Midwives of a new generation II

I would like to continue with the thoughts I garnered from the animated movie I spoke about the last time. Nigeria is in need of midwives or should I put it better, the destiny of this nation is in need of midwives. What’s the role of a midwife? Well its simple, to ensure a safe delivery of the baby a mother is carrying.

Permit me to refer to the animated movie Kung-fu Panda again. I would like to describe on of the characteristics of the midwives that will help push the destiny of this great nation, locked in the youth, into fruition. I need to give you some background so please indulge me ok? Thanks a lot.

Master Shifu, the kung-fu master assigned to train the chosen dragon warrior Po, had trained a number of successful warriors. This group of individuals (please permit me to use that expression), called the Furious 5, were a legendary group of excellent kung-fu masters who had gained renown with their skills. Everyone in China knew them. These guys had dealt with all kinds of foes and taken on all kinds of opposition. In spite of all their training however, they were no match for the threat that was looming over the town where they stayed. This threat was a snow leopard, called Tai Lung who had been trained by Master Shifu himself since childhood but had gone wrong at one time and was imprisoned in some far away dungeon.

Now Tai Lung was coming back to the temple where he was raised, believing he was the one fit to be the dragon warrior, to come pick up the dragon scroll (which was more or less an endorsement). Now imagine the enormity of the situation: the legendary Furious 5 could not match this enemy. Master Shifu could not match him either since Tai Lung had developed over the past years. The only hope was the dragon warrior, who happened to be this oversized panda. The situation was hopeless or so it seemed. The answer lay in this oversized panda that wasn’t in any way prepared to or even able to take on any member of the Furious 5.

Shifu was confused but his own master, Oogway told him something very significant. “I only need you to believe. Promise me you will believe.” These were the words Oogway spoke to him. Shifu could only answer in desperation, “I will…try.” I can understand him. It didn’t make sense that this panda could ever learn anything about kung-fu much less now defeat such a formidable enemy as Tai Lung. The same way it doesn’t make any sense to many of us that this yahoo-yahoo, mentally lazy, Channel-O generation can achieve anything of relevance.

Most of the guys who grew up when Nigeria entered the oil boom wish they could go back to those days. Even I look back and can thank God for the primary school I went to. We had meaningful excursions, fresh fruits to go with our daily meals, French classes and it was not an expensive school. I can look back to those years and thank God because my English was perfected in those years. Mental sums were an order of the day so I didn’t need calculators even for complex mathematical calculations. You don’t think it mattered? Ask the average J.S. 2 student to do math of something like (2x+5) where x is 5 and you’ll see him (or her) ask you for a calculator. Ok maybe that is confusing with the integer x and all but what about a simple calculation of taking 200 out of 1000?

Maybe not all of us have a thing going with Math ok? Take a look at our music and its lyrics and you can tell that there’s nothing in the heads of most of us (now I don’t mean that as derogatory in anyway ok?). Can you now imagine this crop of individuals doing anything of great significance? But wait, before you give up on us. We only need the right leadership. We only need for you to believe in us. We only need for you to see the good in us.

These midwives, who will ensure the destiny of this nation is not aborted, must be believing people-individuals who are willing to see the good in a not-so-good generation. People who are willing to invest in this generation being who they really are- an army of saviours. As difficult as this must seem, it takes faith for this destiny to be actualized. Faith in God and faith in the people who will bring the change we all desire-the youth.

Midwives of a new generation

This morning I sat down to watch an animated movie my 2 year old loves to watch over and over again. Anyone who's a animated movie enthusiast must have seen Kung-fu Panda. The movie boasts of cast like Jackie Chan, Lucy Lu and some other guys (even Angelina Jolie). My gist is not about the cast though. Its the interesting story line.

An accident (or so it seemed) caused an oversized panda to be selected as the destined warrior that would save an entire village from a vengeful snow leopard. From all indications the choice of this panda (named Po) was a mistake. The guy couldn't even see his own toes. The only thing he was good at was bungling all the tasks he was given and of course making the best tasting noodles in the village. However Po had always dreamt of being the great Dragon Warrior, a legendary warrior who was so good that even the sight of his skills blinded his adversaries (imagine that!!!).

Master Oogway (the instructor who choose Po) believed so much that his choice was not a mistake despite the fact that this Po guy was a far cry from the deliverer everyone had hoped. Master Oogway's protigy Shifu, who was also a master, was given the task of training this 'dragon warrior' and seeing his utter uselessness was convinced it was all a mistake to try and even train Po. At the end of the movie Master Shifu not only succeeded in training this panda but the panda, Po, easily defeated the evil guy.

