Be Responsible, Nigerians!

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An English Philosopher once said, “A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury.” That’s because by virtue of our misbehaviour, silence and carelessness, things go wrong around us which later affects those we love and even ourselves.

You see, our real enemies are not those who are against us but those who pose as friends and loved ones yet keep quiet and do nothing when injustice, evil or hurt is inflicted upon us because according to Martin Luther King Jnr, a black man who fought against racial injustice in America, “in the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

The Civil Rights Activist also paraphrased it this way, “Not only will we have to repent for the sins of bad people; but we also will have to repent for the appalling silence of good people.”

Hence, it has been proven that in order for good to reign, we must speak up and take massive action. Think about it, if Martin Luther King Jnr did not take action, Black Americans may still have inequality problem today and Barack Obama, a black man may never have become the President of the United States. If Gandhi, Mandela and other great leaders did not take action, their nations may still be suffering today. If Zimbabweans had kept silent up till this day, there would have been no change in their political system.

The world itself is miserable by default. No one manufactures dust, no one plants grass, they just emerge. And only deliberate actions can correct the wrongs but if our lackadaisical attitude persist, things are bound to become worse.

In other words, things don’t just happen. People make them happen. Praying, wishful thinking and hope never built bridges. We have to create these things by taking action otherwise the only thing necessary for the continual triumph of evil is for us to keep doing nothing.

Let’s face it. Our glorious nation is plagued by all kinds of issues simply because we have not been collectively responsible. John F Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States once visited the NASA space center during the period America was trying to beat Russia to be the first country to get to the Moon. On getting there, he saw a janitor carrying a broom and he walked over and asked what he was doing. The janitor responded: “Mr. President, I’m helping put a man on the moon,”

Though, he was nothing more than a janitor, he clearly understood that by being responsible, he was contributing to the actualization of the American dream. So it really doesn’t matter what you do for a living or where you function, what matters is that you adopt the spirit of responsibility and excellence.

Let’s eradicate this attitude of shifting blame and responsibilities to the government. Even our inadequacies in our own homes are faulted on the President. Our communities and environment are dirty, we throw dirt on the roads when we are inside our cars and buses, yet we blame the government for the overall effect.

While I understand that those in authorities may have their own faults, we as citizens also have ours. Besides, aren’t we the government? After all, it is our brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, uncles and aunties that constitute the government. So let’s quit the blame game and learn to be responsible, let’s speak up when things go wrong anywhere around us and be diligent in everything we do.

Visvesvaraya once said, “If your business is only to sweep a crossing, remember it is your duty to make that crossing the best swept of the world.”

Nigeria will only be great, if Nigerians are responsible. And by so doing, the death of our brothers and sisters would not be in vain because the pain of losing them is what actually reinvigorates the need for a change.

It won’t be easy but Frederick Douglas, a black slave who fought tirelessly in America till he regained his freedom has this to say, “We won’t get everything we fight for, but for everything we get, it will be a fight.”

A word is enough for the wise! 0

Author: Tosin Imhogiemhe

Tosin Imhogiemhe is an Amazon Best-selling Author, Emotional Intelligence Expert, Toastmaster, Blogger and Performance Consultant whose oratorical bent has endeared him to Schools, Churches, NGOs and Corporate Organisations. His resourcefulness, vibrancy and ingenuity are assets he employs in addressing topics on Personal development.
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