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LET US CORRECT
THE IDEA TO EFFECT

THE CHANGE

By Michael Unogwu

ajority of Nigerians are very poetic in
presenting the sad realities of the nation
Mbut very poor in providing its solutions. in our minds we can effect the necessary
Funny enough we all pride to know the problem changes.
but the solutions we often proffer prove to be
wrong medications for the right diseases and so Ignorance is always ignorance about something
we still remain sick. I do not pretend to speak with and what could be that in the Nigerian equation?
the exactitude of the Jewish prophets in telling It is ignorance about the few things we cherish
you the problem and its solution but if you could which clog our wheel of progress as a nation and
follow me as I diagnose it, my medication as individuals. These I call denominators of our
(solution) will convince you of a sure efficacy of problems for every one of our problems in my lens
our problem. rests upon one or the other. They include
tribalism, religion, provocation and greed. These
“Nigeria is in shambles; poverty is embodied; are seen as values in the eyes of many Nigerians
criminality is flourishing; lawlessness is the norm, and that is the ignorance we are talking about.
and impunity is a virtue” could be your
description of the matter. But you could agree Tribalism: Many Nigerians are so passionate
with me that all these are conscious and about their tribe but not patriotic about national
deliberate acts. Hence, they are products of affairs. But do they really know the origin of tribe?
thoughts or ideas which have passed through the I doubt much. Let the dictionary remain closed so
different refining sections of the mind (or brain if that we do not delve into the origin and
you like): intellect, will, and memory. Though the etymology. Nevertheless, it is the idea that my
intellect rejects them in the refining process tribe is more important than anyone else's
because they do not conform to goodness but especially when dealing with non-tribal people.
because of the weakness of the will, their When the Whites came to steal our wealth under
executioners love them, set out to actualize them the camouflage of civilization and religion, they
and so store them in the memory. Therefore, saw our invincible strength at which we farmed
corruption is on the increase because the the earth, our immunity against diseases and our
memory saves its past benefits and so the bond of brotherhood and were startled. And
individual always recourse to it again and again. since their project was exploitation they smartly
No wonder, Socrates says that men do evil out of hatched a plan: let’s divide them so that we can
ignorance and he is correct. rule them. And so while God reasoned together in
Genesis 1:26to make man in his image and
Yes, every conscious evil act, be it crime or sin, is a likeness, the Whites reasoned together in Berlin
participation in the sin of Adam and Eve and so is 1884 to divide Africa for easy and smooth
caused at least by one of the following: suspicion, imperialism and colonialism. Thus, they first of all
rebellion and hope of benefit. Check it out: We sin installed, like computer programme, in the heads
because we do not trust God and so become of our educated ones the IDEA OF TRIBE and
suspicious of his laws; why will God prevent us these in turn infected the hearts of our chiefs and
from doing it the other way? Secondly, we rebel prominent ones with it who faithfully executed it
against God’s law because we feel they limit our by instigating in the hearts of their respective
freedom. Thirdly, we sin so as to gain the seeming peoples that they have unique origin and descent
benefits attached to them, e.g. hookup. But tell and so belong to different tribes and should exist
me, if you knew who God really is, would you as such. Little wonder then, Chinua Achebe
distrust him and be suspicious of his laws or even retorts through the character, Obierika in his
feel angered to the point of violating his laws famous novel ‘Things Fall Apart’: “How do you
because they limit your freedom or the benefits think we can fight when our own brothers have
you will gain? The lack of knowledge of this truth turned against us? The white man is very clever.
is what is called ignorance and so Socrates is right. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion.
Therefore, if we correct this ignorance which has We were amused at his foolishness and allowed
become formidable ideas and highly entrenched him to stay. Now has won our brothers, and our