Erwin Rommel typifies that never say die spirit needed to turn Nigeria's fortunes around

By Ayo Akinfe 

[1] Today is June 21. It was on this day in 1942 that the man who was arguably Germany's best ever soldier Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, took the Libyan port of Torbuk against all odds. After two years of repeated failures, he managed to penetrate its defences and occupy the city. With the Boko Haram resurgence and President Buhari telling us that only God will judge the terrorists, Nigeria desperately needs an Erwin Rommel

[2] Even if you flew Rommel into Sambisa Forest with nothing but raw recruits and assault rifles, he would have found a way to flush Boko Haram out. If he was in charge of our security, he would also have easily found a way to deal with Fulani herdsmen, kidnappers and all these armed gangs terrorising the country. Rommel's Afrika Corps were not heavily equipped and were outnumbered but alas, this genius found a way to make this small force effective. What I love most about him was how he turned the Krupp anti-aircraft guns into anti-tank guns and wiped out virtually every British tank in the desert

[3] Do you also know that it was also on this day, June 21 in 1788 that the US constitution came into effect when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it. A mighty oak tree starts from a small acorn. Today, the US is the world's largest economy but back then, she was nothing but a primitive backwater

[4] Also, on June 21 in 1893 the world's first ever Ferris wheel made it debut at Chicago's Columbian Exposition. Since then, Ferris wheels have become a must in every major city of the world. Unfortunately, Nigerian leaders have not understood the statement having facilities like this makes 

[5] Similarly, on this day in 1964, three civil rights workers, Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney, disappear after being released from a Mississippi jail, later found murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan. Such murders, never deterred the civil rights fighters. They battled on and continue to do so in search of equality

[6] It was also on this day that the Commonwealth was given birth to. On June 21 1921 The UK, the dominions, and India, become the British Commonwealth of Nations. We were not the only nation colonised but in 2019, some of these former colonies like India have economies larger than that of the former colonial master. If you want to know how pathetic the excuses we constantly make are, just look at India

[7] June 21 is actually a key date in the history of the civil rights movement, as it was on this day in 1923 that Marcus Garvey was sentenced to five years in jail for using mail to defraud. despite these trumped up charges, he never relented. His campaign continued

[8] On June 21 1948, Lord Mountbatten resigned as the governor-general of India, bringing about an end to British presence in the country. It was an act that sparked the independence of all former British colonies including Nigeria 

[9] Today is also an important day for women as on June 21 1957, Ellen Louks Fairclough was sworn-in as Canada's first female cabinet minister. Also, on June 21 1913 Tiny Broadwick became the first woman to parachute from an airplane

[10] What is my point in all this? nations are built on the spirits of their people. From Erwin Rommel, to Marcus Garvey, it is the perseverance, tenacity and resilience of a people that make a nation. When we get that message, we will stop this dependence on help coming from on high somewhere!