It is no more news that the great Super Falcons of Nigeria lost heavily to the Les Bleues of France some days ago. Most Nigerians blamed our heroines for putting up an abysmal challenge against the French. Little did they know that our ladies did their best despite the unfavourable circumstances that hindered their preparations? I learnt that the team had not played a competitive game for several months. Also, they were still adapting to the tactics of a recently appointed coach. How can we expect them to perform optimally against an experienced, energised and motivated French team that is currently ranked fifth in the world by FIFA? I personally believe that this match highlighted a key value that we were lacking as a nation. Unfortunately, we lack the ability to plan for the future. We are easily carried away by the glamour of initiating new ideas, new projects without seamlessly fusing our existing projects and ideas to provide a sustainable future.
According to the dictionary, values can be defined as the principles or standards of behaviour; the judgement of what is important in life. In summary, values are the moral compass that guides the destiny of a nation. The values that our nation, Nigeria, held dear in the past were embedded and captured in the national anthem. For the sake of this write-up, I will like us to focus on the second stanza of the anthem. The fourth line goes thus “Help our youth the truth to know”. Looking closely at this line, It emphasises the importance of “seeking the truth” by the youths in order to contribute to a just, egalitarian and prosperous society. Education was the bedrock of the second stanza which necessitated the youths to actively seek the truth and separate the facts from falsehood and propaganda.
Unfortunately, reverse is the situation in this day and age. Now the youths cannot think for themselves. Even most youths do not know the accurate history of our nation. The government have made it worse by systematically erasing history as a subject from the education curriculum of our country. Our society, that should encourage the healthy pursuits of quality education for the societal good, is not left out. There are numerous instances where the society encourages the vain, unbeneficial values at the expense of technological and scientific advancements.
For instance, the winner of the ongoing Big Brother Nigeria presently taking place in South Africa will pocket the prize money of forty-five million naira. This is a show that has sexual undertones and does not last up to a year. Whereas, I learnt that a university in the south-eastern part of Nigeria, the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), awarded her best graduating students in the recently concluded convocation, a hefty sum of one thousand naira. The above examples clearly indicate the values the Nigerian society presently cherishes.
Lest I forget, we do not value education unlike what obtains in the past. This has affected our international image negatively. The federal government of Nigeria via the Ministry of Education inaugurated the Presidential Scholarship Scheme for Innovation and Development (PRESSID) where some of her first-class brains were sponsored to the top twenty-five universities of the world. Despite the scholars signing their bond letters, the legal documents, with the Federal Government of Nigeria, She reneged on her promise after the scholars have commenced their studies. These scholars are psychologically, financially and morally battered. With this unfortunate incident, I firmly believe that most of these scholars would jettison the values that are sympathetic to the Nigerian dream. If this practice should continue, the current brain drain will be worse in the future.
I can recollect an interesting event that happened when I was invited to a party. I was discussing with a young man who did not want his brother, who was a medical doctor, to travel outside the country. I was surprised and puzzled at the same time. I had to implore him to elaborate on his reasons. He said his uncle, who was a medical consultant, helped him and his relatives while seeking medical care on numerous occasions in a country where the health system is riddled with nepotism, corruption and inefficiency. He felt that his brother should remain in Nigeria and use his professional expertise to benefit those around him. He further said that his family might suffer from numerous preventable diseases that could be better managed in a functional health system if his brother should travel out. I feel his fears would have been unwarranted in a country that values human life and not money.
It is very sad that most people living in my country worship money regardless of the source. This unbridled lust for money has led to the high spate of ritual killings, armed robberies and other devious schemes.
I firmly believe that our positive values need to be ingrained in our psyche. The appropriate method of orientating our minds towards positive values might look daunting and infeasible. The National Orientation Agency (NOA) should educate the members of the public especially the youths in making informed decisions that will lead to a better Nigeria. Our positive cultural values should be embraced while jettisoning the destructive and irrelevant ones that do not meet the norms of our modern age.
On a lighter note, as you know, a good music is like a sweet tonic to the soul. I will like to invite you to a classic guitar concert at the Goethe- Institute Nigeria event hall, Lagos City Hall 4th floor, Catholic Mission Street, Lagos Island on April 17, 2018 at 6pm. Well-known classic guitarists from Nigeria and Germany will perform at the occasion. It will serve as an opportunity to cleanse the soul and liberate the spirit to high heavens. See you there!!!!
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