THINGS ARE GETTING BETTER

Optimism I believe is the fuel of change. This is predicated on the time tested premise that all those who in one way or the other spearheaded major revolutions in their time achieved such great feats by first defeating pessimism – a hydra headed change killer, which probably explains why I gave this piece an ‘optimistic caption’. For a pessimist following the developments in Nigeria, his/her submission will be that things are going from bad to worse but I beg to disagree, I for one believe that things are getting better (you might wish to call that a statement of faith and not a statement of fact), you however need to bear in mind that as sacred as facts are they can't always be sacrificed in lieu of truths hence my conclusion that the fact is not always the truth (I hope a pessimist will agree with me on this one). That Nigeria is grappling with an overwhelming arsenal of challenges is a statement of fact to however conclude that Nigeria is a failed state based on this fact is in my opinion several kilometers far from the truth. The truth is things are getting better.

Probably a trip to the dictionary will shed more light on this powerful word. The English Thesaurus gave the following words as synonyms to optimism; hopefulness, cheerfulness, sanguinity, confidence, buoyancy and brightness. The following definitions from the dictionary further lends credence to my stance on this matter; Optimism is...
I the tendency to believe, expect, or hope that things will turn out well
II. the attitude of somebody who feels positive or confident
III. a philosophical doctrine, first proposed by Leibnitz, that ours is the best of all possible worlds
IV. the belief that things are continually getting better and that good will ultimately triumph over evil
For me all these capture the very virtues we need in Nigeria right now in the face of the myriads of challenges that we face as a people. Needless to say that we need to keep hope alive because after all said and done whatever we as a people can conceive, we sure can achieve albeit in the process of time.
Taking a cue from a colleague of mine who always says that the best thing about a disaster is that it can’t get any worse and also from the way God works - He steps in most times when man has reached his wits end because most times we as humans will not relinquish the steering wheels to him until we have ran the ship aground and it becomes obvious to us that there is absolutely no humanly possible way to get the ship up and running, that is when we crave for divine intervention. It is time for God to step in and trust me he specialises in turning seemingly hopeless situations around, just as man is putting the final full stop to a story, He opens a new page and writes his-story: with time we call it history. To be sincere, I am one of those who are beckoning on the almighty to navigate for us because you and I know that the leaders we have in this ‘ship’ seem not to know which direction to turn the rudder of this large ship called Nigeria. They seem to have gotten to their wits end which to me is good news.
Permit me to submit that we will get there with time. As we move along the way we are sure to make necessary adjustment which will require us to either adopt or adapt to the various situations that might be encountered. We sure will adapt as occasion demands as this will further bring out the genius in us. The world stands still for the man who knows exactly where he is going, this will serve as our guidepost as we journey on in this all important cruise. I believe that things will work out as we synergize to cause the change that we all have been praying and hoping for in our beloved country. Things will not continue this way, I have a strong faith that things will take a turn in the right direction as we steer the course of our land in the proper direction that is our responsibility and the task to which we have been betrothed by the almighty creator who is committed to making sure that we succeed in charting the right course that will land us at our safe harbour - the Nigeria of our dream. To this I say bon voyage. Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

WAZZUP?

I’m pretty sure you are wondering what this is all about. I’m also sure that instantly your wonder has metamorphosed into curiosity which surely has further graduated into inquisitiveness all of which will fuel in you a quest to read this write up (Oh my God I hope am right) of course with a poignant question in your mind: “what is this all about”? Yeah let me lay my cards on the table before we journey too far in this discourse. This caption just flashed through my mind and I decided to ruminate about it peradventure there is a succinct message embedded in this cliché and to my greatest surprise I saw this common slang in a different light. There is no gainsaying the fact that we live in a dynamic world where everything including language is changing and with the change came a word that has been introduced into our lexicon courtesy of the western world, that word is no other that wazzup. From the market place to the academic circle not leaving out the work environment, wazzup though not an official language has come handy as a way of expression especially between friends. I have come to discover in my life’s foray that life is an unconventional teacher – her lessons are delivered in ways that at best are eccentric and several times we just miss out of the lessons of life because we are looking for the spectacular when for our 'teacher LIFE' ordinary is spectacular. It is against this backdrop that I invite you to come along as we just spend a few moments to X-ray this 'ordinary' word and see if we are missing out a thing or two from this question?

The entire Wazzup phenomenon began with a delightful Budweiser commercial played during the Super bowl. In this television advertisement, Philadelphia residents were seen yelling "Wazzup" at each other from across the room, over the phone, and even via intercom.

Wazzup is a poignant question (what is up?) and for us it comes in handy when greetings between close acquaintances is to be expressed so much so that we already have a programmed response – the four letter word FINE. But alas! Are we fine indeed and in truth? Is the answer to this question fine? For me wazzup is more like a reality check question more like what are you up to or what are you doing? It’s more like a rhetorical question which should send a right thinking individual thinking. Am I really passing through life doing something worthwhile? am I adding value to the system am operating within? Am I making every moment count? Am I making sacrifices for the greater good of humanity? Am I taking steps that will shape history and steer it in the right direction? Am I ...? believe me, WAZZUP is pregnant and can birth a zillion other questions that each of us must sincerely provide answers to of course with a dogged resolve to make a difference and make our life count because ultimately we will be remembered for one of two things either the problems we solved or the ones we created. So when next your friend asks you wazzup, think well and deeply before you answer because he/she might just be asking you a question that will generate other questions that will ultimately set you on course to make your life count for posterity sake, it might just be a wakeup call for you.