LESSON FROM MY PAPA

When I was a little boy,

Every night Papa would tell us bedtime stories,

Grandpa and Grandma also tell us old folks tales,

Stories of pride

Stories of courage

Stories of winning

When it seems that

Every one was against me

Stories of animals in the jungle,

Who display unusual character

Animals we can relate to and learn from,

Stories of men and women in the ancient

Yoruba kingdom, pre-colonial and post colonial era

Who are warriors, heroes, entrepreneurs

Social activities, playwright, athletes, mothers of courage, etc.

Thanks to my Papa, I was never without a hero.

My Papa and my Mama are the first model, hero and leader

That I have ever come across in this my life time.

All these stories have shape my behavioural pattern forever.

IF I CAN

There are few individual that matter to my life and they really make sense to my living, hope, aspiration, dream and destiny. Men like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mohandas Gandhi, Dr. Nelson Mandela, Dr. Tunde Bakare, Dr. Mysles Munroe, Chief Gani Fawehinmi and few others. I draw my inspiration from these men and part of their visions, ambition and aspiration I also sheared.

If I can see any one of them, I will love to stay around them.

If I am looking for model and mentor, I will simply pick these noble men.

If I can see my future, it is through the spectacles of these men

If I want to be serious, it is because they are

If I want to be relevant and be significant, it is because these men are.

If I can build a house for them, I will build a mansion for each of them.

If I can write, I will write volume of books on these notable men.

If I can be part of the educational system in Nigeria, I will put the life, time, visions, dreams, aspiration and ambition of these great in the curriculum for students to learn.

If I can do my duty as a Christian ought

If I can spread the message as the master taught

If I can love people the way Christ love the humanity to the extent of laying down His life for the human race then my living is not in vain.

If I can help somebody as I pass along

If I can cheer somebody with my words or songs

If I can show somebody that he is traveling wrong then my living is not in vain.

If I can see my values, dreams, aspirations, principles transfer to my children, friends and people who have pass through my tutelage and they all walk in them, then my living is not in vain.

If I can see New Nigeria of my dream

If I can see my native land line up among the comity of nations

If I can see oppression, injustice, killing, corruption, evil, looting of treasury, unrighteousness exterminated in this nation, and then my living is not in vain.

If I can see Nigeria students pass through examination without malpractices

If I can see officials of the examination bodies comply with the rules of the game and sanitize the system, then my living is not in vain.

If I can see again free and fair election conducted in this nation again,

If I can see election conducted in Nigeria without killing, fighting, looting and manipulation of votes, then my living is not in vain.

If we can all stand and fight for our right

If I can see Nigerians demand for accountability, justice and equity, then my living is not in vain

If I can see Nigeria of my dream, where there is justice, equality, accountability, prize control, consumer protection, labour good welfare package, child protection, high value of naira, availability of social security, desire level of productivity, adequate wages that is enough for the workers and their family, then my living is not in vain.

If I can see a New Nigeria where the electorate votes count, where citizen determine who should be their leaders, where people can demand for their right, come together to build the nation, then my living is not in vain.

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION.

There are laws governing the existence of creation. Life itself is governed by principles that are instructions which the creator has put in place to enable the creatures appreciate and enjoy life. But when these laws are flouted, creation begins to groan and creatures start to suffer. According to the law of creation, when a manufacturer creates, invents or produces a product, he also produces a manual to guide the user of such products on the best way to maximize the benefits of the product. As Chief Creator of the earth, God has also given us a manual on how best to utilize the potentials and benefits of the earth. It is the neglect of these laws and instructions that has brought deformation to our society and impoverished nations bringing untold hardship to people. We are most responsible for our suffering and dilemma because, whether knowingly or unknowingly, we disobeyed the laws of creation.

We need to approach the issue of national development from three points of view:

MAN TO MAN APPROACH

The starting point of any meaningful transformation in society begins with man. Until a man has been able to effect change in himself psychologically, mentally and intellectually, he cannot change his society. And the first point of call when it comes to self-transformation is a change of heart.

CHANGE OF HEART

National transformation is not possible without first changing the heart (mind set) of a people. Unless people are change from within, don’t expect a change from without. Change is inevitable if national transformation must occur. Most people think that enacting laws is just all a society needs to be transformed. No. laws are not enough. People must decide to change and realize that except they change inwardly, they cannot change things outwardly.

You need a change of heart to experience a changed life. When a man’s heart is changed, then you will find these four essential virtues in his life; Truth, Integrity, Honesty and Justice.

Only when these four are found in a society is that society ready for a national transformation. The importance of truth, integrity, honesty and justice in bringing about transformation in society cannot be over emphasized. No amount of natural resources or wealth deposit in a land can transform a nation without truth, integrity and justice. If the amount of wealth in a land is determined by the amount of natural resources that land has, then the entire African continent will be one of the richest in the world. But because that is not the case we find Africa at the bottom of the development ladder among all continents of the world in spite of its riches in mineral and material resource. Over 80% of the countries in Europe do not have oil.

National development does not necessarily depend on the material wealth available but on the level of psychological, mental, and intellectual development of the people. The reason why we are not developing is not because of bad government or corrupt leaders alone but it is because there is no honesty, integrity, truth and justice in our people.  As a matter of fact, development is stronger only when there is honesty, integrity, truth and justice in the grass root because they make the economy and not the government.

Let us look at these four evidences of a changed heart.

Truth – It mean to be genuine, exact and faithful, to be in accordance with facts. We must be genuine to ourselves and to ourselves and to our fellow men. We must develop a culture of presenting facts just the way they are, not being false or hypocritical in our speech, action or thoughts. You can never lose telling the truth.

Integrity – This is the quality of having high moral principles. We must have high moral principle for ourselves and maintain such when dealing with men. We must keep our promises no matter how much it will cost us because at times your integrity will cost you more money. We must never waiver in our dealings in our dealings with people. Integrity makes you say a thing and stand by it against all odds. Integrity makes you never to bend on a decision. It is firm and stable. It is dependable and trustworthy. It goes the extra mile and always say what it means and mean what it says.

Honesty – This is the quality of being faithful and moral. It means to be open and sincere. When the features of honesty are enshrined in a society, men find it difficult to give or accept bribes. Now if someone gives a bribe to enter into a political office, of course he will also steal from the country to recover what he had given. So if we are not willing to take bribes, we may not have corrupt persons in power. The receiver of bribe is as guilty as the giver. It is not religion or prayer that develops a nation but adherence to Godly principles. God is a respecter of principles more than prayers.

Justices – This has to do with fairness and impartiality. Everyman deserves justice because all men were created equally. When the rulers begin to do the right thing, people begin to respond with patriotism. The poor must treat the poor with honour and the rich must also treat the poor with respect. People should not get what they don’t deserve and on the other hand people should not also be denied what they deserve. When the rich oppress the poor God is angry, how much more when the poor oppress the poor. Justice is the hallmark of every good leader. If a leader can be just, fair and impartial his government will make great impact in society. A nation may endure even poverty but no nation can co-exist with injustice.