A Nation`s Journey To True Greatness: What Nigerians Must Copy Inthe Americans

As part of solutions to problems said to be facing Nigeria as a country, and in order to move the country to greater heights, some pundits have put forward the idea of restructuringthe country`s systemand structure of governancealong the path of what obtains in the United States of America. One area said to be in urgent need of this reform is structure of Nigeria`s federal legislature, known as the National Assembly. Champions of thesepropositionhave tried to explain the modus operandi of the United Stateslegislature, and have argued thatNigeria would be better off if the country copied the USA. Yes, quite a few Nigerians agree that Nigerianeeds to copy America and some other advanced nations of the world,so as to witnessspeedier progress as a country.However, in my humble view, copyingthe structure of the United States` legislature, and replicating the same in Nigeria, does not fallamong Nigeria`s most pressing needs at present.The truth is, Nigeria`s problems and their causes (proximate and remote) are simply LEGION!!If we, as a country,truly desire Nigeria to bestronger, better andgrander, like some other socially, politically, economically and technologicallyadvanced and speedily advancing nations, such as the US, UK, France, Germany, Japan, China, India, Hong Kong, and even Malaysia, and if indeed we are enthusiastic about copying anything from America, there are far morefunctionalmatters, positive attributes we ought to copy in the Americans thanthe structure of their legislature. There aresome, mostly unwritten patterns, ethos, and value systems, which form the bedrock of the rapid evolution witnessed in the USA and some other great and fast-growing nations of the world! All we need to do is to imitate some of these and we may become like they are! As Jim Jarmuschdeclared in the MovieMaker Magazine #53 - Winter, January 22, 2004, “nothing is original…. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent.…” What matters is not where you take things from; it’s where you take them to and what you do with what you have taken. After all, as was once suggested bythe popular Soviet psychologist and lawyer,Lev S. Vygotsky, it is through others we become ourselves. Put differently, to borrow fromGeorge Bernard Shaw, imitation is the sincerest form of learning. But this is not all! There must be a limit to imitation; copying an outward system is good, but when there is an inward, psychological imitation, we sure cease to be creative. Besides, it is unwise for one toenvy what another has, but fail to emulate what that other person did to have it. This is my point; most of us love and envy America and desire to be like the Americans, but how many of us try to think and behave as the Americans?

I do not wish to be understood as having said that Nigerians are yet to copy anything in the Americans. No, we have copied a great deal of a lot. And a few examples would suffice. Most Nigerian children now engage in“sagging.”You recall the prison practice of “sagging” inAmerican, which sees young menor women pull down theirtrousers from the waist so as to allow the public see and watch their pants (underwear) or a part of it. Even some slightly older citizens now engage in this practice. I am told that is what is now invogue; ifone does not “sag,” he is not among the “happening guys!” However, little do our young men and women know about the origin and purpose of the practice of “sagging.”They just “sag,” because some Americans do sag, thus copying the Americans. Some parents have even openly supported their kids` indulging in this ugly behavior in a country with a rich past founded on morality and virtue. Beside “sagging,” most Nigerian young men and women are now much more prone to violence than ever before; they learnt this from America --- a form of “copying” too. Furthermore, the risingwave of brigandage, gun-violence and delinquency in Nigerian has been attributed to our imitation of what is usually seen as the“American way of life.” Also,it is now an acceptable practice for a Nigerian child to wake up early in the morning and greet the parent(s) with a shout of “Hi guys,” “Hi dad,” or “Hi mum.” The African culture which mandates a child to show and behave respectfully towards all elders have been jettisoned for the American shameless and ill-mannered style. What is more?Only songs and music renditions that promote immorality, indecency, crassness, and thoughtlessness sell and make headlines in Nigeria, and among most Nigerians. The list of the things, albeit negative, we have already copied in the Americans, and already painstakingly practicing, is endless. Only very few Nigerians pay heed to the good and positive sides of the Americans. And most Nigerians see little or nothing wrong with the miserable decline in our values, ethos, and sense of morality; yet, we expect to experience a tangible change. No! If we expect to see any positive transformation in our lives and in the life of our country, the change must begin with us, individually and collectively! We should be the change we expect to see. Yes, we are --- the young, the old, politicians, power-wielders and power-brokers, students, teachers, and everyone.What then are there in the Americans, individually and collectively, for Nigerians to copy in order to grow better, one may ask? A few examples will serve to illustrate.

