I’m Coming Home to Build My Nation -Paul Rotimi Adebayo

I share the concerns and frustrations of several people who are in despair over the state of this nation and are considering relocation. Our country is a mess and the temptation to escape at the slightest concrete opportunity is really strong. However, personally I will stick with the opinion that abandoning this ship should not be our line of action. We as Nigerians are in deep trouble both in the country and outside of it. I believe some of us must have heard of the treatment meted out to our people in UAE, US, Australia, SA, China, Libya and even Ghana just to mention a few obvious cases. Call these countries racists, xenophobic, afrophobic etc if you like but we must acknowledge that something is fundamentally wrong with us as a nation and our rate of incessant migration attests to this. The migration scenario put up by Nigerians are reserved only for countries at war where citizens flee their country to other countries for safety. Is a war going on in Nigeria?

These treatments are apart from the humiliation you are likely to be subjected to at points of entries of several countries simply because you are carrying a Nigerian passport. Do you know that it is rare to see a Nigerian based abroad who has other passport other than his/her Nigerian passport use his Nigerian passport to apply for visa or travel to anywhere with it? They prefer their new passports from their current country of residence.

Recently there is a rhetoric being advanced internationally & its spreading rapidly like wildfire and it is that Nigerians should leave the countries they are resident in and return home to fix their country. Governments of most of these countries might at the moment be shy about taking such a stance for now in order to save face globally and pretend to support the globalization agenda of the world but the common man and woman on the streets of these countries are demanding that Nigerians especially should leave their country. Bear in mind that currently fueled by the wave of nationalism that is sweeping through the world. Several Nigerians outside are corrupt (not all of them follow law and order as we believe hence the crime rate attributed to Nigerians) and the other several part who are honest, clean and law abiding have a diligent work ethic that puts them easily above their peers who are nationals of such countries. Both scenarios create enmity and hatred towards Nigerians.
If the progression of this rhetoric continues unabated (which is most likely to be) we might eventually all find ourselves one day in a situation where we are tacitly told to return home.

Therefore, the time to fix Nigeria is now! We cannot afford to wait any longer as we are all running out of time either you are home or abroad. As for me, I will be returning back home to be a part of the people to fix the present rubbish we found ourselves in. This has been my singular goal since the first three months I arrived here (SA) till date.

It is impossible to take everyone we love and care about out of Nigeria (you can at most take your immediate family) and therefore it must be our goal to fix the country for all of us. Until we build a prosperous and secured Nigeria rid of all inequality, tribal sentiments, religious intolerance, poverty, corruption etc and build a Nigeria whose citizens do not want to leave either for study, or for medical care, or greener pasture, or for law and order, or for protection of basic human right except for few weeks of vacation abroad. Until we accomplish this, all hands must be on deck and our struggle cannot stop.

I know several of you have passion and have made efforts to change our nation. Unfortunately the same people you are trying to help and save (the masses) will attack, vilify and attempt to kill you. This must not discourage us, but we must realise that our countrymen and women have grown to love their oppressors as they never knew better. Several of our people defend and worship their leaders, the same leaders who are their oppressors because we were all born into this bondage and never knew a better life than this is possible in Nigeria. I must note here that our leaders are crafty, cunning and extremely clever, when they fashioned our bondage, they made it total leaving no facet of life out. What we have is a wholesome, comprehensive bondage.

I have thought carefully about it and I have resolved that for us to break free of this bondage, some if not many of us have to die for this cause of a new Nigeria and I am ready to at the moment. Many of the countries we live in today had similar and terrible past but some of their people stood up, resisted, fought hard, and sacrificed everything including their own lives to get them out of the pit until a new horizon overtook their horrible past.

The uncomfortable truth is we need men and women to die for Nigeria. Without jail time and deaths (as martyrs), a new Nigeria is not possible. However, I have resolved, it is better to die for this cause (fighting for a new Nigeria) than to die as a result of and as a casualty of a wasteful and irresponsible leadership. Both options before us have sufferings and deaths on the menu, there is no escaping it. I have simply chosen the meaningful suffering and memorable death. You need to choose your own suffering and death too. Remember these powerful, corrupt leaders will never give up without a fight. If you are a parent, look into the eyes of your son or daughter and therein find reason and strength to fight on because you fight for their future and comfort not just for yourself.