THE RACE AT SUNRISE

Every morning in Africa,
A gazelle wakes up; it knows that it must run
Faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.

Every morning a lion wakes up.
It knows that it must outrun the slowest gazelle or

It will starve to death
It does not matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle;
When the sun comes up, you had better be running.

African parable

THIS DROUGHT OF GOOD NEWS

When our dear former president, Umaru Musa Yar’adua was sick, it was simple enough to understand why not much good news was coming out of Nigeria.  There were rumours and murmurs going on about his true state of health and the true leadership of Nigeria at that time.  After many months, we lost our president.  His deputy was sworn in to keep the flag flying and in expectation, Nigerians happily elected the present president believing that his leadership would soon steer Nigeria out of the murky waters that Nigeria had drifted into because of the absence due to the protracted illness of the late president.

Nigeria as a country is experiencing a drought of good news.  Any element of good news will do our psyche a good deal in sustaining us and possibly give us reason to appreciate one another, our country and our government.  If we have anything to celebrate as a people, it may not be easy for small groups of Nigerians to band up together to unleash terror on other Nigerians.

A cursory look at headlines of our dailies further highlight this drought with very unfriendly captions like bombings, kidnap, armed robberies resulting in closure of bank branches, ritual killings, increase in school fees, discrimination against Nigerian airlines and against Nigerian route travelers, university workers’ strike, students’ strike, PHCN workers’ strike, debate on fuel subsidy removal, etc. It gives the feeling that Nigerians are being ruled by non-Nigerians who don’t feel what Nigerians are going through.  In the face of all this hardship, Nigerians still have to provide their own security, electricity, water, medical care, etc.  The police are involved in so many issues of extra-judicial killings of citizens and injustice to citizens.

There are still a few Nigerians who are landing big contracts and smiling all the way to the bank but their number is so painfully small.  Other Nigerians watch such developments in pain and when they are pressured beyond what they can endure, they resort to crime.  This is by no means making an excuse for those who have taken to crime, however, it seems to explain why there is an increased rate of crime and where it seems there is no crime, it is simply a question of waiting for the one day that is for the owner.

 A CALL TO REVISIT THE FOUNDATION ON WHICH THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT IS STRUCTURED.

Nigerians have become widely accepted as some of the most religious people on earth and when issues arise, the average Nigerian takes to worship and supplications rather than a critical assessment of issues facing him. 

Over the years, we have complained about the absence of a workable framework for our systems.  In line with efforts at understanding the drought of good news that Nigeria is presently going through which is indicative of issues with governance, it calls for an urgent need to review the foundation on which the military established the framework of government in Nigeria.  Nigeria has repeatedly endured mismanagement of resources and while this has remained, it seemed like the resources of Nigeria was being miraculously or mysteriously renewed and replenished just like we Africans pray.  The reality that we are faced with today is the rapid depletion of our resources.  Until this defective foundation is revisited and controlled, the depletion will continue and the system will begin to feed on the people. 

Going into civil service or politics is now about enrichment by every possible means not about giving service to the motherland.

ROOM FOR FEEDBACK

It is very common to see people making comments that are harsh, insultive and most times, completely nasty in spaces that today’s online news portals provide for feedback.  We come across issues that are ordinarily interesting and worth commenting on but one stands the risk of being insulted by people who probably misunderstand the concept of feedback. 

Today’s reporting allows room for feedback as a means of allowing respondents’ participation in reporting to improve the quality of the message that is being relayed.  On the internet these days are many journals, fora for news, opinions and discussions online and a lot convey very crucial messages.  It is a bonus to have a large followership and it is not old school to be civil and courteous in transmitting messages. 

It may actually be misleading to suggest that this display of disrespect is common among younger followers; incidentally, it is more pronounced among older people going by the nature of the discussion or news item being covered.   It is wrong to hide behind the anonymity that the internet allows to display bad behavior.  An adult is the individual who has attained the age of knowing what is wrong from what is right and being able to take responsibility for the freedom that he lays claim to.

THE GRATEFUL HEART

No known drug can give a high like a grateful heart.  The grateful heart delights and thrives in seeking ways to express gratitude.  The grateful heart is always on the go and is so busy it cannot even see or recognize dull moments.  The grateful heart is so busy it has  no time to wile away.

The grateful heart has eyes that see in the dark.  The grateful heart sees through the storms of life; it sees what the ordinary eyes overlook.  It takes the grateful heart to see the riches that are hidden in secret places.

The grateful heart sees beyond what is placed before it; it takes the grateful heart to see into the future with the eyes of the present.  The grateful heart recognizes that tomorrow will always be better.  The grateful heart is never in short supply of HOPE and optimism.

The grateful heart does not understand the language of malice and hatred.  The grateful heart is always ahead; it is quick to spot the handwriting on the wall and apply necessary caution.

The grateful heart is always able to touch the heart of GOD by being able to openly express appreciation to man - the true image of GOD.

When we focus on gratitude for what GOD has blessed us with, we come to realize that we are greatly blessed. When we gratefully count our blessings and know what they are worth, we become aware of the need to guard them for a sane man keeps his gems securely.

Knowing that what we have been blessed with are true gems helps us know for certain that we stand the risk of loosing them to the enemy. Remember, the enemy's agenda is to steal, to kill and to destroy. And we do not fear loosing something that is worthless and insignificant to us and so for this reason, we know that we run the risk of loosing priceless gems which we have been blessed with to make our walk with GOD free of distractions.

THE FOUNDATION BLOCKS OF TRUE HAPPINESS

1.  DEFINE AND SECURE YOUR OWN SPACE

2.  IDENTIFY YOUR PERSONAL VALUES

3.  DEVELOP YOUR STANDARDS FROM YOUR VALUES


To attain true happiness, hold on tenaciously to :

*  childish innocence

*  childish enthusiasm

Its all in you and no one else will serve it to you.

ANOTHER APPROACH TO LEADING

"Those who are good at delegating responsibility employ the intelligent, the brave, the greedy and the foolish.  The intelligent are glad to establish their merit, the brave like to act out their ambitions, the greedy welcome an opportunity to pursue profit, and the foolish do not care if they die." -. Huang Shigong