We should put senate president Godswill Akpabio on the spot and insist that he makes passing the Nigerian Patriotic Act 2023 his first task so that everyone becomes a stakeholder

Ayo Akinfe

[1] One of the key pieces missing in the Nigerian jigsaw puzzle is unconditional patriotism. I believe we would have built a super power if our commitment to the nation was not always predicated on getting something back in return

[2] When one looks across the world and sees the heroics of men like Commander Dudley Morton and Admiral Horatio Nelson, who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their nations, you can see where Nigeria’s problems lie. They laid down their lives so their compatriots could have better lives

[3] As John F Kennedy put it: “This nation was not founded solely on the principle of citizens’ rights. Equally important, though too often not discussed, is the citizen’s responsibility. For our privileges can be no greater than our obligations.” Now, ask yourselves what would happen to Nigeria if we could get every citizen to be ultra-patriotic even if they knew they would get nothing in return

[4] Many of you read Animal Farm in school and would remember how despite the terrible injustices Napoleon let loose on the animals, Boxer remained steadfast, working himself to death for the greater good. Were he like the modern day Nigerians who hide behind the canopy of corruption and bad leadership, he could easily have given up after seeing the antics of Napoleon and Squealer

[5] I think one thing we desperately need at the moment is a Nigerian Patriotic Act which gives preference when it comes to jobs, promotion, contracts, appointments and opportunities to those prepared to sign a Nigerian Oath of Allegiance which places the nation above everything else in their lives

[6] Ethnicity, religious faith, the pursuit of material comforts, personal security, etc must all be subordinated to the cause of the nation if we want to produce the likes of Commander Morton and Horatio Nelson. We need super patriots like that if Nigeria is to get out of her current rot

[7] I have always found the argument that we do not have an obligation to be patriotic because of poor leadership, a failure of the system, corruption in high places, bla, bla, bla, utterly dishonest and fraudulent. Most Nigerians are totally committed to their religious faiths no matter how much it fails them. Like the biblical character Job, they are prepared to endure anything for their religious faith even when it abandons them as it did him. I challenge anyone to tell me why they should give up on Nigeria over corruption when Job did not give up on his faith after his wife and children were slaughtered, his wealth lost and his health in jeopardy

[8] Nigeria has not treated any of its citizens worse than Job was treated but alas, we are prepared to throw in the towel at the slightest excuse. If Commander Morton and his likes had adopted that attitude, maybe the US would have lost the Pacific war. A nation’s success does not always come from established channels and the system. In many instance, it is the singular acts of super patriots that make a difference

[9] When I see Nigerians prepared to leave the UK or US to throw lavish parties in Dubai, I see where our problems lie as a nation. We would rather enrich a Middle East nation because it offers us creature comforts than support the Nigerian hospitality industry because of a few inconveniences. Why do we not throw such parties in Nigeria to boost the local economy? In what way is the unpatriotic Nigerian who leaves London to throw an expensive bash in Dubai rather than Abuja or Lagos any different from the governor who fails to invest in his state? Their mentality is essentially the same, it is only the scale that differs

[10] To lance this boil, I would like to see the National Assembly pass a Nigerian Patriotic Act that would lead to the creation of a class of patriots who stand above the fray. De-tribalised and not jaundiced by religious prejudices, this category of Wazobians may be the elite band of economic and national commandos we need to take Nigeria to the Promised Land. In every other sphere of life you have elite brigades, it looks like Nigeria needs a national cadre of patriots to get her out of her current rot. At the moment, my people only do things for material gain