Somewhere In Africa -By Shem Woyopwa

There was a country somewhere in Africa, where love serves as breakfast, peace as lunch and unity as dinner. It was a nation where heroes struggled and fought with one voice and same spirit for the benefit of all citizens. It was a place where national interest supersedes any other interest and words like terrorism, sentiments, suicide bombing among others sound strange to the hearing of citizens and rarely found in the pages of newspapers or listened to in the media.

Indeed, there was a country, somewhere in Africa where religion or region wasn’t a yardstick for public or political appointment. It was a country where merits, intellectualism and creativity were celebrated. A place where Aisha befriends Joseph and Mary comfortable interacts with Salisu without any form of fear or stereotype. It was a country where the “clarion’s call” to serve the fatherland was respected, cherished and nurtured.
However, lately, things are no longer at ease because we are a shadow of our past. It is tragic that we are intoxicated with the “opium” of corruption, sentiments and hatred. We have disobeyed the national call hence we serve our pockets and selfish interest instead of the fatherland. Even though few of us claimed to pay attention to the national call, yet we serve our country with hatred for one another, laziness in labour and hopelessness in our political and social system.

It is unarguable that our nonchalant attitudes toward our fatherland have made the labour of our heroes past in vain, thereby turning us into one nation with many voices. That is why even amidst our trial moments especially the recent xenophobic attacks on our fellow countrymen in South Africa, we nonchalantly proved to the whole world that we are one nation with many voices because some Nigerians in South Africa were pointing accusing fingers at themselves instead of homogeneously expressing solidarity over the unfortunate and barbaric act.

It is also pathetic that our youths have jettisoned the clarion of service and selflessness and venture into service of fraud, hatred and religious bigotry. This scenario presents a paradox on our nation which is often called or referred to as the “giant of Africa”. It is obvious and unarguable that our nation has boarded a train that its destination is unknown.

Amidst our predicament and hopelessness as a nation, I have a dream; it is the Luther’s kind of dream. I have a dream that sooner or later insecurity, sentiments and corruption would be a thing of the past in our dear nation. I have a dream that someday we would stop identifying ourselves by the names of our ethnic groups, religion or region but rather we would all answer the name Nigerians. But these dreams will only become a reality if we as a nation holistically agree to undress ourselves from the garments of corruption, sentiments and nepotism. Finally, if all Nigerians will humble themselves and pray and seek the face of God and turn away from their wicked ways then God will surely hear our cry and heal our Land.

God bless Nigeria.