A bigger picture

I’m not sure which concerns me more – our answers to whether or not we’d vote for Buhari again, or the sad and pathetic reality our answers reveal.‎
But before delving any further allow me to commence on a slightly lighter note.
Whenever she senses I’m about to launch into one of my tirades regarding this administration’s pitiful economic performance, my friend Chinwe immediately cuts me short – placing her index finger on her lips before saying, ‘’Didn’t you vote for him?! This is the change you voted for, and you have another seven years of him so get used to it.’’
My reply is usually something like ‘’Yea but we had no choice. Jonathan’s administration would have destroyed Nigeria. God forbid another four years of Diezani and Co mercilessly chopping our money.’’

The similarity between your answers to my question regarding whether or not you’d vote for Buhari again and my standard reply to Chinwe’s statement is uncanny.
And fair enough!
But isn’t this a rather damning indictment of you and I??
A quick glance at today’s world leaders reveals an interesting similarity in age. Most are between the ages of 40 and 55. In other words a new generation has taken on responsibility for the future of not only their own respective nations but also that of the world at large.
A few days ago my friend Pamela made one of the most chilling statements I’ve heard in recent times. During a chat about our (yes, you and I) inherent lack of appreciation and value for history, she pointed out;
‘’Our generation will have a lot to answer for in future. Our parents took responsibility. They may not have got it right, but at least they took on the responsibility of trying to move Nigeria forward by offering their skills and talents to public service – be-it as civil servants, professors, doctors, or teachers. But our generation continues to simply mind its’ own business – caring only about bank balances and personal needs. When our children ask us why we did nothing as Nigeria fell apart we won’t have a leg to stand on.’’
Those words still send shivers down my spine.
Her statement speaks volumes of the reason we would most likely vote Buhari again. For despite our incessant grumbling the reality is we’ll have the same old options available to us at the next election.
Why?
Because we continue to mind our own business as against making the necessary personal sacrifices to save our nation.
Look around you – the messages of most coaches, motivational speakers, trainers, pastors, churches revolve around one thing – ‘’Me, Me, and yes you’ve guessed it, Me again’’.
Everything about our society revolves around looking within as against taking responsibility for what’s happening around us. Whilst there’s absolutely nothing wrong with sorting ourselves out internally, our aim should always be to strengthen the ‘internal’ for the sake of the ‘external’.
The reason we’ll most likely vote for Buhari again is because we won’t have a choice.
We won’t have a choice because we’re….hmmm…shall I say this diplomatically or simply as is? Sod it, I’ll just say it as it is – The reason there won’t be a half decent alternative is because we’re all self-centered neophites.
This is why Mark Zuckerberg is likely to get his way with Free Basics, despite the fact it’s clearly a monopolistic and self-serving project, designed (all-be-it indirectly) for the sole purpose of furthering Facebook’s world domination project.
India told Facebook to p… off.
Why?
Because the Indians put ‘nation’ before ‘self’.
We on the other hand think only of ‘me’ and as such remain fatally short sighted.
This is why so many churches are encouraged to preach on and on about money, money, money every week – further consigning our nation to one of individualistic endeavors. For all the wealthy individuals in Nigeria, how well is the country doing?? And for all the extravagant church buildings, how much poverty has actually been alleviated??
It’s isn’t the churches fault. They merely whistle the tune we wish to hear.
Neither should we lay any blame on Mark Zuckerberg’s doorstep.
And it certainly isn’t Buhari’s fault. At least he’s passionate enough about Nigeria to give it his best shot – even if his best is well short of what’s required to rescue our desperately ailing economy.
The fault lies with our constantly minding our own business.
In truth a change has already taken place. For the first time in Nigeria’s history an incumbent president not only conceded defeat but proceeded to allow democracy to take its natural course. It may not be the ‘change’ the APC harped on about but it was nonetheless a monumental change from the norm.
For now we recognise that power so intrinsically vested in our hands. Now we know democracy can not only work but thrive in Nigeria. The next phase of this change is down to us – whether or not we’re selfless enough to serve our nation in whatever capacity.
Let’s go back to Mark Zuckerberg for a few seconds. Can you remember that picture of him walking on the streets of Yaba a week or so ago? Here was the 5th richest man on the planet walking our streets with absolutely zero fanfare. After staring intently at that picture for several minutes, asking myself why his like are so different to us Nigerians it dawned on me that the difference is Vision.
People like Zuckerberg, Gates, and Jobs have (had) visions far greater than themselves – that far outlast their time on earth. And as such they tend not to get excited by a few million dollars, luxury cars, or first class air tickets. Rather, they’re driven by a desire for ‘maximum global impact’.
As a result they don’t see things as we do. They will always see the bigger picture, as against being embarrassed or agitated by temporary inconvenience, or thrilled by a few million dollars in their bank accounts.
It’s time for us all to start looking at a bigger picture.