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Themes

The Truth Shall Set You Free

Brampton, Ontario, Canada
yemiadegbite@nigeriahorizon.com

“Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free”, when Jesus made this statement thousands of years ago, He assumed all other conditions. Knowing the truth is not sufficient, but you have to follow the truth, tell the truth and stand by the truth at all times before it can set you free. When you tell a lie, you need at least another 3 lies to defend that lie, and then more lies to defend those 3 lies and the cycle continues. Lies thus multiply exponentially! And very unfortunately, every lie you ever told would come back and hunt you and if care is not taken, it will eventually consume and destroy you because only the truth is constant and can stand the test of time.

We are in desperate search of an upright leader that will lead the country to an enviable position and restore Nigeria to her rightful status in Africa and indeed the world over in general. We are hurting and bleeding as a nation because nobody is telling, following and standing by the truth. People in position of authorities have no decency of telling, following or standing by the truth. Our leaders put their stomachs before the “public good”, as long as their families have had their future secured, the nation can stand on its head or collapse on its knee, they care less, and they are not concerned. African leaders are self-serving, arrogant, irresponsive, irresponsible and obstinate; they are responsible for the backwardness and underdevelopment of African continent.

Nigeria and indeed Africa can be likened to a pregnant mother that had long past her due delivery date. Everybody around her is worried and sad, yet she is not heeding the wise counsel. How can the African continent survive her present crop of leaders that are not representing their people, but rather subjugate and subject the people to ridicule and torture by their actions? None of the African leaders can look one another in the face and tell the truth about the real issue facing the continent, simply because they are all birds of the same feather, they tend to flock together. Some of them result to suppression, oppression and even fratricidal war to achieve their inordinate ambitions, while others simply robbed their countries blind, yet, others surround themselves with sooth-Sayers and mercenaries who sing their praises and tell them that they are the messiah the country needs.

Otherwise, how can we explain why no African leader can talk sense into Mugabe’s block head who doesn’t know when to quit the stage? Why is it that there are no upright leaders in Africa to cub the excesses of the adventurers amongst them? Why is it that they set themselves above the laws of the land? Why should these leaders reduce Africa to a beggar continent? They feed on the flesh of their people and they quench their thirst with the blood of the masses! Everywhere you turn to in Africa is desolate and depleted, not because we are lacking in human and natural resources, but simply because the leaders are vicious, cantankerous, deceitful, malevolent and myopic. According to Fela Anikulapo Kuti, “that is why the black man de suffer today” Africa is one of the most blessed continents by God and mother nature, but what do we have to show for God’s benevolence? – Misery, poverty and squalor. African leaders have a very high propensity to perpetuate themselves in office even when they are no longer useful to themselves and their families, let alone the nations they symbolize; they still clinch to power and make mockery of themselves and their countries.

They are able to hold the nations and the people to ransom because the those who could make the difference often aid, abet and collaborate with these monsters, may be for material and financial rewards, forgetting that life is not only about the abundance of what you have, but what legacy you can bequeath the next generation.

We can now see clearly why Nigerians will continue to languish in darkness, (Nigerians have just been told by the Energy Commission to brace up for more darkness till the year 2050) why security of life and property will continue to be a fleeting illusion, why corruption will be difficult to conquer, why hunger and squalor will persist in the land of plenty, why ordinary Nigerian will be living from hand to mouth, why unemployment will be riding high and why the economy will continue to flutter. Just because our leaders are not truthful, because they are not trustworthy, just because they are not sincere, and just because nobody is telling the truth. Lastly because people of substance in the community are also accomplices, worst still, these undesirable elements are still leaving large in our community with no consequence whatsoever!

Everybody is held hostage and we become the sacrificial lambs. What will it take to free ourselves and launch our nation/continent to the path of greatness? I am not under any illusion that, there is a quick fix or simple solution, but for sure, we can all play our part to alter the course of history in our country, once we can do this, the energy will multiply and rub off on the other nations in Africa.

First and foremost, we must resolve to know, tell, follow and stand by the truth at all times. When elections are rigged, we simply refuse to take no for an answer until the right person is installed, when the nation is rubbed, we must denigrate the culprits and refuse to accord them honour, when the laws are broken, offenders must face the wrath of the law, and when our collective trust is breached, the perpetrators must not get away with it. Ensure that justice is served and seen to be served. These eternal virtues will stamp out all other vices in our midst. Every human being has the tendency to tell lies and protect his human dignity, but when the laws are made and followed without fear of favour, people tend to respect the law for fear of reprisal and to enjoy the benefit of the reward of being a law abiding citizen.

Amidst election fraud, decadence, corruption in high places, neglect, injustice and miscarriage of justice, no nation can thrive. Violence begets violence and perversion of justice gives room for anarchy and disorderly conducts. Our leaders do not care whose ox is gored, the onus is now on the masses to stop these tyrants before they sniff life out of the people.

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