Some would argue that dreams are just mere
expressions of inner desires, while others may believe that dreams are the
foundation of any tangible achievement. I
am particularly incensed by the words of Hippocrates (460 BC to 370 BC), a Greek
physician who lived in the Age of Pericles (Classical Athens) and considered
one of the most immaculate figures in the world of medicine. He stated simply that “during the day the
soul receives images and during the night the soul produces images.” This
indicates that dreams could tell you more about yourself than any book,
therapist and friend or relative.
My soul connects to images; these images
form a candid perspective to my already held beliefs and convictions that
Nigeria will be a great country if we use the power in our dreams. The dreams that is formed in my mind about
the future-Nigeria is full of victories, triumphs and laughter, sadly we may
not get to the stage until our cataclysms are first addressed.
My dream for Nigeria is mixed with immense
fright and melancholia; but it equally has a magical twist that assures a
re-branded future full of excitement and triumphs.
I see a new Nigeria.
Over half a century later, we are yet to
experience the tiniest of the dream we hold at independence. Rather than being free, we are slaves in our
land, slave to our resources’ that we have been repeatedly denied of. Slave to our history of greedy leaders who have
shown no concern to our plights. Our
mothers are made slaves; they suffer and die from child birth and poverty. Our children die in their thousands from
preventable diseases and hunger. We are
slaves to our religious beliefs that have caused us immense bigotry and
intolerance.
Slaves we are and slave we will be, except
we break the chains of our captivity and set ourselves free. Free from the jungle of injustice, pride,
wickedness and self-gratification, which we have given prominence over mass-development.
The Italian catholic priest Thomas Aquinas
(1225 to 1274); said we can only categorize how we behave into two categories; Cognitive
(how we know the world) and Affective (how we understand the world via our
feelings and emotions). We have not
developed a cognitive or affective knowledge of our world, feelings and
emotions. We are still slaves to our own
world.
Our land is blessed with natural resources’,
these resources could place us in good stead the world over, yet it is more of
a curse to us than blessing because of greed, selfishness, wickedness, and hatred
of a greedy few who enjoy the resources that belong to all. These few simply sits on the treasure, guard it with their
strong arm of tyranny, feed fat on it and spread the overflow to their kin and kindred. The ordinary people of Nigeria have not
started enjoying the benefit of their God given resources after over half a
century of independence; neither can our breed of wicked leaders account for
the income made from the sale of our resources. They are only helped by their
fat-foreign banks accounts and treasury where their loots are stashed.
Despite over half a
century of independence, the
people of Nigeria have not received support from the government they so much
believe in. Everyday of their lives is a
struggle for survival, of what use is the government that cannot provide the
basic things of life to its people. Nigerians have been made to suffer more
than any of their contemporaries in other countries, they have been repeatedly
denied their basic rights, they make and fix their own road themselves, provide
their own security as the police cannot be trusted, they have to access and
pump their own water, they have to source their own power supply and other
basic amenities. Of what good is a
country that cannot provide the basic amenities for its citizens?
I have
a dream for Nigeria .
I have
a dream that one day Nigerians will drink fresh waters from its nature endowed
well without any barriers.
I am
confident that though we face the highest bite of poverty today, I see images
of best livelihood and superfluous quality of life.
I have
a dream for Nigeria; the vision is strong and alive.
To be
continued.
Abiola Olaifa writes
(abiolla@gmail.com)