Recently, I was at the American embassy in Lagos. What I saw about this country made me feel sad and sorry for our leaders. The number of Nigerians alone who appeared for interview was alarming. If I have to be modest, the number was no less than 2,000 just in a single day.
Then I wondered what would be going on in several other embassies in this country. The number can only be left to be imagined. I asked myself, What are they going to do in those places? It is obvious that majority of these individuals do not even have concrete plans about their journeys. They simply want to get out as soon as they possibly can.
The next question that came to my mind was 'Why are they leaving this country?' The economy is worsening. Things are not getting any better. As a matter of fact, things are getting worse by the day. It appears nobody even know where the country is heading for. We are just moving hoping someday we will get there.
People have since lost confidence in the leadership of this country. It has got to the point where even the host countries around the world do not get comfortable with foreigners living in their countries because they feel they are coming to take from them rather than adding value to their economy. Case in point - the killing of Nigerians and other foreigners by South Africans (Xenophobia) See shocking video on Xenophobia in South Africa below. Also, the recent change in immigration policy in the US, Such similar preventable cases are too many than I can mention. All of these have direct and indirect impact on Nigerians and Nigeria.
What then is the solution? True leadership. Our leaders have to be true to Nigerians who brought them to power. They have to understand that without the people, they are nobody. In fact, they are there because of people.
They need to understand that true leadership means service. They are to serve the people and not to be served. They are answerable to the people who brought them to power and not to some Cabal or Godfather.
True leadership means sacrifice. They have to sacrifice their 'stomach infrastructure' for the good of the people. It also means giving selfless service to the people
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True leadership means fairness. Fairness to all irrespective of color, language, zone, region or religion.
Our leaders should remember an adage: 'the child you fail to train today will end up squandering your wealth tomorrow' Also, they should remember that as one lays one's bed so one lies in it. In conclusion, our leaders should know that today, they are players but tomorrow comes soon when they will be spectators. What would they like to see the youths play when tomorrow comes. It is not too late to make amends.
I have spoken to a number of Nigerians home and abroad. I have gathered the fact that 90% of the youths would prefer their homeland to foreign lands. There is no place like home, they say. Indeed, there is no place like Nigeria. Our leaders must wake up now before things get out of hand.
Finally, to those leaders who think Nigeria is a milk cow or a mine field, they should remember Jeremiah 17:11 that says 'As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not: so he that geteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at the end shall be a fool.
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