The Challenge Of Change By Ogunjimi James Taiwo

“It may be hard for an egg
to turn into a bird; it would
be a jolly sight harder for it
to learn to fly while
remaining an egg. We are
like eggs at present. And you
cannot go on indefinitely
being just an ordinary,
decent egg. We must be
hatched or go bad.” – C. S.
Lewis
“One of the great liabilities
of history is that all too
many people fail to remain
awake through great periods
of social change. Every
society has its protectors of
status quo and its
fraternities of the indifferent
who are notorious for
sleeping through revolutions.
Today, our very survival
depends on our ability to
stay awake, to adjust to new
ideas, to remain vigilant and
to face the challenge of
change.” – Martin Luther
King Jr.
Change!
Change is a word that has
become so relevant in this
age and time when
everything is turning at a
fast pace. The dissemination
of information, the rate at
which customs are evolving,
etc. are all pointers to the
fact that things are changing,
and we must be prepared to
either face this new
challenge or stay stuck in
the past.
As I write this, my thoughts
are with Nigeria and the
ordeal the entire citizenry
has had to live with. I look
at people who have had it
rough in the 52 years of the
existence of the nation. I
look around and see people
who have been told year in
year out, “things are going
to be different this year.”
But things have always
stayed the same.
I see people who feel
betrayed on all fronts; their
traditional rulers have
mortgaged their authority in
the society for a ‘plate of
porridge.’ The religious
leaders have not only sold
off their voices to the
oppressors of the people,
but they actually take part in
the subjugation process. The
elected leaders have turned
political office into personal
businesses and couldn’t care
less about the people who
risked limbs to vote them in.
And I see people who have
been told so many lies that
they can no longer see the
truth.
We ask ourselves why with
all these things going on, do
people still prefer to either
keep quiet or repeat that
age-long slogan that has
kept people down “e go
better”.
E go better, e go better, 52
years have passed. E go
better, e go better, our oil is
drying up while we have
nothing to point to as
achievement. E go better, e
go better, other nations are
catering for the needs of
their citizens, we are
squandering money on
building the biggest banquet
hall in Africa. E go better, e
go better, other nations are
making policies that will
ensure their children are
educated, Nigerian
government is making
policies that will end the
hopes of our youths. E go
better, e go better, nations
are trying to keep people off
the streets and empower
them, we are ending
people’s work without
providing genuine
alternatives.
The challenge is simple; we
either hatch or go bad. We
either speak up or remain
silent forever. We must be
prepared to get off that high
horse of nonchalance and
join the people who actually
want things to change. We
must collectively re-assert
our rights to quality and
affordable education,
security of our lives and
properties, transparency and
accountability.
We must demand that our
traditional rulers/community
leaders begin their journey
back to relevance by refusing
to be puppets of the
government; they must go
back to the times when their
decisions alone command
fear. Religious leaders must
be reminded that they have
an obligation to say the
truth without diluting it.
There must be an end to the
parasitic lifestyle they have
chosen. The welfare of the
people must come first
before allowing themselves
unnecessary luxury. As for
the elected leaders, we must
demand accountability, they
must either start caring
genuinely or prepare to start
losing woefully.
Finally, in a changing world,
although our views on issues
may change, our perception
of situations may differ; our
resolve must remain firm
and unshakeable.
Remember, a new Nigeria is
possible, we must never give
up on that dream.
God bless Nigerians!

Twitter: @hullerj

#CONSENSUS 2015