Nigerians have got to start seeing themselves as one of the protectors of the human race

By Ayo Akinfe

[1] I have always maintained that Nigeria is not just any nation. You do not become the largest black nation by sheer coincidence. Equally, you do not occupy the near centre of the earth by accident. Giants do not suddenly appear out of nowhere without a purpose. Nephilim's are supposed to be super human beings

[2] If we abandoned our interest in going to heaven when we die and focused all our attention on making earth a better place, we will achieve the unprecedented. There are the oceans, others planets and other solar systems to explore. If only we could get a majority of Nigerians to become more interested in visiting all these places than going to paradise, their will be no limits to what we can achieve

[3] When you bear in mind that the name Niger is even in the bible and the word was latter corrupted to become Nigger, used to describe all black people, you have to concede that this amalgamation of 200m people is a historic giant only waiting to burst unto the scene and claim its place in history

[4] The rise and fall of world powers will always be cyclical. We had the Egyptian Empire, the Mongolian Empire, the Roman Empire, the British Empire, the US and now China. I am in no doubt whatsoever that the 22nd century belongs to Nigeria. For starters, we will be the third largest nation on earth by 2050. At the very least, we should set ourselves the target of travelling at the speed of light by then

[5] Now, we simply need to start preparing for that eventuality. By 2030, Nigeria needs to be one of the global leaders in research, science, inventions, technology and defending the human race. As things stand, if a meteorite were to be approaching earth today, only the US has the capacity to deflect it

[6] Very soon, China will have that capacity too as the rate at which the Chinese are developing is scary. Do you know that China now has more patents than the whole of the European Union put together?

[7] I for one have always believed that there are some other humans out there on other planets in other solar systems. I would just love it if it was Nigerians who made the first contact with these extra terrestrials. Kind of like the way Soviet and American troops met on the banks of the Elbe River in Germany during World War Two. First Lt Albert Kotzebue of the US Army and Lt Col Alexander Gardiev, who commanded a Soviet Guards rifle regiment, will forever be remembered as historic figures after they met on the river

[8] One area I would like Nigeria to start this historic journey is at the centre of the earth where the lines of longitude and latitude meet. This place is off the coast of West Africa in international waters and I am at a loss as to why we have not built an artificial island there, turning it into both a global tourist attraction and a scientific research centre. Who knows what secrets this place holds? Growing up, I remember all the stories about the Bermuda Triangle. Who knows if there may even be massive remains of dinosaurs of extra terrestrial beings at this location

[9] Nigerians essentially need to stop thinking beyond the basics of immediate material things and start considering themselves the "protector of the pride" the way the male lion does. Part of our problem is that we do not see ourselves as an alpha specie or an apex predator, hence why we have all these silly squabbles over ethnicity, religion and chase inconsequential things like flashy cars, luxury clothes, designer accessories, etc. Within the wider scheme of things, all these perishable items are petty

[10] For now, our biggest problem is we expect the government to do everything for us, which has blunted our dynamism and explorer spirit. Marco Polo did not wait for the Italian government before adventuring into China, Christopher Columbus did not wait for any government help him travel to the Americas and Mungo Park certainly did not wait for Downing Street before visiting Nigeria. Nothing stops a group of adventurous Nigerians from sailing to the point where the lines of longitude and latitude meet. If our people can brave walking across the Sahara Desert, they can do this too