I picked up
my favorite quote in the world and have made it my blog slogan. It's a
quote by Mahatma Gandhi - "Be The Change You Want To See In The World." I
have added a little twist to that and have highlighted 15 ways to be
the change you want to see in Nigeria. Published them on this blog, and it's being my major drive for 2015. As the year ends, thought to do a reminder so we could all be inspired to be a better citizen as we step into the new year. Read them after the cut.....:
1. Daily thank God for
Nigeria- As simple as it sounds, how many Nigerians wake up everyday and
say thank you God for my home- Nigeria. As bad as Nigeria seems, it
still provide a space on this universe where you call your Nation.
#ProudToBeANigeria.
2. Pray for Nigeria- The worst situation, can change under the power of
prayer. I, particularly believe, Nigeria have survived the worse of
leadership and circumstance by the making of the many Nigerians who went
on their knees in their homes, churches, mosques, communities and
prayed for her . #HaveYouPrayedForNigeriaToday
3. Believe in Nigeria-
Have you ever heard 'If you want to succeed, you have to believe in
yourself', in same manner believe in Nigeria. Don't check out of the
country in defeat, like Martin Luther King, believe in the new Nigeria
Dream and we will all see it. #YesWeCan.
4. Respect Nigerians- From our family members, to our colleagues, to our
staff, to our customers, to even the beggars on the street, you will be
creating a lot of positive energy if we just show some respect for one
another. #ProudToBeANigeria.
5. Keep Nigeria Clean: By refusing to throw trash carelessly and
advocating for same in little ways, we have gone ahead to #BeTheChange.
6. Keep the Road Signs: When there is a traffic jam, join the queue and
patiently wait for your turn and don’t form 10 lanes on a 2 lane road.
That way, the traffic will move smoother. Adhering to this advocacy will
definitely bring great change on our roads and to Nigeria as a whole.
One key ingredient of a developed Nation is seen in a clean and
organized road system. #Drivewell #BeTheChange.
7. Stop the Abuse: Anne Frank was right when she said: “The common man
is every bit as guilty, otherwise, people and nations would have
rebelled long ago.” The little wrong we do in our homes offices, market
places and on the street, can seldom be differentiated from bribery,
corruption and bad governance, should any difference exist, it will be
location. I can boldly say, if you are not faithful in little matters,
you will definitely smash all the rules in bigger issues. Don't abuse,
engage for a positive society.
8. Be Early, Be Effective: “It is a truism that no nation
develops beyond the capacity of its public servants and the services
they provide to our nation are both below expectations.” It will be a
massive revolution in Nigeria, if civil servants are known for going to
work early, staying on their jobs and been productive no matter their
level or position. #BeTheChange.
9.Become a reading Nigerian:
It is popularly said that, “If you want to hide something from a
Nigerian, keep it in a book.” It sounds so funny but how true.
Knowledge, they say is power and Ignorance they say kills. If you say
Education is expensive, try Ignorance. While Education cost you only
your time and cash, it will deliver much more to you. Ignorance will
cost you, your life and essence on earth and it delivers no dividend.
Don’t just go to school, study, don’t just study, think and don’t just
think, act.
Let’s correct that notion by the white man, who came up with hiding
stuff from Nigerians in a book thing. Let’s unravel every mystery and
show the world that Nigerians are the most innovative, creative and
productive people in the world. #Study4Change.
10.Strive to keep your social conscience awake:
I got this point from one of the most powerful women who have lived on
the face of this earth, Eleanor Roosevelt. Eleanor Roosevelt, one time
American first lady in the 1930s, refused to limit her roles to
ceremonial duties; she immersed herself in the great issues of the day.
Although she was born into privilege, she spent her life trying to
improve the quality of people’s lives around the world. We all should
daily live with that consciousness. The consciousness that I am socially
responsible for the welfare of Nigerians. Yes, it sounds too huge to
say “the welfare of Nigerians” but when we show love and care to one
Nigerian everyday, you will be amazed how much positive impact we will
be making. #BeTheChange.
11. Be Nationalistic: Been Nationalistic is having strong feelings of love
for and pride in your country, so that you think that it is better than
any other. No one else will sing the praises of our Nation, we can’t
expect South Africans or Brazilians to carry our flags, sing our
anthems, play our matches, celebrate our independence, tweet great
stuff, treat Nigerians well and speak positive of Nigeria, do we?
