Then came one with the will and force called William, who told his companions we were worth more than what they take us to be. He made them see that we too are humans. They refused and rejected the notion at first but reluctantly over centuries, they agreed and decided to let us be.
They thought us their way of life and governance and we copied hook line and sinker, yea even those of us who never stepped foot in the land unknown prefer to live, dress and talk like they who took us away from our lands. We adopted their way of leadership behaving strange to that which worked for our forefathers.
So we are now masters of our own, even though we know they still influence every step of the way. They call it democracy, where we rule ourselves by ourselves for ourselves, oh how confusing that sounds. A system under which I can vote and be voted for into any office of the land.
Then my compatriots saw the need to divide us into zones and regions which they claim is the way civilized societies do. But ours seem to vary greatly from civilization, for in the land unknown, a man from the south can lead in the north without objection. He can represent any part of the land that allows him.
Our own people say a blue blooded Igbo Prince, must have nothing to do with a Hausa Princess even though the love burns wildly. A Yoruba King is not allowed in certain areas or on certain occasions because it is forbidden. Then they callrcall some "minorities" for they are the ones who have little or no say in matters that affect their own lives.
This system has it's pros but how do I explain to my unborn kids that they cannot attain the highest office in the land because they did not come from the "right" region of zone? How do I tell my daughter she cannot lead her generation because our society frowns at women competing with men, so she has to work twice as hard to get her voice heard, yea she has to beg for a listening ear. How do I look my son in the eye and tell him he cannot represent his birth place and the people he will grow among because he in fact does not "belong" there?
Oh, how much intricacies come with democracy and how much more complicated my compatriots made it. Sometimes I wish I knew Aguyi Ironsi, Murtala Mohammed and Sani Abacha personally but I will have to learn that from Yakubu Gowon or Badamasi Babangida because Olusegun Obasanjo opened the can Shehu Shagari was forced to close while Umaru Yar'Adua was taken to glory doing same but with Goodluck, Jonathan handed over this system to Mohammadu Buhari. As for Ernest Shonikan, an interim plan can be made.
May Nnamdi Azikiwe, Ahmadu Bello and Obafemi Awolowo not roll in their graves when they see the kind of democracy we practice today. May they not be ashamed of what we have done to their legacies and may they not be ashamed of me for not touching the "religion" card in this epistle because it is such a "sensitive issue" I dare not bring into our DEMOCRACY (did I hear you sing a song by Fela Anikulapo?)
Happy Democracy day my Nigeria.
They thought us their way of life and governance and we copied hook line and sinker, yea even those of us who never stepped foot in the land unknown prefer to live, dress and talk like they who took us away from our lands. We adopted their way of leadership behaving strange to that which worked for our forefathers.
So we are now masters of our own, even though we know they still influence every step of the way. They call it democracy, where we rule ourselves by ourselves for ourselves, oh how confusing that sounds. A system under which I can vote and be voted for into any office of the land.
Then my compatriots saw the need to divide us into zones and regions which they claim is the way civilized societies do. But ours seem to vary greatly from civilization, for in the land unknown, a man from the south can lead in the north without objection. He can represent any part of the land that allows him.
Our own people say a blue blooded Igbo Prince, must have nothing to do with a Hausa Princess even though the love burns wildly. A Yoruba King is not allowed in certain areas or on certain occasions because it is forbidden. Then they callrcall some "minorities" for they are the ones who have little or no say in matters that affect their own lives.
This system has it's pros but how do I explain to my unborn kids that they cannot attain the highest office in the land because they did not come from the "right" region of zone? How do I tell my daughter she cannot lead her generation because our society frowns at women competing with men, so she has to work twice as hard to get her voice heard, yea she has to beg for a listening ear. How do I look my son in the eye and tell him he cannot represent his birth place and the people he will grow among because he in fact does not "belong" there?
Oh, how much intricacies come with democracy and how much more complicated my compatriots made it. Sometimes I wish I knew Aguyi Ironsi, Murtala Mohammed and Sani Abacha personally but I will have to learn that from Yakubu Gowon or Badamasi Babangida because Olusegun Obasanjo opened the can Shehu Shagari was forced to close while Umaru Yar'Adua was taken to glory doing same but with Goodluck, Jonathan handed over this system to Mohammadu Buhari. As for Ernest Shonikan, an interim plan can be made.
May Nnamdi Azikiwe, Ahmadu Bello and Obafemi Awolowo not roll in their graves when they see the kind of democracy we practice today. May they not be ashamed of what we have done to their legacies and may they not be ashamed of me for not touching the "religion" card in this epistle because it is such a "sensitive issue" I dare not bring into our DEMOCRACY (did I hear you sing a song by Fela Anikulapo?)
Happy Democracy day my Nigeria.
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