ONE NATION UNDER GOD... OUR IDENTITY

I stumbled into a picture depicting Nigeria's coat of arms. I shook my head in pity. There was a deafening silence in the recess of my soul, which was soon overtaken by thoughts rioting for supremacy. These thoughts cycled around the identity of the Nigerian Republic.

What alarmed me about a common coat  of arms???


"Your heraldic device (informally, your "coat of arms") is essentially your personal "logo," and identifies you the way a company's logo identifies the company. On a banner, it tells everyone you're at an event. On a shield, it tells who's on the field fighting. On tableware, it tells whose place it's at. On clothing, it tells who's in the clothing.

The heraldic device originated in war. During the chaos of battle, you had to decide within seconds whether someone approaching was friend or enemy. The device evolved to allow this; painted on a shield, it told who was behind that shield. It was so helpful for identification during war that it soon spread into peacetime use as well.

Since a device identified the man who displayed it, it was very important that no two men have the same device"...
(© Glen Fisher, Leslie A. Schweitzer, and Floyd Bullock (12/1/92),
http://heraldry.sca.org/armory/whatis/device.html).

If a coat of arms is synonymous to an identity, then Nigerian Federalism is a lie, or at best, it used to be true. I'll here, acknowledge the wise pithy phrase by the late sage Chinua Achebe-"THERE WAS A COUNTRY". Though he may have referred to the defunct Biafran State, Nigeria right now is actually a 'was country' in the perspective of founding values and principles.

What's a nation without values? A nation ceases to exist once it's values are thrashed underfoot.

Our nation has lied to us in her economic principles, social inclinations, political dispositions.

*Enshrined in our coat of arms are symbols of a rich soil and fertile soil. That was when the economy was thriving on agriculture. In my opinion, take the black shield off. The nation's overdependence on the oil rich land has highlighted the flaw in our national economic system. There is obviously no diversification.

*They said the mirror-imaged horse stands for dignity. Unless the meaning of dignity has shifted from 'a quality or state worthy of esteem and respect' (http://wiktionary.org), to 'celebrated mediocrity', then in my opinion, the horses should also seriously  run away from the coat of arms.

*And now the eagle. Oh. I get it. The eagle then meant real strength. The present political climate of this federalism only points to strength in corrupt leadership, selective complex man-hunt  prioritised as the leadership main target. Villains turned heroes. Disputed certificates from the presidency to the Senate (mild drama occurred on Tuesday in the Senate as a Senator Representing Kogi State, Mr Dino Melaye, stormed the upper legislative chambers in an academic gown...http://www.channelstv.com/2017/03/28/dino-melaye-storms-senate-academic-gown/).

* The climax comes to out National motto...  Unity and Faith, Peace and progress. Nothing can be further from the truth. Vehement joke.

Unity? No sir. There was a country. The very tribalistic line of national discord was struck when Britain injected Northern Nigeria with the born-to-rule ideology.


Peace? No sir. Not when we are not free to practice our faith within the territorial protection of the nation state.

The reality on ground is a wrecked academic system. Our climax institutions of higher learning deliver to the public people who have become so uneducated in a stressful system of 'cram and pass'. No reward for creativity. Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Chimamanda Adichie, must be weeping.

The reality of ground is a social system that celebrates moral decadence. Our TV shows proudly broadcast these nonsense. Where for God's sake is the National Censorship body? The reward for grand academic feats are minimal, and grossly swept underfoot. We are in a generation where young people prefer to be comedians than doctors. Why wouldn't they be, since the reward for the former is superior? THERE WAS A COUNTRY.

If our fathers have failed the vision, YOUNG PEOPLE LIKE ME, WILL WE FAIL TOO?  But I'm truly scared for my generation. Pitiable, we are on track to do worse than out fathers have done. How we despise hardwork and diligent track record of bettering the inner man.

I can't continue. I do not speak as one without hope in this federalism. But NIGERIA will remain a country that was, if we fail to rediscover the intents of such nationalists who gave their all for the birth of this sovereign state.

ARISE OH COMPATRIOTS... NIGERIA'S CALL OBEY!!! THE LABOURS OF OUR HEROES PAST SHALL NEVER BE IN VAIN.

#I_Believe_In_Nigeria.