As a rule, Americans are known for their love and respect for fellow citizens, irrespective of tribal, religious and sectional affiliations.Besides, they cherish sincere love for their country (the USA) as a whole, and not for themselves and theirinterest groups, sections, religion or tribe; love for their country is paramount. If Nigerians have copied this attribute of the Americans, why is there so much acrimony, hate and mistrust among the regions and religions, political parties and ethnic nationalities in Nigeria? Most Americans are public-spirited, unlike their Nigerian counterparts, most of whom are selfish, self-seeking, egomaniac and self-aggrandizers, especiallyin their public life. Nigerian political space is chock-full with politics of bitterness, thuggery, hate and violence, while governance is undertaken bysegregation and marginalization, intimidation and lawlessness. This is in direct contrast with the American political and public space where inclusiveness, rule of law and mutual respect are the rubrics rather than the exceptions.

Americans wholeheartedly embrace and honestly live out the idea of "unity in diversity" Most Nigerians only pay lip service to this, with the result that our diversity has so far been the reason for muchof the misery in our country, rather than the reverse.Maya Angelou`s declaration that “in diversity there is beauty and strength ” is yet to sink well into the heads of most Nigerians. How on earth does Nigeria hope to achieve any meaningful advancement without unity and oneness? Where would that kind of progress lead us? We are yet to be one and united! Americans, on the other hand, already are, hence their steady and speedy progress. Our hope and progress begin when we learn to act as one big family, not as separate ones ---not as“Biafrans,”“O`dua people,”“Arewa people,”“Ijaw people,”“Middle-belters,” etc.As Malcolm Forbes once said, diversity is the art of thinking independently together. Hence, united we stand and progress, divided we falter, fall and fail.In a similar vein, most Americans have learned to use their God-given brains for positive innovative activities, forupliftment of themselves,their country and society, instead of using their talents for evil-doing, mischief-making and yahoo-yahoo, etc, as is widespread among Nigerians. Even the Americans have acknowledged that Nigerians possess great brains, immense talents and unimaginable potentials. The problem is that we (most of us)hardly deploy these talents and brains to positive activity. Most of our greatly talented youths prefer to use these brains to perpetrate mischief.One final thing on this section, in America, there is limit to the use of brazen propaganda, lies and propagation of barefaced falsehood for purposes of achieving some group and individual gains. In Nigeria, the reverse is the case.

Unlike most Americans, many Nigerians are naive,believe everything they are told and acceptingeverything they are given. Only very few people, the discerning ones, askquestions. The rest is comfortable with just anything. Can a thing like MMM, Wonder-Banksberth or thrive in a place lie America? But this is what people get in return when their emotionssupersede their power ofrational reasoning. It is for this reasonthat, on 8December 1822, in his Letter to James Smith,Thomas Jeffersonhad declared: “man, once surrendering his reason, has no remaining guard against absurdities, the most monstrous, and like a ship without rudder, is the sport of every wind. With such person, gullibility which they call faith, takes the helm from the hand of reason, and the mind becomes a wreck."

Almost everything in America, public and private, is dictated and controlled by merit, knowledge, ideology, hard-work, unlike in Nigeria where place of origin, sectional and religious affiliation and tribal sentiments are the major driving forces.In Nigeria, there is little or no room for merit, hard-work and competence, as opposed to mediocrity, indolence, and crass preferentialism. An average Nigerian employer or power-holder, private or public, is comfortable working with his kits and kin, even if they are most unsuitable for the job. The opposite holds true for the Americans. Would we ever copy this side of America?To take this point further, hard-work, innovation and sacrifice are honestly appreciated and often adequately rewarded in America, unlike in Nigeria, where these virtues are instead abused and placed in the rear. Besides, most Nigerians do not understand that "the essence of knowledge is, having it, to apply it, and not to confess one's ignorance." Americans perfectly understand and pursue these wise words of the great philosopher,Confucius.

