CHANGING THE NIGERIAN MENTALITY

I sometimes wonder what would happen to my country, Nigeria, if most of her citizens could think creatively. At the moment, it is only a tiny fraction of the Nigerian population that is thinking differently. There seems to be this general haste to acquire wealth at the expense of the common good. There is this battle to outdo one another when it comes to material possession. Personally, I do not see anything wrong in trying to be successful financially. What I do not subscribe to is when we hurt others due to our failure to see the Big Picture.

As Nigerians, we need to change the current pervasive mentality that acquires the general pot of gold for private ends. I am not talking about corrupt politicians alone. We are all guilty in one way or the other, and we must do something fast to haul Nigeria back to her feet as the Giant of Africa. We sometimes blame the rich in our society for being selfish, but are we prepared to make a difference when we eventually make it? What are we doing at our present level to change our sorroundings? Have we handled our current leadership positions effectively by being creative in our thinking?

Nigerians need to adopt a new mentality in this information age. We need to adopt an attitude that values knowledge. We need to do away with envy that eats deep into our soul. That envy that has denied us many opportunities to put the ideas of our gifted ones into practice. We need to embrace innovation and encourage research. We need to appreciate our geniuses for who and what they are. For a genius that is appreciated can design a product that will lead to the employment of thousands of Nigerians. Nigerians need to realize that stashing up the common wealth for private use, will only prolong the enslavement of the country to the Western powers.

We need to adopt a mentality that sees religion as a tool for development, and not as a device to enrich ouselves. We need to adopt a mentality that treasures books. For in books, we can see how great leaders and businessmen left their footprints in the sands of time. And by reading these books, we can emulate them. We need to adopt a mentality of social welfare. We need to be concerned about how the other person is doing. We need to share in this environment that continues to promote selfishness. We need to honour those that have brought glory to our nation, by taking care of them and ensuring that they live the rest of their lives in prosperity.This is the challenge before us in this new year and I pray the good lord will give us the power to start thinking differently and creatively.Amen.