I pledge to Nigeria...

I pledge to Nigeria my country,

To be faithful, loyal and honest,

To serve Nigeria with all my strength,

To defend her unity,

And uphold her honor and glory.

So help me God.

Almost everyone who grew up in post-independence Nigeria can remember saying this pledge every morning at school. Morning assembly was not complete until pupils said the pledge. Looking back, I think we should have taken it more seriously than just being for primary school pupils.

What really does a pledge mean? It is a solemn vow that one promises to keep and fulfill. It is a pledge to …Nigeria my country. Meaning that, the nation Nigeria is supposed to be personalized by every citizen. You can`t ever take anything about Nigeria too personal because it is ‘your Nigeria and my Nigeria. Do you ever think that you have a personal stake in Nigeria? You sure do. See Nigeria as your personal possession.

You and I pledged to be faithful, loyal and honest. If you really consider it, it is such a lofty vow that we all made to Nigeria, howbeit unconsciously. Faithfulness is simply a measure of how dependable a person is, especially when things are bad. Being faithful to Nigeria means you can still be trusted to do what is right, even when it is not convenient to do so.

A wise man once said, “depending on an unfaithful friend in times of crisis is like chewing with a broken tooth or walking with a crippled foot”. Simply, an unfaithful person is a source of handicap rather than an asset. Can Nigeria have faith in you to do things right? We seem to have had a difficult time understanding the concept of “the rule of law”. This is so because we have not learnt to always do things right, no matter the situation and circumstance. Simply, faithfulness is the reason why a married man will not take a very good opportunity to have a fling with a colleague when they both travel abroad on an official trip. At least, they are both far away from home and no one will know. He does not take such opportunity because being far away from where anyone will know still does not make it right. We seem to have come to perceive being right as relative, but I am sorry to say, it is rather absolute.

Our perception of right and wrong seem to have been dulled by several years of not finding any benchmark about right and wrong to which we can refer to as a nation. What seems to define right from wrong is that whatever benefits you is right and whatever does not benefit you is not right. This faulty perception is clearly against the vow we took in the primary school to be faithful, loyal and honest to Nigeria.

Anyway, notwithstanding how bad things may seem for us as a country, I see hope (not referring to the book written by a former head of state). I see hope in a new crop of Nigerians. Men and women who are renewing the pledge they took in primary school. Men and women who live by the values that will eventually create a new Nigeria. These men and women are the prime citizens of a new Nigeria. I belong to this elite group. Do you want to know more about us? Spare a few minutes and visit newnigeriaclub.net/authentic You will be glad you did.

NATURAL COMPENSATION

Have you ever taken a good observation of people with physical challenges? I mean people who are maybe lame in the feet or blind or deaf? Did u notice that these people with one form of disability or the other are compensated by nature in some other parts of their body? If you find a man who has lost his sight, it is very likely that his sense of smell and hearing will be sharper than that of the other person without that disability. If you find a man who is lame in the feet, he would most likely have very muscular and strong arms.

In Genetics, the law of use and disuse is what explains this phenomenon. The law explains that a part of the body not being used will lose its functionality while the part that is being used very well will develop better and gain more specialization. To me, this seems to be a way of natural compensation.

The same way it is in the area of our talents, skills and proficiencies. You sure can not do everything perfectly. You must have found at least one thing that you are not very good at. Let us liken that challenge to that of the person with physical deformity.

So, what can u do about this challenge? I have just one suggestion: forget about that which you are not good at and concentrate on that which you are good at. Pay less attention to your disability but more attention to that which you can do fairly well. Develop such proficiency that no other person can easily beat you at it. Be known for that which you do very well.

You definitely have talents and skills which are rare. Identify those talents and skills, polish them, enhance them and they can sure be a money spinner for you. God never created anyone without some special gifts or talents. Do not sit back and mourn what you lack, you most likely have something that compensates for that lack. You may not be a good orator or public speaker but you may a master strategist and planner. You may not be a good poet but you may be crafty with numbers. You may be tone deaf musically but you may be so caring to be a good nurse. You may not be a good stand up comedian but you may do well as an opera singer. You may not like maths but you may be an artist greater than Picasso.

Look inwards and away from your inabilities, see the abilities. Disability is relative and it only becomes important when you refuse to see the abilities that compensate for what you lack. The word ‘disability’ itself has 70% of its letters as ‘ability’, meaning, for every 30% of disability you may think you have, there is a compensation of 70% ability. God never created anyone to be a loser. Even if life has thrown you lemons, get up, pick the lemons and make lemonade. Your brand of lemonade might just sweep the market, who knows?

Think possibilities. My Bible tells me ‘God is able to do much more than I can ask or think’. So, be careful what you think, because He answers not just prayers, but thoughts too. I have made up my mind to think more about the things I can do rather than those which I can`t.

This is a wake-up call. Take advantage of your compensation.

SEE YOU AT THE TOP.