What is more? Nigerian leaders and followers must copy their American counterparts, andbegin to respect and uphold the inalienable rights of their subjects, individual and organizational liberty,and the dignity of the human person.

Everyone must learn to adhere to the basic tenets of rule of law, rule of law itself being the bedrock on which progressive economies and societies are built. On 16 January 2008, Salman Rushdie was quoted by The Times of India to have saidthatfreedom of expression and rule of law are the two things that form the bedrock of anyopen society. A country that lacks those two is not a free country.In Michael Oakeshott`s words, “the rule of law bakes no bread,and is unable to distribute loaves or fishes (it has none), and it cannot protect itself against external assault, but it remains the most civilized and least burdensome conception of a state yet to be devised.” Absence of rule of law is tantamount to rule by whims and caprices of men in power. And as Aristotle once said, the only stable state is the one in which all men are equal before the law.At the foundation of civil liberties lies the principle that denies to government officials an exceptional position before the law and which subjects those in positions of power and authority to the same rules of conduct that are commands to the citizen (per Justice Louis D. Brandeis). In his farewell address at the end of his eight-year tenure as a President of the USA, William Jefferson Clinton(Bill Clinton) offered the following suggestions to the residents and people of America:

“…we must remember that America cannot lead in the world unless here at home we weave the threat of our coat of many colours into the fabrics of America. As we become ever more diverse, we must work harder to unite around our common value values and common humanity. We must work harder to overcome our differences. In our hearts and in our laws, we must treat all our people with fairness and dignity, regardless of their race, religion, gender or sexual orientation.”

When would Nigerians accept this?
In America, the responsible and knowledgeable citizens and residents, the ones who have made the most tangible contributions to society`s progress,are the up-to-the-minute ones. Besides, every citizen in the USA is accorded his or her due respect irrespective of class or social status, etc.But, in Nigerian, the only trendy people are the wealthy ones irrespective of the source of their wealth. Materialism is the order of the day in Nigeria. In Nigeria, until one has money and material wealth,one is seen entirely as unimportant, unsuccessful, or without power or influence. I recently spoke to a young man who claimed to be working as an “online marketer.” Having listened to his preachments on how quick money could come through this means for all who could only believe in and register with their organization, I tried to offer some advice to the gentleman on why quick money through the easy way was not the best option. He dismissed my advice by simply reminding me that “money answereth all things,” perhaps referring to the Bible verse in Ecclesiastes 10:19 , which proclaims that “a feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.” This best explains the mentality of many Nigerians; materialism. But most of us easily forget the wise counsel byGeorge Lorimer:“it’s good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven’t lost the things that money can’t buy.”There is a gigantic difference between earning a great deal of money and being rich, because as Jonathan Swift once advised, a wise man should have money in his head, but not in his heart.After all, advises Seneca, it is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor. Finally, on this, please permit me to quote a passage from the Christian Holy Bible (with sincere apologies to persons of other faiths). I think this is an appropriate counsel to those Nigerians who agree that money answers all things:

“Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. But you, …, flee from these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.…”(see the Bible:1 Timothy 6: 9-10)