In relation to Nigeria, many of the individuals in my age bracket and the one behind me are in need of people who believe in their ability. People who believe they can effect some kind of change. While growing up, I decided to learn how to play the keyboard. With no tutor, I would spend hours behind the instrument just pounding away. Stumbling on chords and notes. I never had a proper training. Whenever I played at church, I remember there was this man who always complained about my playing. He complained about my inability to play from song sheets, my inability to play hymns properly. He literarily complained about everything I did on the keyboard. The truth was that he was right about everything. I stuck to what I was doing, eventhough someone refused to see its usefulness and even commend my effort to fill a need. At that time in the church, we needed someone to play the keyboard and I saw that need and made an attempt to fill it but here was one of the elders of the church all out to quench the flame of my enthusiasm.

Looking back now I'm grateful I stayed with it. Thankful I did not allow his crtical remarks to stop me from trying. But I also know why I didn't give up: there were other people who kept encouraging me to keep on. Eventhough at first, the people who encouraged me to keep on were nothing near being people who played any instrument, yet they spurred me on. I rode on their encouragement and ploughed through. Today I have over seven years experience in playing worship and leading choirs and worship teams, valuable experience that has also earned me some cool cash and recognition (I played alongside Hebert Kunle Ajayi once at a Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship meeting).

Here's my point: for Nigeria to enter into her destiny, we need fresh ideas and approaches to doing things. Where will these fresh ideas come from? I know we all agree they come from God but what’s the channel He’ll use? Young minds! The writer of the book of Proverbs says the glory of young men is their strength. Young men thrive on and pride themselves in their physical abilities. This strength is what Nigeria needs to move forward. However our prophetic destiny will never be accomplished by strength alone because the race is not always to the swift (ask the hare and he’ll tell you how he lost to a slow tortoise). We need the wisdom and experience of the aged. Of course wisdom is not limited to age but usually on of the places where you’ll find wisdom is with the aged.

Let the youth not rely completely on their strength to get things done. We need the experience of those who have gone before us. We can stand on their shoulders, take advantage of that and be more effective. Abraham Lincoln once said if he had 5 hours to cut a tree he would spend 4 hours sharpening his axe. Wisdom is profitable to direct, the Holy Book says.

In closing, I read the exchange between Rueben Abati, a senior editor with Guardian Newspapers, and Banky W, a Nigerian musician and I saw how misguided we can get. Here was Abati rubbishing the efforts of this generation is expressing themselves and exporting Nigeria to the world. Banky W made a good case for himself and his colleagues but refused to accept that many of these musicians were creating a wrong image for young Nigerians, who would do anything to imitate the lifestyles these musicians portray.

Nigeria is in need of midwives; men and women who will help birth the change we all desire. Enlist as one of them!!!

Saving Nigeria

Many prophecies have gone ahead of this great country we live in. We are all excited when we consider the great future and destiny Nigeria boasts of. You will also agree with me that despite this great destiny, Nigeria is in a state that this great destiny is threatened with abortion. At the rate this nation is going, the possibility of seeing that future emerge is so faint. It can be likened to a person whose pulse is getting weaker and weaker by the minute. Death seems inevitable and the abortion of that destiny seems imminent. Our leaders seem clueless as to what to do and to compound matters; more complex problems are developing-sectarian crises, unresolved economic issues, unavailability of basic infrastructure, and so on. So what can be done to salvage this situation?

It’s obvious we are in need of saviours; men and women who are solution providers; individuals who know how to chart the course for the future; people who can handle the challenges presented to them and tackle all the social, economic, educational, etc problems we face as a nation. Just like Joseph rose up in those days of famine, we need men and women in Nigeria who will rise up to the challenge of the problems we face as a nation and bring lasting solutions.

Joseph, the son of Jacob was aptly called Zaphnath Paneah (pronounced zaf-nat pa-nay-yah), an Egyptian name meaning saviour. Why would a pagan king attribute such a name to a mere Hebrew slave? How could a pagan king identify the presence of the Spirit of God in the life of this man Joseph? It’s so simple. Excellence will break any kind of barrier: racial discrimination, male chauvinism, social class, etc. When a man provides a solution to a long lasting problem or a knotty situation, it doesn’t matter where he was born, the colour of his skin, where he lives, his educational background. Men respect achievements, particularly when it relates to solving problems.

A good case in point is the sudden transformation of Oshodi, Lagos. It did not matter to you the governor’s religious or educational background. As far as most Lagosians were concerned, a problem was solved. In the same vein, saviours need to begin to arise in this nation.

