It was Swami Vivekanada who said, “every nation has a message to deliver.” Every Nigerian must take those instructive words seriously given the task before our country. For various reasons, Nigeria has attracted needless infamy and the responsibility for changing the Nigerian narrative rests on all compatriots. 

Former British Prime Minister, David Cameron, described Nigeria as a “fantastically corrupt” country. The Nigerian passport makes you susceptible to extra scrutiny at international borders and you are not allowed to conduct some financial transactions online if your IP address indicates Nigeria. Only recently, many of our compatriots living in South Africa were victims of xenophobic attacks largely fuelled by wrong perceptions. And last August, international and domestic media reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had indicted about 80 Nigerians as suspects in an online fraud scheme. Such is the level of needless notoriety that we have attracted. 

But crime is not the exclusive preserve of a particular people, race, ethnic or national group. Crime is as old as mankind – and anywhere humans converge, crime is possible. 

The notoriety is indeed needless because most Nigerians are good people who only want the opportunity for prosperity and success through their efforts and are not looking to take what is not theirs. Examples abound; in 2017, Joseph Akilo, a guard at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, returned $3,338 belonging to a passenger. He had discovered the money while clearing check-in counters. In January this year, the Kano State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) returned the sum of N430,000 to an accident victim. Officers of the FRSC Kano State Sector Command had recovered the money from the scene of the accident the victim was involved in.

Nigerians should not be defined by nefarious activities of a minute number of our citizens It is therefore time for us all to make concerted efforts to shed the needless toga of shame and dishonour. We must direct efforts at demonstrating this to the rest of the world. First, we must show we do not condone corruption in any of its guises. Anti-crime agencies must continue the task to apprehend and prosecute fraudsters and corrupt people. Secondly, we must work to counter the culture that celebrates the get-rich-quick syndrome that is trying to mislead our young people. This needs to be done deliberately and via all avenues including homes, schools, influential Nigerians and our numerous places of worship. The truth of the power of genuine Industry and the fact that wealth can only be sustained when built through honest efforts must be reinforced

Lastly and most importantly, we must seize control of the narrative about Nigeria. For too long, we have allowed others to tell the story of our country and our people. Celebrated Nigerian novelist, late Chinua Achebe, offered an instructive insight in an interview published by The Paris Review when he said, “Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” The point here is not to be arbitrary or irrational about telling our story, We must tell the truth while also admitting that Nigeria has great and positive stories to share with the world: the honesty of our people and their enterprising nature; the beauty and richness of our cultures; the energy and ingenuity of our youth and the promise they harbour; and lastly, the collective effort to entrench our democracy while laying foundation for an equitable future. The responsibility now is for us to consciously use all avenues available to us to covey these amazing stories that the world needs to hear.

As we celebrate 59 years of Independence the time is now to share our truth, to tell our story, to write our own headlines. We can do it together. Mahatma Gandhi said a nation’s culture resides in the heart and in the soul of its people. Using our common heritage as a springboard, we must now work to bequeath a proud Nigerian narrative to future generations.   

LET US PRAY   

Dear God, we thank You for yet another occasion of our Independence Anniversary. While the 59-year journey has been marked by challenges and regrets, we are still thankful for the beauty of our people and the richness of our land. As we look to a future full of promise, we ask that You crown our nation-building efforts with resounding success even as You fill our land with joy and happiness.