What is more? Mere paper qualification and academic grade aredecisive for most employments and appointments in Nigeria, public and private, unlike in America where the employer is much more concerned with what lies insidethe prospective employee and with what value the employee is able to add to the employer's progress, irrespective of the employee`s grade in school.Moreover, Americans prefer certificates obtained from native American schools, colleges and universities. Nigerians, are crazy and brazenly mad about certificates obtained from "overseas," including eventhose procured from less-than-standard schools in places like Benin Republic, Ghana, Cameroun, Congo, Niger Republic, Cameroun, Togo, etc. If your certificate is not from a Nigerian school or a school in Nigeria, then you are a hot-cake, and it is immaterial wherever it is from, whatever is the ugly nature or standard of the awarding institution. Even certificates from mushroom schools and universities (abroad) whose system of education and training has practically little or no relevance to the system of education, training and work in Nigeria, are still preferred to certificates from Nigeria-based institutions, however outstanding. The result is that Nigerian youths and old folks alike now engage in all sorts of fraudulent and roguish activities, including but not limited tosmall and large-scale examination malpractices, forgeries, perjuries, just to get a good grade in school or to secure certificates from “overseas” schools. Some Nigerian parents and guardians even pay through their nose in order to hire mercenaries for their children and wards` examinations, with a view to securing a good grade for the affected children or wards, who, more often than not, have only little knowledge inside their heads, and possess little or no skills in their chosen specialties.A surveyrecently conducted on the website http://www.debate.org , on the topic, “is academic performance the best indicator of potential for success in life?”was quick to produce a 70 per cent result in favour of “NO” as an answer, as against “YES,” which got only to 30 per cent. Debaters on the forum then went ahead to advance reasons in support of their assertion that not all people with good academic grades can have a more successful future than those of the opposite grades:

“Some of them lack basic knowledge and are not competitive enough. On the other hand, it is not necessary that people who have really bad academic records or who even fail cannot be successful. Just because they were poor in academics doesn’t mean that they cannot be successful. There are several great personalities who were failures at first but then became a success, gained fame and glory. For eg: Albert Einstein… he was poor in academics and got scolded by teachers a lot. They even said that he wouldn’t amount much to life. But he went on to develop many theories in physics, especially the theory of relativity and E = mc^2 which is known as the most famous equation in the world. He even received the Nobel Prize for Physics.If one wants success, one has to have basic knowledge, willpower, responsibility, common sense, leadership skills, capability to think and reason with and competitiveness, for, it is not only the good academic grades that can pave your path to success, but these factors too.”

Most Nigerians are yet to realize this. If this type of survey is undertaken in Nigeria, I can bet that the result would have been 80% --- 20% in favour of YES. And this is partly why our problems persist. As we remain carried away by mere paper qualifications, our students devise new means to beat all security mechanisms, rules and laws, in order to graduate with better grades, so that they can be better employed, while the honest, hard-working and skillful students who remain devoted to eschewing all forms of malpractices, graduate with worse grades and thereafter remain underutilized,unemployed or at the lowest cadre; after all, we live in a country where, to many, the end justifies the means. The result is that the really knowledgeable, skillful, competent and responsible ones are out of work while those on the opposite side are gainfully employed and calling the shot in our public space. How does any society hope to move beyond the ordinary with such kind of warped mentality? Second, as the craze for overseas degrees and certificates increases in its intensity, with all politicians and power-wielders, the rich and well-to-do sending their kids and wards “abroad” for overseas` certificates, the Nigerian educational system and institutions are left with less-than-minimum care and attention, to be patronized by mostly the poor and downtrodden. This is why education has taken the back seat in a country of naturally endowed and smart people, like Nigeria, whereas, by contrast, education occupies the front row in America and the rest of the advanced world. Are we ever going to get classified as advanced if we do not take education as seriously as we ought to? Below are what some of the greatest men and leaders who have ever lived on earth have to say about the value of education; but do Nigerians realize these? To Nelson Mandela, the father of modern South Africa, education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change your country and the world. As Benjamin Franklinput it, an investment in education pays the greatest dividend.Yet, in Nigeria, we are yet busy investing in properties, mansions and businesses in the USA, Dubai,UK, etc and in fat (foreign and local) bank accounts, and in promotion of immorality and transient things. To us, education must wait for now, since money, fashion and materialism have taken over! But then,asWilliam Butler Yeatshas warned, education is not the filling of the pail; it is the lighting of a fire. Good and quality education replaces an empty mind with an open mind. And in line with John Dewey`s famous postulation, a country without good and quality education is bereft of good life, since “education is not just a preparation for life; it is life itself.”A nation withoutgood education and educational systemspossesses no soul! Americans understand this very well. Nigerians are yet to follow suit, a major reason for the persistence of our backwardness in this sector!

