Fixing Nigeria: A Daring Belief
It’s Easter. The season the Christian Faith commemorates the great death of the Savior and as I ponder on the story and the surrounding events, I see a man who looked and dared to believe he could save the world to the point he gave up himself to die. The guarantee of his resurrection was only in God. The guarantee that the people would be saved was not automatic. These people are stubborn and logical. They are hard-hearted and very self-sufficient people.
There actually was no guarantee, if there was, everyone would be a Christian today but still, this Jesus did make his mark on humanity. In history, there has not been any like him and he is one of the most talked of humans that ever lived. He also did save the world.
As I thought, I realized others who have brought about a change in history, were men and women who had this daring belief. A daring belief for me is believing that you can bring about change to a seemingly hopeless situation, stand with the belief and be ready to lose your life for it. I also realized that men and women who have done this have not ended up without a result.They have become voices and the changes they wanted were seen and are being seen.
I had read Malala’s story again this past week. As a young girl, she stood up for the right of girl child education against the Taliban in Pakistan who were against the education of girls and were attacking girl’s schools. Despite the threats to her life, which was eventually carried out, Malala carried on her activism and today she has won several awards and now has a global impact.
We can talk about Nelson Mandela who fought for Democracy and equality in South Africa. He stood against all odds and even when faced with a life sentence on April 20,1964, gave a speech which he ended by saying
“I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” — Speech from the Dork, Nelson Mandela 1964
Nelson Mandela spent twenty seven years in prison and was later released. He then became the first democratically elected president in 1994.
Martin Luther King Jr, also alluded to this daring belief while delivering his “I have a Dream” speech in 1963: “I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.”
Martin Luther King Jr was later assassinated on April 4,1968. Today makes it 53 years that he was killed. However, his activism contributed to the Blacks receiving their civil rights and till today his movement and life speaks.
I am not asking anyone to die but fixing Nigeria: fixing the corruption, oppression and desolation is going to take a daring belief. We have to believe and come to a resolve that it is possible and be ready to stand down “our Taliban”. Until then, we can not bring about the change that is needed in this nation. We have to get uncomfortable, become unprivileged, get our crusaders and fight for the change we desire. No one is coming loves, we are all we’ve got and “it is in our hands to make of our world a better one for all”
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
