So much love lost

Patriotism is the single most important factor that determines the level of development a nation can attain. The resources the nation has do not have the capacity to translate into wealth on their own. Even when people turn them into wealth, this wealth cannot translate into better life for the people or better infrastructural and social development without patriotism.

It is like the mortar that is applied to bind bricks, rods, blocks and pillars together to hold a house in place. Patriotism is all about love for one’s nation. It is akin to the natural love a child has towards a mother. This love flows out in appreciation of the mother’s steadfast love. It is not forced.

Our dear country has a huge problem of patriotism deficiency. Nigeria is like a parent who has to force his or her children to show them an iota of love.  If we can count the number of citizens that genuinely love this nation, the number will be very insignificant. The prevailing situation is that everyone sees Nigeria as good enough to be used to acquire wealth or fame after which it is abandoned.

It will be difficult to blame anyone for this state of affairs. The strong chords of love between a mother and her child would not be if the mother did not first teach this child the colour of love. It is her countless sacrifices that reinforce the message of love and gradually wins the child’s unflinching love.

That is also how a nation is expected to demonstrate love to the citizens from infancy until they grow to appreciate the love shown. The concept of unconditional love is utopian. It does not exist in the real world. Every love known to man is conditioned on several factors. Even the purest love, be it mother-child love, husband-wife love, fraternal love or even God-man love, has conditions that must be met by the beloved in order to remain deserving of such love.

The point I am trying to make is that the nation is expected to convince the citizens of its love for them before it can expect them to reciprocate. The idea of organizing people into nation states is one of the cardinal points of civilization. The founders of every nation lay a foundation for the kind of nation they want to build. If the nation is well founded, it should be able to get its citizens to imbibe the virtue of patriotism without much ado.

The nation must think for the citizens and do everything within its powers to give them basic necessities of life such as security, good infrastructure, justice and a secure future. It is only when the citizens are sure that their nation is interested in their welfare that their patriotism is activated to the point that they can fight in defense of such a nation.

Here in Nigeria, everything seems to be upside down. We have to be forced to pay taxes because we do not trust that our money will be safe in the hands of the tax collector and his master.

We will not hesitate to convert any government property into our personal estate because after all, there is no guarantee that those in positions of authority will not take it anyway. We trifle with national symbols and swear false oaths in our most revered temples of justice. Public office of any kind is an opportunity to rape the already bleeding land over and over again.

I am sure that our founding fathers did not envisage this ugly scenario when the fought tooth and nail to win our freedom from the colonial lords. Something must have gone wrong either at the foundation level or in the building process; something that makes it scary to stay home with fellow country men and women and enjoy the privileges of being first class citizens. Something that makes it preferable to be mistreated, abused, humiliated and sometimes killed in another man’s land. Somewhere along the line, we lost the vision of our founding fathers and are now groping in utter darkness. It is time for the leaders of this nation that should really be great to do the needful without sentiments. Plans should be made to lift the status of the ordinary Nigerians who are presently down and out. They must be made to feel a sense of belonging. There must be a review of what is with a view to infusing new ideas that can transform of society to one that people will be proud of.

It amounts to foolishness for a builder who realizes that a building he is working on had a crack at the foundation to continue erecting the structure. Common sense demands that he should stop, go back to that foundation, effect repair and reinforcement before he continues to build.

Every adult in Nigeria knows that something is wrong with this entity. Only those who prefer to live in denial will counter this fact. It is incumbent on our leaders to find within them the courage to go back, repair the crack and move us forward.

Nigerians need something to be proud of. It is actually an emergency now. A visit to any of the embassies will show how desperate our children are to escape from their motherland. In spite of all the gruesome experience Nigerians go through in other countries, the bulk of our young men still want to leave. We must work towards making our home more comfortable. Steady power supply, escapades in science and technology, social security and so many more will go a long way in strengthening our love for our beloved country. Only when we resolve to restore the confidence of Nigerians in their country can we begin to see true development and growth individually and collectively.

Nnenna Ihebom