In considering Joseph, a great example of a saviour of the earth, we cannot overlook the fact that he was a man who had a great capacity to bring change in whatever circumstances he found himself. It takes a lot of courage and capacity to be able to help others when you find yourself in a helpless plight. Joseph was always solving problems right from being in Potiphar’s house to even his time in the royal prison. We need to rise to the occasion and bring solutions to the problems around us but we need to be men of strong character; men of great capacity; men that do not give up in spite of the challenges they face.

It’s obvious that our circumstances are daunting and the reality of our challenges is obvious but just as one great man said, tough times never last but tough people do. The saving of this country cannot be committed to lily-livered, easily-rattled individuals. We need men of strong character; men of great vision; women of great perseverance, individuals with great endurance and follow-through ability.

‘Nuff said.

The Anatomy of Our Nigerianess II

Finally I can say I’m back in business. For the past many months I have been so caught up in many things that I have left my blog space with so many cobwebs. I’d like to apologize to my many followers for robbing them of the opportunities to see the things God has been showing me on how we can be true catalysts of change in this great nation. Please accept my unreserved apologies.

I remember I left off on the note of the anatomy of our Nigerianess, right? Well let me just pick up from where I left off ok? Kindly read the following. These are true life experiences and are not fictional.

CASE ONE: A landlord had accused the tenant of entering into the place where the PHCN (NEPA) meter was and tampered with the meter such that the rotating disc had fallen off and the screws of the meter were broken. Now considering the fact that the meter is located under the staircase of the landlord and that access to the place is restricted to the tenant, the tenant defended himself. Both of them got into an argument. The landlord called the tenant a bastard and tenant called him the same name. Immediately the landlord slapped his tenant. The tenant went to report at the police station and eventually the landlord went to report at the same station that the tenant has destroyed fittings worth hundreds of thousands in his house and asked the police to detain him.

CASE TWO: On Allen Avenue, Lagos an okada (commercial motor-cycle) rider, while meandering through traffic, almost ran into a mobile police man in uniform. He immediately began to apologize profusely. Before you could say Yar Adua, the mobile policeman was raining slaps and blows on the okada rider.

CASE THREE: A bus driver suddenly decides to hike the fare of the route he plies. When the commuters at the bus-stop complain, he showers insults on them and even almost runs some of them over.

CASE FOUR: In Lagos Nigeria, Thursdays are environment sanitation days for Markets. To enforce compliance to this directive by the state government is a task force aptly named K.A.I. (Kick Against Indiscipline). These men clad in Glo-green uniforms, rushed at a lady, (who can’t be more than 23 years old) and confisticated her wares. What was she selling you would ask? Herbal concoctions! Stuff that couldn’t be worth up to two thousand naira. Not that it was right for her to sell when she should be cleaning up the area but couldn’t she have been cautioned? Why should an Isuzu truckload of KAI officials swoop down to arrest a small girl with wares not up to two or three thousand naira?

I’ll tell you why, ingrained into the mentality of the present Nigerian is an oppressive attitude. One of the things that characterize most Nigerians is this aggressiveness that makes us want to take advantage of the other person using whatever position we have. So a policeman will harass a citizen, simply because he’s got the authority to stop him. The bus conductor will harass the nicely dressed bank executive who takes public transport because he feels the bank guy is better off than he but he has the opportunity to lord it over him since he’s the guy in charge of his transportation to his destination. The scenarios are endless.

What could be responsible for this attitude? Well to put it simply, we don’t understand what leadership is all about. Our traditional African understanding paints a picture of leadership as lords of all as against the biblical instruction of service. So oppression is the order of the day. But tell me, in a society where our leaders steal our money and then come to show off the same wealth to us, how won’t there be a general oppressive attitude?

So how do we bring some kind of change, you may be asking?

Firstly, let us start by treating people with respect and dignity. We all occupy leadership positions in some capacity. We should begin to use them to serve much more than exert our authority. It’s a privilege to be in a leadership position and our actions should reflect this. Why? Our actions speak louder than our words and so when we show off much more than we treat people with respect and dignity, then we speak volumes to them.

Secondly we can start in our homes. We need to emphasize the values of service as against oppression. We should emphasize to those we have some authority over, the need to serve whenever we have the opportunity to lead. When I look at people like Gov. Fashola (Eko oni baje!), I am impressed. Do you know why the man refused to use sirens on the roads of Lagos? He said how could he be using tax payers’ money to disturb their peace? That is enviable and worthy of emulation.

Let me rest my case here. ‘Nuff said.