No great mind has ever emerged as a result of its contentment to remain within the confines and conventions of its time. To put it another way, every great man goes ahead of his time and some measure of his greatness is his ability to drag his society out of the suffocating but altogether accepted norm by the scruff of the neck, into a new paradigm, a new norm and an altogether novel way of thinking. This is where greatness often lies. Albert Einstein, Henry Ford, Walt Disney, Barak Obama, Nelson Mandela and our very own Otunba Subomi Balogun (the first to establish a wholly Nigerian merchant bank) to name just a few, all believed the impossible was indeed possible.
The greatness of this time can begin with you and I. Not only when new inventions are made or by winning elections against all odds but by simply believing our noble cause for a better Nigeria, starting with a better you and I will succeed. Enough of giving in to that well worn mantra of “this is Nigeria”. I get so tired of hearing that from those who feel this is it. Those who feel this is the best we should ever expect. Society as an entity in itself doesn’t just decide this is how it wants to be. Whatever life it possesses and the colouration it takes on are implanted by us, its individual components. Obediently, it assumes the shape we collectively give it. The bible says: ”For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he”. Otunba Subomi Balogun thought in his heart, “yes it may not have been done before but I can set up a wholly Nigerian owned Merchant bank”. He refused to give in to the prevailing belief that it was too much, too big, too difficult for a Nigerian to do without the assistance of a foreign partner. He refused to accept that ” this is it”. No, he turned a deaf ear to those who said it, “fine, it can be done over there but this is Nigeria”. Anyone fortunate enough to have heard or read his story will readily admit his remarkable success wasn’t a “miraculous” story of instant breakthrough much like the majority of Nigerian youths endlessly search for but is the culmination of dogged determination, perseverance, great sacrifice, persistent hard work and the crowning of all these, the favour of God. Thirty five years ago this pioneering mogul of our banking industry transformed the Nigerian mindset. We can do it again.
This society we complain about speaks of who we are. Let’s do something about who we are, how we think, how we behave, how we treat each other and let’s see whether our nation will remain the same. I can assure you it will not. If things can work elsewhere then they will work here. How do we proceed? By first pursuing the common good. By learning to view the success of your society as your success. That’s the crux of the matter. That is, for want of a better expression, the beginning and the end all.
Nigerians are not inherently corrupt. I don’t care what anyone says, we are not born with corruption running through our veins. There is a latent but definite desire for things to be different but unfortunately many have come to see corruption as the only way to get ahead. Nigerians who live abroad don’t desire for their country of residence to become corrupt. Admittedly there are a few bad eggs amongst them but the great majority are indeed grateful to live in a society that works. Those who enjoy the benefits of a robust social welfare system wouldn’t want it any other way. They certainly wouldn’t want to swap the comfort of regular power supply for incessant darkness and neither would they want the motorable roads they have become accustomed to to degenerate into death traps. For this reason I would only concede that we cannot change if we were born corrupt. If Nigerians like you and I can change when we travel abroad, to adapt to a sane society, then change here is possible too.
After giving it regular and deep reflection I’m utterly convinced that if indeed we want our children to embody the right values when they grow up, if we want them to hold themselves to a higher standard and if we want them to rejuvenate our society, then we must catch them young. We must, during their formative years infuse them correctly.
As part of a continuous effort to teach our children to be more responsible, my wife and I insist they must clear the kitchen rack of all washed crockery after every meal, before washing another set. One simple reason amongst others is so there’ll be enough room for the new set about to be washed. Expectedly, as children, many a time they forget. However, to our amazement every time they forget to obey this instruction they somehow creatively find space to accommodate everything. Space that you and I would almost certainly overlook. Why? In their innocence, their minds and outlook on life aren’t clogged up with notions of limitations or impossibilities and neither do they even stop to consider the very distinct possibility of everything coming crashing down. They just do it and somehow it works. No wonder Mark Twain made this silly sounding but insightful comment: “All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence and then success is sure”.
This, I believe is also why Jesus Christ admonished in Matthew 18:2-4 where he said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”. Children exhibit a level of faith rare to find in adults. They just believe. It is because of this propensity to believe and not doubt that we need to teach them the way to go early enough. Once they are properly schooled to know right from wrong; to pursue the cause of right always and summarily dismiss the wrong, whether it is expedient or not, whether they are being watched or not, whether they can get away with it or not, then when they grow up, with the help of God they will not depart from the right path. Contrary to the erroneous position of the average Nigerian adult, I believe it can be done and that’s why I will end with this quote: “Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstances” – Bruce Barton
Changing the nation…one mind at a time
Dapo Akande