In America, religion and spirituality have their proper place and limits in the lives of citizens and residents.Many Americans naturally refuse to be slaves to religion and “god” or "God-worship." On the contrary, most Nigerians haverelinquished their being, soul and brains for religion. Unlike in America, many areligious adherent in Nigeria is prepared to eat the grass or eat his own "shit" and drink his own urine (not minding that these are harmful to his health) provided it's his pastor, priest or imam that asks him to so do. Americans control their religious life; Nigerians are controlled by religion; yet there is hardly any manifestation of the positive results of religion in our daily lives. The higher the number of mosques and churches and other places of worship in Nigeria, the higher corruption and depravity, vice, mischief, injustice and iniquity become. What an irony! If, as a typical Nigerian worshiper believes or is indoctrinated and made tothoughtlessly believe, God plans to do virtually “everything” for man, why then did God equip the man with a mouth, two ears, hands, eyes and the nose, alongside a very sharp brain, able body and an immeasurable capacity to do great deeds? But the Americans already know, unlike most Nigerians, God did not create us to depend on him for virtually everything. God`s plans for man is that man must do good work, use his brains and think and reason in order to solve his own problems, instead of lazing aboutand foolishly waiting for God to come and solve his problems for him. We are expected to work and provide for our needs and the needs of our society; thereafter, we can ask for God`s grace to complement our efforts. Now, if one has not made any efforts at all, what does one expect God to complement? The unemployed graduate who wants God to “give” him a job must be prepared to show God what efforts he has made towards securing a job for himself. The young lady who is desperately in need of marriage and is moving from one church or mosque to another, praying, fasting and asking for God`s grace, must first prove to God that she is responsible, well-behaved and mature enough to be and behave as a wife.The farmer who depends on God for his daily bread and bounteous harvest must be prepared to point to a particulate farm-location on which he has engaged in active, positive and honest farm work. You do not place something on nothing; it cannot stand. A popular man of God who goes by the name T.D. Jakes captured this well when he declared: “if you put in nothing, you get nothing in return….” Hence, as the popular saying goes, hustle beats talent when talent doesn`t hustle.

Some Nigerians have lived under the delusion that there is nothing wrong with firsterecting one`s castle in the air, before coming back to start providing a foundation for the suspended castle. I disagree; this is impossible! A castle in the air, having no initial foundation, is liable to collapse, even before the later, obviously belated, efforts at providing a foundation. Thomas Jefferson`swise declaration is apt here: “I’m a greater believer in luck, and I find that the harder I work the more I have of luck” A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work. Heaven helps only those who first initiate concrete steps aimed at assisting themselves. I do not revile prayer (God forbid!), neither do I underestimate the vital role prayer plays in our lives. The point I try to humbly make here is that prayer without good work is fruitless and deadab initio.This position wasbetter-explained by SajiIjiyemi, in his book, Don`t Die Sitting:“praying without working is faith inaction.”Even the Christian holy Bible has warned Christians that mere prayer andfaith, if not accompanied by actions and good work, is fruitless! (seeJames 2: 17).Every oneof us has a head but not all of us are able to get ahead. Why? Yes, only those who make good and gainful use of their God-given heads and brains would get ahead; those who stay at home or only inside the church or mosque, praying for God to come and use their brains for them,or waiting for somemanna from heaven,would end up going nowhere in life. Most Americans understand this, unlike many a Nigerian Christians, Muslims, etc. Accordingly, in Nigeria, unlike in America, a graduate job-seeker prefers to go to the church or mosque to pray for some MIRACULOUS work and job opportunities instead of going to work or to alternatively creating his or her own work, and later asking for God's blessings. It's only in Nigeria, for an example, that Janet's husband would become unfaithful to the knowledge of Janet, and instead of Janet looking inwards to see where things have gone wrong with her or with her husband, she goes to her priest, pastor or imam for spiritual solutions. More often than not, in her bid to escape falling into a stream, Janet finds herself deep inside a river, and even guilty of the same offence as her hubby.

