Not a Herculean Task – a submission by Oladoja, Adesola

The question of what my place is in the development of my nation is a cogent one that no sane citizen should shy away from. If you ask me, I will tell you that I have and still try to contribute my quota to the development of my nation. However, If the nation in question is Nigeria, permit me to change its geographical description and designation as a country, not nation. A nation is bound by homogeneity —a country, by her cultural diversity.

Development is a state of betterment in which people can live, feed and socialise in the community without harbouring the fear of sudden change in their realities. One can ask, what is the difference between growth and development. Growth is not individual in its form and deals largely with numbers while development can be measured solely on how a community as appreciated so far within a specified period of time.

The development of Nigeria as a country is neither a herculean task nor some mysterious question with answers buried deep and yet to be unearthed. The development of Nigeria is in the individual and their involvement. A country with a large number of teeming youth that had lost hope in the idea of the country is not inching towards development if truth will be told.

Now, to answer the question, ‘how can I participate in the development of my nation?’ First, I need to believe the nation is mine and I am not just another number when the call for polls come every four years or every election. This is the first step—that my identity as a part of the nation is not irrelevant and that I matter as an entity, will not be dehumanized or my voice silenced as a citizen, that my votes will matter and my opinion weighs when I walk into any room irrespective of my tribal affiliation and religious sentiments.

If there is a second answer, it must follow the first closely. In recognising myself as a citizen whose portion and quota in the land is as relevant as any other, there will be a loyalty from me to the land which will enable me to serve in any capacity with all my strength and represent said nation with pride.

If there is a third answer, it will be that my share in the commonwealth is allotted me, my responsibility too. The nation takes my advice, works with it if it makes her thrive and do the due diligence of respecting me enough to attribute whatever creative way I have come up to solve problems, to me.

Finally, we must all be deliberate about changing the outlook of our nation as it has been sold to the rest of the world. Things such as fraudulent acts, online scams and ignoble things that had long plagued us, even though we have raised some of the finest minds must be greatly reduced and if possible, eradicated. We must begin to teach our children and adults alike that diligence and excellence is what stands a nation out, not illicit acts and selfish ventures. I have always believed in building slow and steady and on our way to development we must look inwards and find therein the virtues we had long lost or buried, virtues like honesty, humility, grit, determination and fairness—for these things are not just fancy words or make-believe. They can be what the individual will reflect and the shoulders on which our development will be mounted.