By Frank Tietie
Look around you.
There is suffering. There is hunger. There is oppression.
Our human potential is being wasted, insecurity deepens by the day, and the space for freedom and the simple enjoyment of life continues to shrink. Rich or poor, powerful or powerless, no Nigerian is insulated from the consequences of our wrong approach to nationhood.
As I write this, I am brutally reminded of my mortality and to number my days because the times are evil, as I am unable to freely move one of my arms and have been in excruciating physical pain in the last two days. Dr Sunday Eyaru prays and wishes it is not a partial stroke. I haven’t heeded some of his warnings lately. This pain, however, has forced me to reflect deeply on how different life could have been for us as individuals and as a people.
I know the physical and emotional pain I presently feel is not unconnected to the stress of the many nights without proper sleep, thinking, worrying, working beyond what I should because of the swarm of personal struggles and the problems of the people around me. In 1981, as the son of a primary school headmistress, I saw how life was good for me and those around me in then Bendel State. Therefore, I know, with conviction, that life can be simpler, fairer, and better in Nigeria today, if only we commit ourselves to doing things right.
I do not want to be a lone voice crying in the wilderness. I do not even want to be one of the few voices. I want all of us as Nigerians everywhere to wake up from living an average national life compromised by docility, indifference, and poor governance. I want us to take responsibility for building a country that truly works for our children, and for us now and in the future.
If we collectively insist that things must be done right, even within our smallest spheres of influence, we will be amazed at how quickly positive change can happen. Wherever you are, whoever you are, do the least by speaking up when you see something wrong done to a fellow Nigerian. If you know a better way to do things, say it. If you can do it yourself, then do it.
Please, do not give up because you believe those in authority do not care, or because political power seems captured, or because some public servants treat public office as a personal entitlement rather than a sacred trust. Do not retreat into silence. Do not excuse injustice with the false comfort of “minding your own business.”
The truth is this: the Nigerian malaise spares no one. Not even the highest office in the land is immune. Not even the wealthiest among us is untouched. See how even Aliko Dangote is running from pillar to post. When corruption thrives and systems fail, everyone pays the price, directly or indirectly.
Nigeria will not change by magic. It will change when Nigerians change their posture, from resignation to responsibility, from silence to action, from compromise to courage.
Do your part.
Say something.
Do something.
That is how fallen nations are rebuilt.
Frank Tietie
Lawyer and Executive Director,
Citizens Advocacy for Social & Economic Rights (CASER)