Motor Accidents rarely happen on good roads in America. In Nigeria, when public roads and highways are in bad shape, riddled with potholes, ditches and bumps, accidents do happen more frequently, due mainly to the bad condition of the roads. People then craveand beg for good roads. But, when once the roads are fixed and now in good shape, the rate of accidents, fatal accidents, increases,this time as a result of MISUSE, OVER SPEEDING and road-users` utter disregard for traffic rules and signs. Only in Nigeria do these happen, not in America.Why then would Nigerians not behave like the Americans to restore sanity on our roads and reduce the rate of avoidable accidents?

American citizens give testimonies in churches and mosques and throw parties to celebrate their return to their home country (America). They believe so much in their own country, that there is no place like one`s own home, unlike some Nigerians who think that home is only wherever the heart is. In Nigeria, people offer testimonies in churches, mosques and shrines, with tithes and bounteous offerings and “seed-sowing” to "celebrate" and "thank" God or Allah for making it possible for them to SECURE an ENRTY CLEARANCE (visa) into America, Europe or Asia. Meanwhile, most of these people have practically NO BUSINESS overseas. And those who have, live their lives in the foreign land, either as slaves or at best as second-class citizens or residents. Nevertheless, they prefer the foreign land and its style of life to living in Nigeria where they are freer citizens with not much hindrance.To drive home a typical Nigerian`s obsession with struggle to live “abroad,” some Nigerians who are not able to secure visas through the right channels soon resort to all sorts of unthinkable, dehumanizing and demeaning games in a bid to cross to over to America, Asia and Europe. The result is that, today, Nigerians are arguably the most abused, victimized and deported people in the world; Nigerians are being extradited from virtually every country of the world, on a weekly basis --- USA, UK, Italy, Lybia, South Africa, even Ghana, just to name a few. The slogan no longer is “Ghana Must Go,but“Nigerians Must Go.!”One would not be shocked if in no distant future Nigerians in Niger, Togo, Cameroun, and Benin Republic begin to have their fair share of the expulsion game. Fellow Nigerians, if we truly loved our country and desire it to be greater, like the Americans do, would we be facing these shame and humiliation from even countries that are no better than ours?

Americans love and cherish everything about their country; thus, most Americans are prepared to die for nothing, in defence of America. Most Nigerians hate everything about their country and would not hear their country being discussed in the positive light. Nigerians are the only reasons why Nigeria is down and suffering; most Nigerians derive great pleasure in castigating, battering, slighting and disparaging their own country, and projecting the country as evil and the reason for their individual woes. Some Nigerians do not have a proper understanding of William Shakespeare’s advice that“the proper means of increasing the love we bear for our native country is to reside sometime in a foreign one.” Shakespeare, like the Americans, was actually supporting the notion that there is no place like home; he was saying something like, if you think your own nation is not good enough, try living elsewhere. Then and then alone, he reasoned, would you appreciate what enjoyment there is in staying in your country. The bottom-line is, if one is ashamed to stand by one`s colours, one had better seek another flag. And as Robert G. Ingersoll once declared, “he loves his country who strives to make it the best.” How many Nigerians are honestly and genuinely working for a better and greaterNigeria? Please take note of the reason Seneca gave in support of love for one`s own country: “men love their country, not because it is great, but because it is their own.” Note alsoGeorge Bernard Shaw`simmutable words:“patriotism is your conviction that your country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it.” I think the problem with many Nigerians is that, unlike the Americans, we have been swayed by Socrates famous declaration that “I am not Athenian or a Greek I am a citizen of the world,” which later found some lone support in the words of Eugene V. Debs: “I have no country to fight for; my country is the earth, and I am a citizen of the world.”But, exactly where has this taken us ---- forward or backward? Of course, far backward! To make genuine progress as country, we must copy the attitude of these Americans!