Nigerians must take pride in this Nation and accord her the accolades we
desire to be conferred by other Nations. Believe in the New Nigeria
dream, advocate for her good, do right and be right in our homes,
offices and on the streets, treasure this land and we will reap of its
great treasure anon. We all love those who value us and hang around
those who celebrate us. Let’s do same for our country, let’s value her
and celebrate her. Nigeria is what Nigerians see it to be and show it to
be. Like the slogan “Good people, Great Nation,” we must uphold this
Nation with pride and sell Nigeria as a great brand in the community of
Nations. #IAmProudToBeNigerian.
12.Be A Voice: Evil thrives when good people keep quiet. Haile Selassie's
quote as seen beside said, it is the silence of the voice of justice
when it mattered most, that has made it possible for evil to triumph.
#BeAVoice is actually a programme on my blog and I had my first edition
when a good number of Nigerians via my Facebook page spoke against
electoral violence. #BeAVoice4Change will be up soon. Great men like
Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Helen Keller etc were people who
made a difference by speaking up for a good course for their country.
If a good number of Nigerians refuse to keep quiet and speak up for our
right to good governance and adequate social infrastructure, we sure can
make a difference. #BeAVoice.
13. Engage: – The definition of engagement that fits here, is being
involved with something in an attempt to understand them. We can never
fully understand the peculiar issues of our Nation and find solutions if
we stand aloof. We must find ways of getting involved in various
programme, politics and industries with the aim of having an
all-inclusive agenda that instigate growth and development. Politics,
NGOs, Community development, been the change you want to see in Nigeria
is a course we must all run for the betterment of our lives and society.
I end this point with this quote, “Don’t ask what your Nation will do
for you, ask instead, what you can do for your Nation.”
14. Buy Nigerian: Nigeria is accused of
being a highly consuming Nation and very low in productivity. While
there is nothing wrong is consuming, everything is definitely wrong with
zero or low productivity. It is also a truism that our consumption of
imported goods is colossal while our patronage of made in Nigeria goods
is epidemic. In the pursuance of bettering our economy and increasing
our productivity as a Nation, the Olusegun Obasanjo presidential
administration banned the importation of a myriad of foreign goods. In
his statement, while appealing to Nigerians and friends of Nigeria to
patronize locally, made goods, President Obasanjo noted that "charity,
they say, begins at home. If you do not buy your own goods, how do you
convince others that they are of high quality? As someone who patronizes
made in Nigeria goods with pride, I can publicly attest to the fact
that they are just as good, if not better than imported variants."
15. Have A Dream To Make Nigeria Great: Lack of visionary leadership many have
said, accounts for the broken-down state of the Nation. Nigeria
politicians and recent past leaders have led us with little or no vision
for the country. The bible rightly says, write down the vision and make
it plain for the people to run with. Vision, not some points agenda
that always end up pointless. My focus is not just on leaders but on
every Nigerian to become visionary, not just for their ambitions but for
Nigeria. Our ultimate goal for success should be for positive impact.
Your success has a vital role to play in Nation building. President
Jonathan largely said, he never dreamt of becoming a President, could
that answer for why he seemed overwhelmed by the position? You must
dream to become great in order to make Nigeria great. Have dreams of
what you will do when you become president of Nigeria, don’t leave it to
happenstance and politics. Have a dream for Nigeria, pursue it.
It's our collective responsibility to #FixNigeria.
This is the final point of
#15waysToBeTheChangeYouWantToSeeInNigeria and it is very key. The moment
we become visionless as a result of our inabilities to dream, pursue
and succeed, chaos is inevitable. Involvement in crime and other social
vices becomes the option for survival. “An idle mind is the devil’s
workshop”, the man who uses unemployment as a reason for staying idle
will definitely get the devil to be his or her boss. We were all given a
talent by our creator; we were sufficiently endowed with creative
abilities for job creation. The best set of people who will make a
difference and be the change they want to see are those who have a dream
not just to be great, but to make Nigeria great. Success is not an end
but a means to an end, and the ultimate end of every success must be
geared towards bettering our society. “You are a successful failure,
when your success does not better your society/nation.” Just quoted
myself. I end with this, dream to be great with the aim of making
Nigeria great.
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