The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do the unthinkable, unimaginable and ready to sacrifice for the benefit of others. They are the ones who have trained their minds to let go of everything they fear to lose. It will start with deep thinking and reflection, followed by reading widely to understand issues that shaped and still shaping the world. These are attributes of leaders. Not those that pretend to lead.
Reflective thinking means taking the bigger picture and understanding all of its consequences. It doesn’t mean that you’re just going to simply write down your future plans or what you’ve done in the past. It means truly trying to understand why you did what you did, and why that’s important. Yours truly was in such reflective mood and as I was ruminating on so many issues, I stumbled on what can be described as Lamentations of a senior citizen.
Find below the statement attributed to Chief Fred Ajudua:- “All the exotic homes I built in Ibusa, Eleme and Lagos with about 30 rooms at the time of ignorance are dilapitating today.
Over 40 other commercial buildings are unkept or uncompleted.
The son I was busy acquiring all that for, is not interested and has started building his own empire. So am l the one that will start renovating and completing all that projects at over 60 years?
How many more years do l have to live, maybe 25 to 30 at the most, depending on God’s wish, it could be less or more. So we must begin to realize the emptiness and folly of our ephemeral struggles, unhealthy competition and primitive accumulation of wealth.
We must begin to change our psychology and perception of living.”-Chief Fred Ajudua.
If the above statement is truly from Fred Ajudua, then, hope is intact. The mind restructuring advocacy is alive. There is hope for a new Nigeria that we can be proud of if we alter the mindset that “things will never be good” and rather think of how to make them good.
Suffice to say that it is almost a regular practice now to celebrate those notorious for corruption and financial crimes, such that those accused are not only revered and elevated by social and religious institutions, societies also elect them into otherwise respectable offices.
As bad it is, things can still turn around. Nations of the world, especially the ones we know today as great nations, have had hard times in the histories of their making. The Americans, for instance, have had very bad moments at some point in their national life. It is on record that there were periods when the Americans werehelplessly submerged in a security mess and political madness, so much that they had their presidents assassinated one after the other.
The Chinese have had their bitter days as well. There was a time when China was crumbling in misery, degradation and despair. But the story is different today.
A common thread runs through the stories of all the nations that have had a transit from their ugly past; they all got fed up with their situation and decided to act. The Americans wanted a change, they gave up all their personal comforts and self-seeking drives to have it, and they did. The Chinese desired a change, they staked their individual safety and pleasure to have it, and they did.
Admittedly, changing Nigeria is not an easy task. It requires we jettison our primordial sentiments that remind us of our differences and deepen the gulf of religion and ethnicity. It requires that each one of us resolved to do the right thing at all times in our little corner. It is a tedious, turbulent but honourable journey that begins with each one of us taking one bold step. NIGERIA WILL RISE AGAIN… ARISE ‘O COMPATRIOTS.
Richard Odusanya is a Social Reform Crusader and the convener of AFRICA COVENANT RESCUE INITIATIVE ACRI.