How does one explain that Nigerians would prefer to buy made-in-Ghana and even made-in-Togo wares to those with made-in-Nigeria labels? Is this not insane, fellow Nigeria! Do we not want to encourage Nigerian industrialists, producers and exporters? Is it God that would come down to prosper an economy that is dependent on 90 per-cent importation to be able to meet its local needs? Do we not recall that even this same Socrates, notwithstanding his declaration, as cited above, was ironically so deeply in love with his own country of Athens that he was reported to have accepted to be punished even unjustly only because of his belief in patriotism and love for hiscountry?To him, even though it was bad he was being punished unjustly, yet it would be far worse and more unjust for him to disobey his country for his personal safety. Socrates` main argument, as reported in one of Plato`s Dialogues, Crito,was based on his conviction that he wasa proud citizen of the state of Athens, having been born, nourished, and educated within its borders. In fact, he argued that he was a child of the state and had an obligation towards it similar to that of a child to its parents. By his having residedin the state for these many years and accepting the benefits it had provided, Socrates argued, he had indicated a willingness to accept its laws and regulations and to abide by the decisions of its courts, regardless of what those decisions might be--- just or unjust.Socrates did not want to turn his back upon the compacts and agreements which he had made as a citizen of Athens. What a show of love for one`s country! Is such possible in Nigeria? The change must begin with us, if we must experience any positive change!

In America, human life (the lives of citizens) is valued, respected and preserved by all means lawful and necessary, especially by the state. In Nigeria, citizens' lives mean nothing and are both surreptitiously and openly sacrificed and unscrupulously snuffed out at will, and nothing happens. Human life in Nigeria is worth nothing more than that of a chicken; this is unlike in America. Ours is a country where, as Ann Landers says, many people know the price of everything and the value of nothing. We easily forgetthat human life, being a creation of God, in God`s image, is most sacred, and that indeed one human life is worth more than all the treasures of the earth. Who then are we to continually permit another living being -- any living being -- to die by the hands of fellow citizens, when ours is to prevent it? Do we not know, as Bill Clinton has rightly advised, that“each bloodletting hastens the next, and as the value of human life is degraded and violence becomes tolerated, the unimaginable becomes more conceivable?”However, I think there is a curious side to this discussion, which arises from the question once posed by George Callin. The question has left me wondering, what a contradiction! “Life is sacred, no doubt,” he acknowledged, “Who said so? God?.” “How come,” he then queried, “God is one of the leading causes of death throughout history.”I think this question is for Nigerians. Why is it that most Nigerians find it easy to kill and main in the name of religion, culture and tribe and in the name of the same God who has himself made human life sacred andplaced a blanket ban on any form of taking of the same life? We need to copy the Americans and have a rethink! Urgently!How do we expect to nurture a greater and safer Nigeria in face of our brazen, unscrupulousdisdain for the sacrosanctityand inviolabilityof human life?

In America, most litigants and complainants believe in the ability of the judiciary to dispense justice impartially, so that when one loses a case in court, he does not blame his loss on the legal system, the judicial system or the judge. In Nigeria, most litigants see all judges as corrupt, political and biased except and unless judgements are in their favour. Hence every judge that gives a judgment against me is a political, biased and corrupt judge while the ones that hand down favorable decisions are the only impartial judges. We forget that the judge is more of a functionary. He's like a civil servant whose job is to interpret words written down by another branch of the government, whether those words are just or not.

Most Americans seek and get political power, government appointments and political or public positions for the purpose of rendering service and improving the lot of their society, country and citizens. In Nigeria, the quest for such positions is solely for personal enrichment and promotion of sectional, primordial and clandestine objectives of the persons in such positions at any given time. Little wonder, most Nigerian politicians and their agents and supporters easily kill, main, and engage in all sorts of fraudulent and violent atrocities, just to win elections and acquire political power.

