?
There is an aphorism that quite often reminds us not to ask
a question that you do not know the answer to. Alright, I am sure the English
majors here are reeling the stranded preposition “to” at the end of adage.
Forgive me if you will and give me the language liberty to swirl this okay.
Assuming I am understanding and interpreting the change as in expectation of
getting things done right in Nigeria by Nigerians. Mmmh! Huh? I am not sure
specifically what we mean when we say “things” nor am I sure what it means when
we say “right”. Okay, all these aforementioned suppositions are sometimes
relative and sometimes they absolute. What we know to be absolute, to be downright
is the Nigerian part of the text because there are actually a geographical
place called Nigeria and a group of people that identifies as Nigerian.
Well! Is that we are?
According to urban dictionary, Nigerians are the people who
say things like 'akata', 'ewu', 'ah-ah' etc. Here are the links, http://bit.ly/1X6JtIT or here, http://ow.ly/4nnqye. I did not make that up,
take a look for yourselves. Now, to change what we know and can in order
influence the suppositions or that which we do not is the task that must be
done. Change here does not mean a shift in position from where you as a
Nigerian is presently sitting, it does not mean complexion changes as bleaching
of the skin has become a common occurrence. No! There are actions, activities
and methods of operations that we have planted and nurtured for so long that it
has successfully become what we are. There is an air of utter lack of regard
for good order coupled with the fact we typically are willing to walk on anyone
in our path.
Narcissism in all its Glory.
Doubt and argue all you want, the fact that Narcissism is a self-ascribed
definition to every one of us, wherever we may find ourselves as blacks in our
societies and you may do the groups of Narcissistic divisions to your heart
content. Nigerians however; fits into all categories and traits. I will submit
that thing has remained the same in Nigeria for a while now that whatever it is
that is the issues in Nigeria, in other black African countries, societies and
enclaves has a definite form. If change of thing is what we need in these
places and if change of things was to have come, it would have been here
already. The people that are inhabiting these places would have changed
themselves and or changed the things that needed to be changed. Maybe, just
maybe that we do not know how. We do how to change ourselves in order to change
things around us, maybe we actually do not know what to change in us that will
eventually effect changes in what we do.
Who is the teacher?
I can affirm that our present method of operations and
behavior patterns were all learned behavior. We did not invent nor did we discover
it, and we surely did not have practice before process. They were all hand me
down from colonial masters, they were all enforced on us by the colonial
masters, though through surrogates that were known as “para-mount” whatever you
may call it. – Did I hear someone say that “Ichoku” program brought it to our living
rooms? Come on folks, you don’t want me to go into defining what “para….” means.
Here it is, it is ancillary or subsidiary to roles requiring more training. So
when next you see a paramount chief you know it is not original, kapisc? If you
have it and know it then you give it and teach well.
What should we promote?
The change we should be advocating now, from the leadership
to the lowest of recognizable responsibility should be change of self. Yes, you
read that well; “SELF” I mean, if you want to change the world, wouldn’t it be
better that you begin with yourself? You are part of the world aren’t you? I
read in some paper a while back that to change, you must really see yourself as
you truly are then you can break yourself down to build yourself up again. –
Author unknown. Most predominantly black communities and societies are socially
in disarrays. Nigeria for example, lawlessness abounds, creativity is lost, self-awareness
has gone to the dogs, personal responsibility is not a part of the normalcy and
integrity seemed to have hopped in the airplane with the colonial masters as
they were inventorying their last lap.
Since we on the very obvious to the not so obvious, my take
is that the leadership; yes, I said the leadership, not the presidency but the
leadership. Those are “knows” among that should inculcate in those who do not
know that we have to hoist the power of oneness. The values of a single Nigeria
and the competencies of one “us” and then sequence the changes as we get good
at each stage.
Nigerians can change
I have seen it, Nigerians can change; Nigerians can change
because our brain power is higher than that of other instinctual creations of
the source. Nigerians, like other beings needs a modelling. Yes, modelling that
is malleably structured for Nigerians and Nigerians alone, so also all the
other black and or African communities. Like all the other mortals, Nigerians
do adhere to guidelines, rules and regulations - Did I hear someone “WAI”? If
you doubt this assertion then you have never seen Nigerians obey rules and
regulations at the American embassy in Ikoyi or somewhere in Abuja where the
foreign embassies are located, maybe, you have not observed a Nigerian at a
traffic stop here in the good old USA. Ask me why; go ahead, ponder on it and
ask how come they do that in these places that mentioned and do not do same in
the street of Lagos, Port Harcout, or Asaba? Here is the reason,
“CONSEQUENCES”. There are cost and these costs are costly for the long term.
No, the consequences will not tie you to a stake, smear you with honey and let
the flies have their way, no!!! It is close though
Follow through.
In whatever we do in life staying the course brings completion,
finishing a program defines and acceptable process and that in turn walks us
back to correctivity and or lessons learned for negative falsity – now you know
that you can use two negatives correctly right? Check your binary if in doubt. Continuing
with the anecdotal use of the traffic story which in this case is often true,
you will agree with me that going to court to fight traffic charges, paying
fines out of your hard earned money over a flash of the red-light camera at an
intersection and the subsequent increase of you insurance premium is not fun
after all. May the force be with you if in one or two of these occasions, you
are pulled over by a cop after going through a few bottles of Guinness or
Christian brothers as the case maybe, on your way home from one of the
incessant summer parties we tend to attend here and there; aaannnddd, a whiff
of alcoholic air catches the attention of the enforcing office. Looking at the title of this “The
Reciprocist”, we are reminded that life as we know it is based on rewards of
what is put out – Reciprocities of actions, activities, behaviors or utterances
by individual, groups, societies or nations as a collection.
What can be done
These are little things that matter. Life is habitual and
reciprocating you know, you form the habit of doing small things that leads to
other big things and it sticks but you have to start with the small, the
mundane and the micros of life activities before well engage the macros. We have
to sup new characteristics and according to Shakespeare's The Merchant of
Venice, 1596: “The truth will out” or in my word reciprocate. The infinitesimal
moment, no matter how small that repetitively get small things is nevertheless
novel in choice. Optics is very important in human behavioral perception. The fact
that dark skinned us is tagged with physically actioned greed whose ambition is
immediate satisfaction and the vacillation of narcissism is a call for
reassessment. PMB is here now, GEJ graciously stepped aside. “STEPPING ASIDE” actually
is a rare pronunciation in African political parlance. Me thinks that we have
come a long way, we do not need to reinvent the wheel and that it is time the
tag is torn off. The social associative concept of no good reptile and dangerous
porcupine quills leads tacit assumptions that stagnates investments in our
geographical countries, enclaves, communities and societies. That is the reason
the people on the other side of the railway are doing better. If we build us,
they will come.
OJI
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