To change is to become different from a former position. In terms of change in human character and attitude, change occurs when an individual starts acting differently from what he or she is known for, which we may refer to as attitudinal change. And it can be a positive or a negative one.
Let me also note quickly here that for change to occur, there must be a catalyst for it, that is, applying the cause and effect analysis. For Nigerians to be involved in the rebranding effort of the Federal Government, it launched what it called “Change Begins with Me” campaign.
Sloganeering in this context is a way of advertising political ideas for easy remembrance but it is not a means of achieving these ideas or bringing them to reality. What the Federal Government should not forget is that one of the strongest catalysts that will foster change in the attitude of citizens is patriotism.
Patriotism, in its simplest connotation, means love for one’s country. Without patriotism, how can change begin with the citizens? Therefore to elicit concrete and effective change from the citizens, true and strong efforts must be made in other to bring that patriotic spirit to bear in the subconscious minds of every citizen.
So long as these evils persist in our society, change, nationhood and the much elusive unity will continue to be elusive. Whom do they want change to begin with? Is itthe ordinary Nigerian who has fallen into a state of despair as a result of the poor policies of the federal government?
The government and indeed politicians who have served this nation in one capacity or the other have failed the people woefully in providing the primary essence of governance, which is the people’s welfare.
How then can they be patriotic and, by extension, allow change to begin with them. It is therefore the duty of the present government to find lasting solutions to these age long problems that have bedevilled the country before expecting any meaningful change from the people.
From all indications, these problems that have drained every hope of patriotism in the citizens have not been addressed, let alone solved. To take a closer look at the sordid nature of the situation, allow me to quote a European who said, “My government has provided every single need of mine, what then can God do for me?” Now, it may sound blasphemous and senseless, but that is not my line of discourse.
Albeit you may agree with me that it goes a long way in explaining why the westerners are so patriotic to their father land. Sequel to the foregoing, it will amount to arrant nonsense to think that if the basic needs of the people are not provided for, if the government in power cannot provide adequate security, infrastructure, equity and justice, amelioration of hardship by creation of employment, removal of nepotism and favouritism, especially in federal appointments, wanton and senseless killings and disobedience to the rule of law, destruction of peoples properties without compensation, diversion of retirees pensions and gratuities, and endemic corruption amongst the people who are supposed to be accountable and transparent, there will be any meaningful change in the lives of the people.
How do you expect change to begin with me when electoral malpractices and use of incumbency power are applied to force preferred candidates on the people and then tell them to meet them in court where they will end up manipulating the judicial system?
The last Edo State gubernatorial elections and the senatorial elections in River State, where a high ranking police officer was beheaded, are just few examples of gross electoral malpractices and violence perpetrated by the same people that are expecting change to begin with me.
Yet, these two examples are nothing compared with the staggering number of endemic vices that are witnessed everyday around the country. There is no need to talk about the mass incessant killings perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen with impunity against defenceless farmers only for the Federal Government and there state counterparts to pay reluctant lip service to it and there ends it.
No arrest, no justice, no compensation of any kind to the families of the deceased, nothing. Yet, change is expected to begin with the members of those families. The killing of nearly 400 Shiite members and more than two hundred members of the pro-Biafra protesters extra-judicially by the Nigerian troops can never be forgotten.
So long as these evils persist in our society, change, nationhood and the much needed unity will continue to be elusive. Whom do they want change to begin with? Is it the ordinary Nigerian who has fallen into a state of despair as a result of the poor policies of the Federal Government, coupled with the fact that many state governors have refused to pay worker’s salaries as at when due?
Some state governments are going the extra mile to cut down on salaries and compel some of the pensioners to sign a payment slip of two years pension arrears while collecting only four months pension arrears, as alleged by some Imo State civil servants. For these reasons and many more, patriotism has become difficult if not impossible in the lives of Nigerians. Indeed, change should begin with the people at the helm of affairs first before the ordinary Nigerian.
Uche, a political affairs analyst, writes from Ogba, Lagos.
