Something massive started and ended over the other fortnight in a little, far-flung part of the globe. The globe was totally aware and indeed closely monitored the event that sought in one fell swoop to break one record as well as create another. Sadly though, as is the wont of the continent concerned, the people whose son was the brain behind this global event were on the whole half-aware, one quarter interested and zero supportive. Now, you get the context of why such epochal piece of future history generated very little frenzy right at its backyard.
It’s a crying shame how this continent, this country, this state almost always prefer on one hand, to excellencify nonsense while on the other, nonsensifying excellence. We allot peanuts to scholarship but a fortune to entertainment. Entertainment, by the way, being just a fine name for rubbish; like perfume on dirt. We show respect to entertainment calling it Big Brother; in the process insinuating that almighty education is small brother.
We glorify idiocy and such immoralities as nudity, sex, alcohol and gossip by handing their best purveyors (read the worst of the worst) prime time on all media platforms as well as hundreds of millions of naira while first-class academic performers are offered discouraging anathemas in the name of reward. Penultimate weekend, we pretended to hide our faces in shame when so-called Big Brother stars dimmed so horribly; they could not answer kindergarten general knowledge questions on live television. “What does CAC, a government agency, stand for?” “Which body is responsible for making laws in Nigeria?”
A lawyer, said to have been called to the Nigerian bar at 22, (she’s 30) said it’s the judiciary that makes laws in Nigeria. Are we not making progress, albeit backwardly so? Alas, she was not alone: her colleagues all drew blank on every count. “Who’s featured on the Nigerian hundred naira bill?”
For crying out loud, Nigerian adults who call themselves educated could not decode the acronym, NAFDAC; nor the product of 11 and 7; nor the continent of Mount Everest; nor the six classes of food. Shouldn’t we run to court today to seek perpetual injunction against these shows of shame? However, our reaction is the trademark hypocrisy that has become our second nature, pretenders all of us. We cannot and should not scapegoat Big Brother participants because: my dear, come on, in which other sector have we not sacrificed unassailable excellence on the altar of crass mediocrity?
Check out those who work like ants but earn like elephants. We should hold open written and oral examinations for all cadres of our political office holders. I know this won’t happen (in fact most of them would take out court orders to stop it) but you know what, I don’t need to be a prophet to say that 80% would feign illness or travel on that day, and only one of the 20% who grudgingly appear shall strike gold. Laugh even if you can’t, but this is our collective cul-de-sac.
What this means is that we are where we are because we continue to pay scant attention to education and anything pertaining thereto. To engender change, we must recalibrate our leadership recruitment process. When we elect quality, quality shall show up in appointments and invariably in the efforts and results across all strata of our national life. That is not rocket science, or is it?
If against all odds, we choose to go on playing the same card that we have deployed man and boy, we shall come to the same reality namely that you cannot harvest yam when you planted cocoyam. Yet, before we can talk of the political will to fix Nigeria, Nigerians must have the moral will to select leaders who can be agents of that change. Nigeria is in dire need of better leaders, better followers, better teachers, better students, better preachers, better faithful; better everybody, better everything. Until we sort ourselves out, I am afraid our country is going nowhere.
Feel free to replace country with continent, or with race, or with state or with LGA or with village or even with family. This should help you to see that the rot is total and ubiquitous. We need help, urgent total help. We need to read our society back into reckoning; back to sense!
About time we connected the dots. Bibliophile, journalist and journalism teacher, Dr Udeme Nana of Uyo Book Club, and John Obot, Greek grammar and syntax tutor, freethinker and good governance advocate, over a period of two weeks that two Mondays ago, staged a quiet intellectual revolution in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State in the deep south of Nigeria. Mr Obot, whose father, John Obot, died in active service road accident as a Radio Nigeria network reporter, looks to break and create Guinness World Record on the longest marathon reading aloud by an individual. I was at Readmania for about an hour, the Saturday he clocked 100 hours (he did 203 hours by the time he rounded off penultimate Monday).
I loved and still love a few things the visit afforded me the opportunity to see firsthand. But, I hate(d) many things I didn’t see. I love(d) the setting of the venue, City View Hall of Watbridge Hotels and Suites located on IBB Avenue. I love(d) the fact that Sen. Ekong Sampson, Ph.D., himself a bibliophile and fantastic lawyer, had offered Readmania the place gratis.
I love(d) the spirit and zeal of the chief programme director of the John Obot Guinness World Record official attempt, Dr Udeme Nana. I love(d) how Dr Nana went to every length to ensure Mr Obot and his 70-man team got all they needed. I love(d) how the young people blended and how hard they worked in spite of all of them being complete volunteers. I love(d) also how some big women kept aside class to cook for the team not once, not twice.
What about John himself? Oh, my! It is his incredible quality and resilience and patience and sense of humour and presence of mind, for me. Being our first meeting, I thought we connected too easily; especially against the background of the global pressure he was clearly under.
The soon-to-be husband and father of one was reading the late Elder Nnamso Umoren’s book, from canoe boy to permanent secretary, up until he took the break during which we took photos and I left shortly afterwards. While I shall eternally treasure the quality of the first impression the marathon reader accorded me, I want it on record that the guy is a born reader. He reads like a reader. His pace, his tone and above all his reaction per time prove that he understands what he reads -unlike most readers.
I say that because this trained teacher and member of Nigeria Union of Teachers was not making this attempt for show. He qualifies to do it and, as I see it, he seeks to point youngsters and indeed humanity to how passion, energy, resolve, focus, commitment and excellence can combine to engender change.
BUSH HOUSE NIGERIA, of which I am President-at-large, shall soon treat the record breaker-cum-maker complete with his fiancee, child, no-nonsense schoolteacher mother, his team et al to a luncheon at Watbridge Hotels and Suites, Uyo. Which brings me to what I didn’t love and shall never love about the beautiful event.
During a 2-hour interview a fortnight ago to close BUSH HOUSE NIGERIA 20-year independent production chapter, Mr John Obot told me he wrote 221 letters seeking help in the build-up and got not one single response. Plus, some people he really believed in talked down on him so badly or dismissed him outright. Such discouragement. Such impoliteness.
Things got so bad his confidant, Amama Aloysius, and he planned to record the big event on their phones. That would have been absolute tragedy. Imagine such monumental lack in the midst of such humongous plenty. But, why?
Why is it so impossible to rally round people who bring light? Conversely, why does darkness so easily and so powerfully and so publicly support darkness? What is in light that repels light so badly and what is in darkness that attracts darkness so much? Why do most people of power and means hate to support genuine positive efforts?
In negotiating the end of this entry, let’s get back to my end-of-discussion all-media interview with the long-distance reader. Mr Obot also told me that in the course of his reading he drew tremendous strength and encouragement just seeing all of those who had refused to help him vis-a-vis the official attempt standing in the hall and applauding him. Furthermore, that an alarming majority of those who turned up during the reading only came once they saw he was about to succeed. But, why are human beings like that?
Now that we have been this horrendously exposed, isn’t it time we turned a new leaf? We should reduce our wolfish appetite for self and profit. We should learn to put others first. We should remember God every time even an enemy needs help.
God bless Nigeria!
Editor’s note: This was meant for last Monday. The mix-up which led to another copy being published is regretted.