The Second Runner Up of the 2017 Big Brother Naija Reality Show; Tokunbo Idowu, mostly called TBoss, sometime in the Big Brother 2017 House, gave us a new version of Nigeria’s National Anthem that caught the attention of all Nigerians who watched the live show. On that fateful day, TBoss, as she is habitually called; was hand-picked by Deborah Ebun Oluwarise, also called Debbie-Rise, nonetheless the former goofed as she jumbled up every line of the anthem to the laughter and delight of other competitors. What baffled me mostly was how she kept struggling with the most solemn line that focusses on the “labour of our heroes’ past”. I am very convinced that she doesn’t even understand the phrasings that shaped that line. Are we not all guilty?
Often, I keenly eavesdrop into pupils and students of our schools while they sing our Nigeria’s National Anthem with passion and pleasing gusto. I am typically exhilarated anytime I listen to them chant at the top of your voices; with pride and hearts full of happiness. Not for the sake of their sonorous voices; but that they give the words different meanings that do not presage the original sense. You even hear some of them say funny words like “…the navor or our hunor pass shall never be again” or “…to serve Nigeria is not by force”.
This could also be related to how children pray “The Lord’s Prayer” or “The Our Father”. I have heard and had to correct some children in schools and children prayer groups from saying “Our Father; Look at in heaven, Adaobi thy name!” Very sidesplitting and comical as it may appear to us; but they end up assassinating these meaningful words with a 700 Nitro Express rifle revolver bullet. They chant the Nigeria National Anthem meaninglessly with all enthusiasm and seriousness; while saying the wrong things.
Well, it turns out to be a catastrophic situation; when like TBoss, we hear politically aware leaders, even the lettered ones, slaughter on the altar of ignorance and obliviousness; our treasured Nigeria’s National Anthem. But then again, do they; as well, understand what they sing? I don’t think so, since it does not reflect in their actions. They sing what does not reflect the letters of the National Anthem.
At this point, let us not be quick to forget that actions speak louder than words. Yes, actions are more revealing of one’s true character since it is easy to say things or make promises; but it takes effort to do things and follow through. On the other hand, has the Nigerian Government done enough to keep the efforts of our heroes past lingering? What is the Nigerian Government doing to honorarily compensate the efforts of our fallen heroes? How can we forget the hard work of our cherished compatriots? Whose duty is it to guarantee that the labour of our heroes’ past is not in vain and otiose?
Day in day out, we chant at the top of our voices; the national anthem, nonetheless our actual actions speak against it. I keep conjecturing whose role it is to ensure that the labour of our heroes’ past is not in vain; individuals or governing body? This is yet to be answered. But did our heroes, labour only for Nigerians or for the super structure called Nigeria? What even makes up a country? The electorate or the administrative persons? I think it should be a collected effort of all and sundry, for in our little ways; we safeguard the tenets of our national anthem we sing recurrently or intermittently. When we sing passionately the lines of the anthem, we should, in turn, act overpoweringly.
In 1908, before independence and subsequent amalgamation of Nigeria as a unified nation; we know that Olayinka Herbert Macaulay, father of nationalism and founder of Nigeria’s first political party, Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP), uncovered and brawled the corrupt acts of the European operators handling railways moneys. He mandated and compelled the colonial government to pay reimbursement to the oppressed chiefs whose land had been compellingly occupied by the British.
Nevertheless, this heroic determination to eradicate corruption in the system that would form the envisioned Nigeria is becoming futile and ineffective. This was done in a bid to bathe Nigerians and disabuse them from learning the immoral act of corruption. It is gallingly to announce that Nigerians have gone back to their way of life and everything has gone bizarre. I just hope our heroes’ past won’t be displeased seeing us waste their hard-fought resources and not recognizing them. I am very sure they won’t be happy at all.
On various fronts, local and transnational; Nigeria as a nation has had great, valiant men and women who have made outstanding strides and underwrote immeasurably in the development of our beloved nation. We had men and women who planted their feet in the sand of time and their names written with gold pens in the histories of Nigeria’s history. Infuriatingly as it looks, farthest of their hard works have been neglected and unappreciated. Do we all have a role to play in acknowledging and endorsing the tireless contributions of our heroes’ past? Yes, we do. But where is the problem coming from? The answers are only flying in the wind.
