WATFON is organized annually by Edumark Consult, with the core objectives of  Inspiring Patriotism,Celebrating Role Models and Promoting Unity among these young Nigerians.

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WILL YOU DIE FOR NIGERIA? PART II

Last week, I wrote about the PART I on the topic above. This week, the final segment on this article is being featured. Please, relax and enjoy yourself.
Please note, I will be very glad to read your responses.
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Let's join my man:

So, would you die for your country? (that was the last question). The sensible way to answer a question of this nature  would be to first identify what the term ‘country’ means and how that relates to the individual. The easiest definition of a country would be, the territory , or state , of a people , or a nation.

While the terms country, state and nation are often used interchangeably, there is a difference. A State is a self-governing political entity. A Nation, however, is a tightly-knit group of people which share a common culture. In that sense, does Nigeria qualify as a nation?   Let’s examine a few established prerequisites of any Nation or State;

1. Has space or territory which has internationally recognized boundaries.
2. Has people who live there on an ongoing basis.
3. Has economic activity and an organized economy.
4. Has the power of social  engineering, such as education.
5. Has a transportation system for moving goods and people.
6. Has a government which provides public services and police.
7. Has sovereignty. No other State should have power over the country’s territory.
8. Has external recognition.

Would I die for Nigeria?  Most likely not. What has Nigeria done for me lately? Take a closer look at no. 3 – 7 above. Nigeria’s economic activity and organized economy only encourages the rich, the dubious, and the corrupt. Oh! Plus the politicos (advisers and hangers on, including their families!).

 Nos. 4, 5 and 6 are non existent. Our educational system is in tatters, an organized transportation system is only recently being provided by a few states (notice the small caps!) and totally ignore  No. 6, for sanity’s sake. And that No. 7, Ahem! Is it true that the Nigerian government and Boko Mofo recently had a covert meeting in Mali…..? No. 8. We all know what Nigerians are recognized externally for. Well, some are guilty , sha, but all must take the blame!

Is Nigeria a country? Certainly. Is Nigeria a nation? Certainly not. Nigeria is a country of  various nations, actually – more than 250 of them. The challenge is to build ourselves into one nation.

An uphill task, as various Nigerian governments have found out. But we must start somewhere. Sometimes, you just have to do the right things. A good place to start would be to recognize and respect our real heroes, teach their individual stories of heroism in schools, inspire people with their strong messages of hope, and truth, and justice. And build statures, structures, halls and libraries in their memories.

WILL YOU DIE FOR NIGERIA? By Mr. Femi Sowoolu

I picked on this article because of what I read about in the widely read YES magazine some time ago. In the magazine there is an article that is always featured titled, 'VOICES IN MY HEAD', written by one  Mr. Femi Sowoolu.

In one of his articles, he wrote about “ARE THERE ANY HEROES OUT THERE? in  Vol 2 No. 23, of the magazine.

After reading from him, I had to title this article  'Will You Die For Nigeria?'
Now, sit back and read with me what this guy is trying to say, and if patriotism to one's  nation is a course to die for in Nigeria.

I have decided to present the article as PART I and II.

                                                                      Enjoy PART I.

 Mr. Femi Sowoolu said:

What would you be willing to die for? Have ever given the idea a thought? A brave man did say that  to be able to live well, one must always be willing to die. Well, not in those words exactly, but you get my drift.

History is replete with the tales of brave men who died for freedom, for country and for love. For love? Would it not be unwise to die for love as fleeting as that subject can often be? We should ask all the generals who died for Cleopatra and Nefertiti. Only poets and musicians die for love.

The history of mankind has annals filled with stories of war, of soldiers, brave men who laid down their lives that others may continue their sojourns. Not all men fight. Not all men were born to be heroes. American World War II hero, Geoge S. Patton, said: “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other guy die for his.”

Geoge S. Patton

Many men would willingly die for their countries. Many have. Many Nigerian patriots have also stupidly thought they had a country worth dying for. And they died. They remain uncelebrated because the state they died for never did understand the term, martyrdom, nor believe that anybody would be foolish enough to prefer a peasant’s death to a lifetime worth of lucre. I attempted a Google search the other day; I simply typed ‘Nigerian Heroes.’ To my utter surprise the name the search produced were filled with past presidents and military dictators, like IBB, OBJ, and co. Or are the former military presidents still holding us to ransom for ‘winning’ that silly Biafran war?

There was not one single name on that list of people who died fighting for freedom, or against oppression, or for national love, cohesion and brotherhood. There was no Ifeajuna, no Nzeugwu, or Adegboyega or any of the other brave nationalist captains and majors who dared the corruption and cronyism of the First Republic.

There was no Dele Giwa who was bombed out because he knew more truth than he really should. The most painful part  about Ken Saro Wiwa’s tragic killing is the fact that the present  Nigerian government has turned his son into a government apologist of sorts-ambassador extraordinaire, praising the virtues of his sudden good luck, on the international stage.MKO Abiola’s hero status has been consistently denied severally by Federal Governments since he was culinarily assassinated in 1998.

MKO

Dele Giwa

Ken Saro Wiwa

 In finding reason for madness, the current presidency renamed a university that traditionally has no links to the man. Whom was that supposed to appease? There are many nameless heroes who die daily through air mishaps, road accidents poorly administered hospitals, armed robberies, stray bullets, unknown soldiers and policemen, cultism and terror attacks. But these ones did not wish to die. If they had been asked, they most likely would have chosen not to die for any ‘yeye’ country, perhaps.