Let me start this essay by issuing two congratulatory notes.
The first note goes to Mr Ayodele Peter Fayose, the Governor-Elect of Ekiti State. Some of us will have to desist from calling Fayose a conman; otherwise he may sue for libel/slander, especially with the mighty federal might that he enjoys. If Ekiti people see something different from what we outsiders see, we should not suffer greater bereavement than the primary constituents. I wish you more success.
The second note goes to Mr President for his quick recovery that allows him gulp down some champagne at the announcement of the victory of Fayose. Nigerians should appreciate Mr. President; he has been going through a lot lately. Remember he lost his appetite and only sleeps with one eye since April 14, the day those girls were abducted in Chibok. Some will say he is being partisan by not congratulating HRM SLS and the people of Kano on the emergence of the former as the Emir of Kano, well, what I can say is that he has the discretion to choose who to pop champagne with. You know he expressed his happiness that bombings and abductions are not happening in PDP-led states?
That settled.
Any man may easily do harm, nut not every man can do good to another- Plato
I attended a festival of the Cross Bearers (Holy Grail), last weekend where I sat and met with different calibers of people. My openness made me interact with people of diverse backgrounds, beliefs, creeds, education, colors, etc. (I hope you guys have not forgotten that I am a Christian).
I met a certain man who will not be glad if I mention his name here, not because of the public view of Holy Grail (they are usually proud to let people know they are all about truth) but due to his simplicity and worldview. He is a highly cerebral Professor of Power Engineering, even though he introduced himself as a Dr. He said he is so ashamed to refer to himself as a Professor as that will only be tantamount to crude stupidity: professing what is not and cannot be attained. He said Nigeria may continue to live in perpetual darkness no matter how much of billions of dollars we throw into the power sector because we are primarily concerned about power distribution than power generation. We are currently living on generators and year-in- year-out; we will keep patronizing generator manufacturers and contractors. Well, you will say, na old news be dat….lol.
In the course of our discussion, this highly tasteful gentleman taught me one or two lessons about life that took me back to the back matter of my debut publication, SOCIETAL FRAGMENTS, let me quote:
Struggle is acceptable as that allows us all to get to our different destinations at our own pace and time but competition on the other hand usually results in annihilation and a murderous passion to get things done at any cost at any given time.
Conspicuously and otherwise, our common bond as humankind is fast being threatened as we all are holding sharp knives, somehow, and making attempts to cut that link that binds us, hurriedly taking us back to the Hobbesian man in the state of nature; savagery.
We want transformation but are not ready to change as individuals. Sectionalism, sectarianism, and our inordinate quest for materialism, all pervade our sense of decision making which ought not to be.
Respect, appreciation and honor for oneself, for all people, and the entire environment which sustains life, are very important in having a peaceful world in all that surround us. Color, gender, age, disability, sex-orientation, education, religion…are not to be considered in doing our bits to making this world of ours go round.
We ought to know that peaceful coexistence does not mean we should obliterate some people or carry out a holocaust ever. That thinking is anathema. A splendid variation in life is vivid and required. To be mature is to accept the diversity rampant in nature: flora, fauna and people, of course, of all colors, sects and ideologies.
The best life is the life of service. You won’t face your creator to answer why you did not make the billions just as your neighbor did, but you will be answerable for what you offered your neighbor with whatever resources are deposited in you. You will give account for your service to humankind.
From the foregoing, Marxism-Leninism is not the subject but capitalism with a high degree of fairness and purpose to the service of humankind. The former encourages slothfulness while the latter, without control, promotes animosity.
For instance, our civil service is fast losing its civility as all our present day civil servant thinks and dreams is to screw harder into a hole that is left open by our systemic failure. And when we talk of systemic failure, we make up the systems and we brought about the failures or successes that we are faced with.
Arguments and counter-arguments. Resource control. The fiscal sharing formula. The neglect of oil producing regions leading to hostility between the host communities and the oil companies. The environmental degradation. International Relations, and lately, the emergence of various sects that have become a cramp on our security situation making us popular for the “wrongest” of reasons. These are all common features of our discussions. We are all experts if one is to judge by our in-depth analyses. We are knowledgeable and seasoned.
Most often though, the subject matter is of our sojourn through the cycle of life that lands us in our present state of marital quandary, brought about by the sickly amalgamation of sickly protectorates of 1914.
We knew all of these issues yet not ready to serve one another in order to attain those things we all need to survive as a nation. To serve is to sacrifice self for the overall benefit of others.
We should never depart from the training we have been given from home (good home training I mean) because that is the license we have to depict the side of the street we belong, which will be asked of us by the people on the street if we tend to be like the people of the street.
If not for anything, we need some street sense to survive in this harsh world. We need to know that there are some people that live far below what we take for granted. There are people that want what we have even if just for few moments. We need to interact with them. Approach them with respect and love. Affection for them will help us understand their psyche. The man who remembers others, remembers also his creator. There is no lesser person even though social classes may be there. The same way they strive to have a good life is the same way we strive to have a better life.
Respect people regardless of their background and position. They are human beings like us. We should not forget that one of the reasons the pack fell was that: what was an asset yesterday became a liability today.
“He that must lead must be ready to serve.” Being kind defers all forms of exfoliation.
I wish you strength in this call to service to humanity.