As soon as Nigerian Football Stars, for instance; nail clip their contracts as players and are pensioned off from the game, they go into another stage of their expedition absolutely dissimilar from their initial way of life. Some of them find it very difficult to match up with the life style in the world. If it so happens that, while in service, nothing was kept for the rainy days; they end up on the streets and are at the mercy of individuals or the government to survive. This can happen when there is little or no provision to sufficiently accommodate them. Some even end up in the innumerable institutions of relinquishment, ailment, being without a job, downheartedness, and sometimes early death. The social structure will not only be ham-fisted to think of them, but disremembers the bereft family they leave behind.
One of the notable heroes of our noble country Nigeria, that has not been recognized, is the onetime prolific footballer and the legendary gangling forward who scored 37 goals in 58 appearances for the Super Eagles; led the country to victory at the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, Rasheed Yekini. Undoubtedly, Rasheed Yekini remains Nigeria’s goal king, over a decade after football; no one has broken his records. The great “Yeking of Goals”, as he was fondly called; died of depression and struggled with serious mental and delusional disorder after losing life savings to a bungled investment. Imagine someone who won laurels home and away for our beloved country, Nigeria, suffered in such reprehensible unhappiness. The suffering he bore are better left untold.
Just about 20 years after this most important conquest, Yekini and his colleagues of the history making 1994 team, are yet to receive the recompense of a house each; the Nigerian government assured them. It would be better to simply say that Yekini, as other of his contemporaries; died not being rewarded for his hard work making Nigeria great. There is nothing concrete and no monumental edifice to show that the government is appreciative of the glamourous contributions Yekini made while he was alive. With all he did for our nation, during his glory days as a footballer; there is nothing named after him up till now. It is disgraceful and heartless! What a disservice done to a citizen of Nigeria who unselfishly served his fatherland; by so doing, leaving his efforts in vain and ineffectual.
In continuum, Shaibu Amodu, died in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria on June 11, 2016; aged 58, an ex Technical Director, Nigeria Football Federation, who helped qualify the Super Eagles for the 2002 and 2010 World Cups as well as leading the National Team to third place finish at the AFCON 2002 and 2010; nothing concrete has been done to appreciate his contributions in the sporting bureau, whether as a fecund football striker or as a methodic football coach. A memorial lecture, however, was held to his honour by the Edo Football Association, set to remind the Edo State Government and the Federal Government on the need to find a way to immortalize and even commemorate this Nigeria’s past hero. The reminder has not yielded anything fruitful yet. Nigerians are watching and waiting.
Our heroes’ past, extremely wrestled for “One Nigeria”. When our founding fathers introduced this movement to have a “One Nigeria”, the nation was in monotonous skirmish to break out of the imperial rule of the British. We know that Great Britain was a phenomenal nation, commanding and formidable at that time. Consequently, for Nigerians to overcome them, there was an imperative need to composedly arise as a people to bout the growing torture of the imperial British sovereigns.
Even when private gatherings, territories, provinces, and cultural assemblies were unquestionably not ready for this encounter; our founding fathers fought a good fight and in due course, won the race for us to enjoy. What a great privilege to have people fight for our own sake. They stood in our stead and presented us with an amalgamated nation, peaceful and accommodating. But then, today, Nigerians are clamoring to divide the nation while pushing the efforts of our heroes to the slaughterhouse to be butchered like rams and goats. What an ungrateful act!
We are moving from being a country with a communal tie to being individuals with miscellaneous philosophies. Our founding fathers brought us nationalism and independence; we are busy promoting tribalism and conventionalism. Is this how we want to pay the labours of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, a man who was designated by Queen Elizabeth II as a true ambassador that abetted in continuing the unison and evolution of Nigeria and Nigerians? Or is this what we want to do to the praiseworthy contributions of Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe, the prima president of Nigeria, one of the foremost figures of contemporary Nigerian nationalism? These men, along with others, dedicated their lives to make safe Nigeria’s nationhood. Their labours should not be in vain. The government can immortalize some of these men and women, naming projects after them and providing sources of livelihood for their bereaved families; especially their children. As a people too, we need to bury our variances and move forward as a nation in order not to render the labour of our heroes’ past useless and in vain.
Fr. John-Duke ‘Selime Akowe is a Priest of the Catholic Diocese of Auchi, Auchi, Edo State, Nigeria.
