It’s still the month of October at the time of writing, Nigeria’s Independence month. I have come to understand that when you love the Lord there are no coincidences in your life. It is from this perspective that I believe that I am a Nigerian by divine design. I love my country Nigeria, and I believe that Nigeria will be great in my life time. However this will not happen by just believing, it takes working towards. As a patriot, I draw inspiration from what JF Kennedy told his fellow Americans, and I put this to you; do not ask what Nigeria can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country Nigeria. And so, dear reader, if you share with me the dream of a better Nigeria here are a few things to do in working towards greatness.
First and foremost let us love our country; our love will motivate us to contend for the highest good for the country. As we do our daily devotions, let us never forget to pray for Nigeria; the Bible says pray for the peace of Jerusalem and it will be well with you. Let us pray for the peace of Nigeria so that it may be well with us.
But faith without works is dead; as we pray let us take responsibility to do the right things. In our little corners when we do the right things the right way, it will create a multiplier effect of things going right.
It starts from the most mundane things like standing at attention while the national anthem is being played or sung and respecting the flag. How about taking cognizance of how we handle the Naira? If it were properly handled,we might not have such dirty and squeezed notes. Your international passport should also be handled with pride and respect. These may only be symbols of our national identity but how serious we take these symbols will foster a positive national behavior.
A positive national behavior is also built around a good knowledge of our history. Our history is important to us so as to chart a good way forward. We need to take the time to understand and teach our young ones about our history so“the labour of our heroes past shall never be in vain”.
Our country has been plagued with bad leadership over the years; nonetheless, our leaders are Nigerians from amongst us, so how would we fare if we were in their positions? This calls for soul-searching on our parts as followers. It begins with how we carry out our daily transactions.
Corruption in our country is like the national behavior we are known for, but this should stop. We need to take a stand against this in our little spaces. Evil prevails where good men and women are complacent. As much as we speak out against corruption we should back our words by action. Wherever we are we should not give or take abribe, this is where corruption starts. We also should not in any position we find ourselves use our offices as financial leakage points.
Whatever mountain the Lord has called you to, you need to work at conscientiously. I am talking about diligence in the workplace. Take pride in what you do, as long as it is legal. Even if it is temporary, do it as to the Lord.
Taking care of our environment is also very essential. As much as the Lord has given us dominion over all He created; we also have the responsibility to take care of the things we have dominion over. You can start from just keeping your surroundings clean and not littering the place as well as finding ways to minimize pollution.
The way we interact on the roads is important, as well. It is disheartening to see that the teachings we receive every week do not reflect in something as simple as obeying traffic rules.
Given that the theme for this edition is Alignment and Acceleration, I am inviting you to align with God’s will for the nation so as to accelerate to greatness. Israel is God’s first born but not His only child. Nigeria is a child of God also; let us, therefore, be proudly Nigerian in all we do. Until I come your way next time, let’s make our Daddy proud!