FINAL PART:
So where are we going as a nation you ask? Well we have to know from whence we come. Does my generation know our history? They say a good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children. Our mother, fathers, and elders have a role to play, but I'd like to say to my generation of Nigerians, get to know your history and your past. Get to know the legacy of our past visionaries; those like King Jaja of Opobo who was exiled by the British in the 19th century; the inspirational legend (perhaps also partly a real hero) of Queen Amina of Zaria who fought bravely, to prevent a slave revolt; or learn about Bishop Ajayi Crowther who brought indigenous education to Nigeria; or Sir Herbert Macaulay, whose visionary politics helped create constitutional leadership in our country after 1914; or indeed Awolowo, whose achievement in making free education and health available between 1979 and 1983 in western Nigeria has beneficiaries in our parents, and perhaps some of you here today; these people were human, not without fault, but they were able to achieve.
But we shouldn’t forget the unsung heroes of Nigeria too; those who fell and continue to fall victim to the state’s failures, or the millions who died in Biafra, or the hundreds that die from extra-judicial killings yearly or those who continue to meet untimely deaths because of our healthcare system failures. I say get to know the whole story about Nigeria, learn from out past errors. To young people; take personal responsibility for and pride in your country for all its shortcomings. At the risk of sounding clichéd, be the change you want to see. We all know that leadership is a sacred trust, but so is citizenship! We haven't even begun to scratch the surface of our potential yet, and the limited historical glimpse I have given of our past and present achievements is but a drop in an ocean of future possibilities.
I go back to Balewa's speech at independence. He said: “This is a wonderful day, and it is all the more wonderful because we have awaited it with increasing impatience compelled to watch one country after another overtaking us on the road when we had so nearly reached our goal. But now we have acquired our rightful status and I feel sure that history will show that the building of our nation proceeded at the wisest pace: It has been thorough, and Nigeria now stands well built upon firm foundations”. At Nigeria’s centennial anniversary in 50 years, how sweet would those words be if they were to be declared in light of the economic development and political transformation that would have taken place in our beloved country by then?
My parents and their parents would often refer to the 'good old days' when highlighting our country's past achievements, but surely I would have failed in my responsibility if I were to speak to my children and grandchildren future and still talk about the 'good old days'. Our best years as a nation should still be ahead of us, not behind us.
In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, I must say to you that I look forward to the day, when every holder of that green passport, wherever he or she goes in the world, will be accorded with the immense respect and admiration that we not only deserve but would have lived up to. Azikiwe once talked about the ‘historical and manifest destiny of Nigeria on the African continent’, but I say why not the world!
Nigeria’s is often compared with Malaysia, whose economic transformation has far outstripped us despite being on equal footing with us at independence. A Nigerian friend of mine would often tell me that when she failed to come top of the class, even when she did well, her parents would often ask whether the person who beat her to first position had two heads, to which she would of course reply no. I put it to you then, and firmly, that Nigeria can change, and we all have a part to play. In my young life, I’ve seen already too many glimpses of goodness and greatness in Nigeria to ever abandon hope altogether.
Rolake Akinkugbe © Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved
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