Of Revolutionary Or Evolutionary Nigeria: Which Is Better?
By Taiye Olaniyi

Every day one is privileged to wake up, The Almighty God, the Creator of every living being, everywhere deserves one's adoration for the gift of life and return of consciousness.

Adoration to God is sure a necessity if one gives thoughts to the storms and turbulences all around us today, the world over, and in Nigeria in particular for still, the breath of life passes through the nostrils thus making one still a living soul.

Going by the fellow Blacks as slave drivers that once slave drove fellow Blacks into slavery as slaves during both the trans-Saharan and trans-Atlantic slave routes as human chattels, later the era of colonialism and advent of attaining independence by labours of heroes’ past, it becomes apparent and real to question what could be regarded revolutionary or evolutionary of Nigeria at 63.

The advent of independence and at primal stage of Nigeria as sovereignty commenced on 1st October. 1960, the translation to the Federal Republic in 1963 and the democratic processes therein at three principal regions North, West, East and later the addition of Mid-West, federalism at that time gave room to regional developments at various levels.

The varying developments or none of them gave room to quantities and qualities of population dynamics as we have inherited today and these directly or indirectly signaled the different eras of military regimes and the characteristics that characterized the characters associated with their various regimes.

The accusations and counteraccusations, of deep corruption disparaging the regimes of fellow corruption-infested rulers, gave room to interruptions of a number of democratic regimes, and till today Nigerians still battle with the current dispensation of what we tag the 10th Republic.

One may be tempted to ask, is there any visible appreciable progress report in terms of synergistic outlook to the following in our nation's sovereignty and attainment of independence at 63?

(1) Though tribes and tongues may differ in brotherhood we stand?

(2) Quality, honest, and sincere review of the nation's Constitution to suit all and sundry so in the deepest and innermost part of our hearts we are loyal, faithful, and honest in services to Nigeria.

(3) Because of how Nigeria evolved from slave driving of Black slaves by fellow Black slave drivers, in his inaugural speech of 1963 when Nigeria became a Federal Republic, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe in his mystic vision of what Nigeria could revolve to, admonished thus:

" To no person no matter how rich we should mortgage our conscience.

To no nation no matter how powerful should we mortgage our independence."

So, the question is to what extent have we adhered to this great warning as in a few days’ time we start celebrating 63 years of Nigeria's attainment of independence?

Almost everywhere there is a myriad of agitations for revolution, change in sociopolitical, religious, and economic structures, and restructuring of Nigeria.

But the question is how sincere and non-violent the result of such agitations by these agitators are?

How faithful, honest, and sincere to us all and how beneficial would such be to us all being governed by government and their styles of governance?

Revolutionary calls as presently predicated and constituted tend and trend much more to anarchies and disarray oscillating us all back and front without motion for the ideal life and living in a peaceful nation.

We therefore need evolutionary ideals that would and should make us use our constructive and creative talents imbued in us all by no other than one and only God the Creator of all living beings everywhere.

God, our God of our persuasions and understandings is no religionist but humans are. He created us all in His might and dictates so we could edify Him in all we do tallying with the purposes and the why of our existence wherever we are and whoever we are and want to be.

One may be a president, minister, legislator, or even judicial personage while on the other side of the pole of life a street cleaner or poor pensioner senior citizen like me and colleagues I am privileged to associate with in my journey of life.

One could be a religious or traditional ruler with acoustics and perquisites of such offices yet may be far less in thoughts, words, and actions and less in contributions to building an evolved and virile Nigeria, and humankind at large.

Be one religious or irreligious, scientific or unscientific, rich or abjectly poor, once a creature of one same God to whom all human adorations must go, we all must put all hands-on deck, plow the garden of life in Nigeria without looking back.

We all need to take cognizance of all our accounts in thoughts, words, and deeds as they are and shall be rendered to our Creator here now and the hereafter.

In all the aforementioned, "From whence comes the power that builds the pyramids?".

Similarly, taking cognizance of what Nigeria had been and ought to be, think about this parting shot as Nigeria celebrates 60 years of " Independence " in a few days to come.

" Today is Yesterday's Tomorrow, are You moving forward in Thoughts and Conducts?"
Why not, if not?
God Bless Nigeria.

First published for METRO

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Taiye Olaniyi, a retired Postman of the Nigeria Postal Service, is based in Lagos.