As we celebrate yet another independence annivesary, I thought about what exactly is the reason behind the celebration.
As people march down to event centres all over the country in the bid to celebrate which to me is a distraction. History has this to say about Nigeria; Nigeria gained her independence in 1960 which means our country is now 52 years, Wow! At 52, much is expected, according to someone, it is a period of contribution, impact and productivity, but looking at the state of our country can we make boost to say that our country is near fulfilment? Or is our country making meaningful contribution to her citizens or the global economy?
With the increasing rate of corruption and unemployment, my question is; What exactly are we celebrating?
From observation of past celebrations, it seems to me that all we celebrate is the 'longevity of our existence', rather than the credibility of our existence, which to me is a distraction from reality.
A country where her leaders are far from pursuing the real essence of her existence as a country as championed by her founding fathers. As the sound of celebration erupt in high places, so also are the sounds of sufferings, unemployment, poor electricity supply and infrastructure, poor medical facility from the grassroot.
As I take stock of what truly independence is, I find it disturbing that a nation still highly dependent is celebrating her independence, a country that consumes more than they produce. No doubt huge budget would be allocated to this course.
As I will not dabble into the shortcomings of our dear country, I pen this thought to the young Nigeria yearning for a change, who is working, disseminating critical knowledge needed for a new Nigeria.
I call for every young Nigeria to a different kind of celebration, a celebration not centred on physical act but on mental and emotional readjustment...that no matter how rough the journey of life might be, that we would rise to accept this call...the CALL TO INNER-DEPENDENCE. As the nation celebrate, I choose to make a call, a call to look within, a call to emotional strength, a call to mind power, a call to love, a call to sound mind.
In 2 Timothy 1:7; "for God hath not given you the spirit of fear, but of power, of love and of a sound mind."
That no matter the situation of country, we choose not to live in fear of what happens outside, but to dwell more on the strength within. As someone rightly said, "Ninety percent of who we are is internal and only ten percent is outside of us(external)."
So I make a call:
A call to power - You have the power to cause change, to drive relevance, to create, to innovate, to lead, to champion a cause, to do what's right, stand in integrity, to start afresh, to be all that you can be.
A call to love - Love is the greatest gift of all, that if every man would love his neighbor, then the crisis eating up the growth and peace of our society will be a thing of the past. That regardless of tribe, religion or status, love will keep us together.
A call to sound mind - that every young mind must accept responsibility for the development of his or her mind, through knowledge and life long learning. That every one must guard his or her mind from the pollution that is slowly contaminating the minds of the youth.
"True independence is only experienced when inner-dependence is achieved."
Happy inner-dependence!
God bless you, God bless Nigeria.
Emeka Nwarulor
October 1, 2012.
As people march down to event centres all over the country in the bid to celebrate which to me is a distraction. History has this to say about Nigeria; Nigeria gained her independence in 1960 which means our country is now 52 years, Wow! At 52, much is expected, according to someone, it is a period of contribution, impact and productivity, but looking at the state of our country can we make boost to say that our country is near fulfilment? Or is our country making meaningful contribution to her citizens or the global economy?
With the increasing rate of corruption and unemployment, my question is; What exactly are we celebrating?
From observation of past celebrations, it seems to me that all we celebrate is the 'longevity of our existence', rather than the credibility of our existence, which to me is a distraction from reality.
A country where her leaders are far from pursuing the real essence of her existence as a country as championed by her founding fathers. As the sound of celebration erupt in high places, so also are the sounds of sufferings, unemployment, poor electricity supply and infrastructure, poor medical facility from the grassroot.
As I take stock of what truly independence is, I find it disturbing that a nation still highly dependent is celebrating her independence, a country that consumes more than they produce. No doubt huge budget would be allocated to this course.
As I will not dabble into the shortcomings of our dear country, I pen this thought to the young Nigeria yearning for a change, who is working, disseminating critical knowledge needed for a new Nigeria.
I call for every young Nigeria to a different kind of celebration, a celebration not centred on physical act but on mental and emotional readjustment...that no matter how rough the journey of life might be, that we would rise to accept this call...the CALL TO INNER-DEPENDENCE. As the nation celebrate, I choose to make a call, a call to look within, a call to emotional strength, a call to mind power, a call to love, a call to sound mind.
In 2 Timothy 1:7; "for God hath not given you the spirit of fear, but of power, of love and of a sound mind."
That no matter the situation of country, we choose not to live in fear of what happens outside, but to dwell more on the strength within. As someone rightly said, "Ninety percent of who we are is internal and only ten percent is outside of us(external)."
So I make a call:
A call to power - You have the power to cause change, to drive relevance, to create, to innovate, to lead, to champion a cause, to do what's right, stand in integrity, to start afresh, to be all that you can be.
A call to love - Love is the greatest gift of all, that if every man would love his neighbor, then the crisis eating up the growth and peace of our society will be a thing of the past. That regardless of tribe, religion or status, love will keep us together.
A call to sound mind - that every young mind must accept responsibility for the development of his or her mind, through knowledge and life long learning. That every one must guard his or her mind from the pollution that is slowly contaminating the minds of the youth.
"True independence is only experienced when inner-dependence is achieved."
Happy inner-dependence!
God bless you, God bless Nigeria.
Emeka Nwarulor
October 1, 2012.
No comments:
Post a Comment