Craze For Title Among Nigerians

INCONSEQUENTIAL CRAZE FOR TITLE AMONG NIGERIANS


Greetings brethren. I often like to reiterate one fact. There’s a certain quality I know I possess; and it has to do with my extreme passion for care. The ‘care’ in question signifies the provision of welfare and protection for someone or an animal as the case may be.

On the above note, I repeat; I will never stop caring for you, but if you eventually decide to push me away, I will willingly take my leave. Yes, if you asked me to leave, I will go; the choice is yours. But I want you to understand fully that, I care about you so much. This is why I always find time to embrace this pulpit regardless of the hurdles I might be facing. Your happiness matters so much to me; so my paramount desire remains to indulge in those things that would keep that ‘happiness’ alive.

Truly I love you all with passion, and that’s the reason I’ve never failed to be in the midst of this congregation for once since three years we commenced this divine crusade. In other words, I wouldn’t like to imagine seeing you derailing, because derailment is not in our tradition. The entire members of this worthwhile congregation are generally known and referred to as ‘refined homosapiens’ the world over. Thus, anything I foresee taking us outside our tradition, which everyone regards as worthwhile and as well adore, pisses me off.

In one of my previous works sometime ago, I stated unequivocally that sometimes ‘madness’ could be necessary. This simply means that in some occasions, we are expected to display an iota of madness to enable us actualize our goal which may be collective or individual. But it is so devastating to see some group of persons indulging in an unnecessary madness.

Believe me, some madness are highly inconsequential and worthless. Please don’t get me wrong; I’m only trying to appraise some facts here. Of course it’s no longer news that the umbrella theme of this crusade remains ‘Fancy Facts’; therefore we must continue to abide by the truth.

‘Title’, in some cases, might be defined as the name of s book, article, play, or piece of music, given to it by the author or producer as the case may be. In the same vein, a certain position available in any sports competition is often referred to as a ‘title’. But in this edition, the name ‘title’ refers to a term/word that is used or placed before someone’s name which signifies his/her status or profession.

Taking Nigeria for instance, you would concur with me that the current level of the quest for title amongst the citizenry is becoming quite alarming and childish. Honestly, there’s nothing wrong with a physician inserting ‘Doctor’ as his/her title or an engineering professional indicating that he’s an engineer while writing his name, and so on; but the pathetic aspect of the ongoing quest for title is the situation whereby one would like to acquire or bear those titles that don’t really matter. Even, in some part of the country, most individuals would cherish to attach up to four or more titles to their names as if there’s a reasonable award to be won with them. Let’s ride on!’

If I may ask; what’s so special about titles? Personally, I don’t see anything so enticing in possession of title(s) because I’m of the view that what one is, lies in him or her. Of course it is only by what you do that people or the general public would get to know who truly you are or what you’re made-up of. For crying out loud, it’s not by inserting title to your name because some titles could be fake or a mere attachment. So why should one use or possess something he cannot defend? Isn’t it ridiculous?

From my observation, I’ve learnt that the ‘men of substance’ don’t really pay much attention to titles. For instance, Barrack Obama of the United States of America (U.S.A) doesn’t have any title attached to his name, not unlike several other leaders in most civilized nations.

If the truth must be told, you and I know that the President of any country has the opportunity to bear more than twenty titles or to attach uncountable titles to his/her name; but on the contrary, you hardly see any President bearing more than one title. This is to tell us that, attaching several titles to the name of a President of a country is even an affront to him or her, because there’s no other title more important or greater than being addressed as the ‘President of a country’.

Brethren, we must borrow a leaf from the members of the western countries as regards attachment of title to our names. Over there, they pay less attention to titles thereby concentrating only on what the person in question can offer. Their interest only lies on what one is made-up of or the prowess that is/are in him or her.

It is even more pathetic seeing the leaders of a certain institution/organization that is meant to be an eye to other institutions, parading themselves with series of titles. Presently, you would see a cleric bearing ‘Honourable-Chief-Doctor-Pastor somebody’. What a craze! Frankly, we’ve really derailed, therefore there’s need for total turnaround.

Sincerely, the inconsequential craze for title among the Nigerian citizenry is really telling on us, and we are bound to take a drastic measure concerning the derailment. If not, I’m afraid we might wake up one morning to see our respective societies littered with bunch of ‘mad people’. Think about it!


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FDN NWAOZOR

frednwaozor@gmail.com