HOW NOT TO LOVE
NIGERIA
The last time I checked, countless Nigerians
claimed to be patriotic citizens. But when closely examined, you would observe
that they actually meant something contrary. Sure, anyone can put up a claim as
it pleases him or her, but representing the true meaning of the claim is a
totally different ballgame.
In life, there are two major phenomenon
you must not take for granted; when you are truly in love, and when someone
really loves you. You are bound to understand when your heart is wholly and
sincerely attracted to a colleague, relative, associate, friend, or what have
you. On the other hand, you are required, at all times, to be aware of when
someone cares about your happiness. If you take any of these factors for granted,
you may live to regret it.
The truth is, life is controlled or
governed by a four-letter word known as ‘Love’. This is why the Holy writ
stipulates that it (love) is the rudiment of every commandment provided by the
Creator; because if you really love someone or vice-versa, any rule binding the
relationship can easily be adhered to with ease. If you love someone with your
whole heart, you can sacrifice anything whatsoever towards ensuring that he/she
does not lack happiness regardless of the circumstance.
Same is applicable to a pet in your
household. If you love your pet passionately, you can do anything to keep it
alive. A society isn’t left out when discussing love; if you care about the
wellbeing of a society you belong to, you would never attempt to indulge in any
act that would be to the detriment of the happiness of the society in question.
Let’s get it straight; if you are a citizen of any country, and you are of the
view that you love the country, you would always do things that would
contribute to the country’s welfare.
At the moment in Nigeria –
particularly in the socio-political domain – several citizens tend to showcase
a façade that they truly care about the country, unknowingly to their followers
or the onlookers that they are only interested in personal aggrandizement. For
instance, if Mr. President erroneously implements a policy, rather than
criticizing constructively, they would prefer to display an action that would
end up causing more harm to the polity. If you candidly love a country, you
would always think of the effect of your proposed criticism to the country
before tendering it.
First, we need to acknowledge that
there are some basic recipes that are expected to accompany any criticism. When
you criticize, courtesy demands that you proffer a remedy to what is being
criticized. The primary aim of every genuine criticism ought to be to address
any presumed anomaly. So, if your interest truly lies on the wellbeing of the
country, you would invariably focus on how to make amends, or the way forward,
instead of constituting more troubles. When you criticize, endeavour to
concentrate on the lapse, and not on the personality of the initiator of the
policy/process being criticized.
A true lover of any country should be
concerned on the uplift of the country, and not the other way round. In
politics, the reverse is often the case; people claim to love the country but
mean otherwise. If you are a leader of a country and its development matters
much to your person, you would willingly wish to carryout projects as well as
initiate policies that would see to the betterment of the state, and so does a
good follower.
A good and genuine follower or
stakeholder, as might be the case, is always interested in way forward at all
cost; he is tirelessly involved in issues of general interest rather than
personal; he is invariably ready to sacrifice something toward ensuring that
the concerned society becomes a better place to live; he’s prepared at all
times to compromise some attitudes for the sole interest of the society; above
all, he always think of other members of the society in all his actions as well
as concerned about what their reactions would be as regards any criticism he
intends to come up with.
The bone of contention is that,
Nigeria isn’t interested in those who claim to love her; but those who
genuinely strive relentlessly to ensure that her wellbeing is not tampered.
Nigeria is only pleased with Nigerians who experience sleepless nights while
thinking of how to help the government usher in sound governance; she is
interested in seeing people who wish to ‘die’ for her good.
To this end, it’s needless to reiterate
that anyone who keenly loves his/her country must be involved in activities
that would assist the government to succeed. Indulging yourself in actions or
causes that are aimed at generating societal upheaval is obviously how not to
love a country, and Nigeria is not exceptional. Think about it!
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