Nigerians are too disorderly, unlike the Americans. At petrol stations, in airports, and at motor parks, and everywhere, Nigerians are always struggling to cut corners and get things done the easy and disorderly way. Similar to this is Nigerians` hatred for criticism. There is nothing an average Nigerian leader or a person who is in a position of authority relishes like praise-singing. Leaders prefer to have only what they want to hear, as opposed to what they need to hear, the result being that Nigerian leadership at all levels are surrounded with servants, assistants, Ministers, Commissioners, advisers and allies who are nothing else but mere sycophants, and usually afraid to tell their bosses the truth or to offer suggestions and constructive counsel aimed at making leadership more responsible and responsive to the citizenry. More often than not, this results in leadership being misguided and much less accountable to the people. Finally, within government circles, Nigerians rarely build institutions; almost all public and private institutions in Nigeria revolve basically around individuals, so much so that when the individual is no more, the institution is nothing more, because the institution itself is nothing beyond the shadow of the individual who heads it or, to put it differently, a showcase of the individual`s persona. This is unlike in America where institutions are built and sustained, with little or no regard to the personality of whoever is the head.

This list of what Nigerians need to copy in the Americans, if we must achieve greatness,is endless, but I will stop here for now. Meanwhile, there is one more thing I need to add to the above: Nigerians must, like their American counterparts, learn to choose, elect, enthrone and put in place, in both the public and private sectors,only persons that are foresighted, hardheaded, and charismatic as their leaders, because, more often than not, a nation`s greatness depends on its leaders, as on its followership. And I humbly believe that in this respect, the famous statement bySuzy Kassem in the book, RISE UP AND SALUTE THE SUN (2011) provides a good guide:

"To vastly improve your country and truly make it great again, start by choosing a better leader. Do not let the media or the establishment make you pick from the people they choose, but instead choose from those they do not pick. Pick a leader from among the people who is heart-driven, one who identifies with the common man on the street and understands what the country needs on every level. Do not pick a leader who is only money-driven and does not understand or identify with the common man, but only what corporations need on every level. Pick a peacemaker. One who unites, not divides. A cultured leader who supports the arts and true freedom of speech, not censorship. Pick a leader who will not only bail out banks and airlines, but also families from losing their homes -- or jobs due to their companies moving to other countries. Pick a leader who will fund schools, not limit spending on education and allow libraries to close. Pick a leader who chooses diplomacy over war. An honest broker in foreign relations. A leader with integrity, one who says what they mean, keeps their word and does not lie to their people. Pick a leader who is strong and confident, yet humble. Intelligent, but not sly. A leader who encourages diversity, not racism. One who understands the needs of the farmer, the teacher, the doctor, and the environmentalist -- not only the banker, the oil tycoon, the weapons developer, or the insurance and pharmaceutical lobbyist. Pick a leader who will keep jobs in your country by offering companies incentives to hire only within their borders, not one who allows corporations to outsource jobs for cheaper labor when there is a national employment crisis. Choose a leader who will invest in building bridges, not walls. Books, not weapons. Morality, not corruption. Intellectualism and wisdom, not ignorance. Stability, not fear and terror. Peace, not chaos. Love, not hate. Convergence, not segregation. Tolerance, not discrimination. Fairness, not hypocrisy. Substance, not superficiality. Character, not immaturity. Transparency, not secrecy. Justice, not lawlessness. Environmental improvement and preservation, not destruction. Truth, not lies. Most importantly, a great leader must serve the best interests of the people first…. Human life should never be sacrificed for monetary profit. There are no exceptions. In addition, a leader should always be open to criticism, not silencing dissent. Any leader who does not tolerate criticism from the public is afraid of their dirty hands to be revealed under heavy light. And such a leader is dangerous, because they only feel secure in the darkness. Only a leader who is free from corruption welcomes scrutiny; for scrutiny allows a good leader to be an even greater leader. And lastly, pick a leader who will make their citizens proud. One who will stir the hearts of the people, so that the sons and daughters of a given nation strive to emulate their leader's greatness. Only then will a nation be truly great, when a leader inspires and produces citizens worthy of becoming future leaders, honorable decision makers and peacemakers. And in these times, a great leader must be extremely brave. Their leadership must be steered only by their conscience, not a bribe."

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
Best wishes to Nigerians!
SYLVESTER UDEMEZUE
([email protected])