The Revolution Starts Now

Revolution: [rèvvə lsh'n]

1. Overthrow of government: the overthrow of a ruler or political

system
2. Major change: a dramatic change in ideas or practice

Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2005 Microsoft

Corporation. All rights reserved.

“The day a mad man realizes he is mad, he is on his way to being

sane”-Yoruba Proverb

I have heard lots of people look toward Egypt and Tunisia for the
solution for Nigeria’s multi-facetted problems. An increasing number of
Nigerians feel that a popular uprising as defined in the first definition
and manifested in Egypt and Tunisia over the last few weeks. The
proponents of this feel that it would magically solve our problem.

I have heard someone say that if that would happen, if the corrupt
leaders were to be removed by a popular revolt, things would get
better. He bases his conclusions on the fact that a certain class of
individuals are behind our problem. Now his premise is right; the sad
thing is that his conclusion does not say what happens to the equally
corrupt following class. I put to him that the corrupt ruling class would
just be replaced by an equally corrupt ruling class waiting in the wings.
And we’ll be back to square one at he end of it all.

I do subscribe to a revolution, one of a more peaceful nature-An

intellectual revolution in the minds of the Nigerian, young and old. A
revolution that would make every Nigerian to know the functions and
duties of government in order to hold them responsible; a revolution
that would make the Nigerian know that it is not the function of
government to build a house for you or buy you a car, but to inspire
your intelligence and enterprise for it’s citizens to do so for themselves
by themselves.

A revolution that would make every Nigerian aware of the harm he

inflicts on his society and most importantly, himself when he engages
in corrupt acts. It would happen the day when the Nigerian secondary
school leaver will be refused to be sucked into the warp that is
examination malpractice by his parents. The day that young Nigerian
says he would not cheat because he realises that the ignorance it
causes thereof makes him worse for it.
It would happen when the Nigerian legislator decides that the salary
he receives from the government is too much for him and decides to
give the excess to charity; the day when a minister sees that his
senseless craving to amass wealth is what it is-senseless and decides
to do his job for a change. On the day when our religious leaders stop
viewing hope and inspiration as commodities to be sold for money
we’ll be on the there.

How can we fight corruption when we are all corrupt in the mind? How
can we fight poverty when we are ignorant? How can we be productive
when our minds are not being put to good use?

I’m all for revolution not in some square or on the streets, but our
heads.

Think right!

God Bless Nigeria.