Bro Grant always looked dapper in his immaculate three-piece suits. There was a new one every Sunday and I wondered what he was like in his heydays. One evening, as I walked slowly up the gentle hill, in step with his gentle strides, he informed me that his GP had said he could no longer fly to Jamaica because of his heart condition. He resigned himself to faith and said anyone who wishes to see him would now have to travel to UK. His Autumn/ Winter trips to the Island had ended.
You see, you can take the man out of the jungle but you cannot take the jungle out of the man. I feel that way sometimes. My literal jungle is Nigeria. It is also my real jungle for I grew up in the mangrove swamps of the Niger Delta where the tributaries of the Niger and Benue Rivers flow into the Atlantic Ocean.
In this age of attention deficit, let me keep my focus. I was asked to lead a prayer on the Spirit of Excellence at the Cross Over service tonight. I was reviewing relevant scriptures when the two words came into my conscious mind and won’t take leave – the man, the jungle so here I am.
So what’s a jungle? I found some interesting descriptions:
- thick tropical forests
- full of life
- dangerous places
- risky or wild
- If someone does something dishonest or shady to get their way, some people will say that’s “The law of the jungle,” meaning you have to do some shifty things to survive.
A few aspects of my jungle have refused to be shed after all these years in UK.
- It takes a village to bring up a child.
- However small food is, when shared with others it goes a long way
- Births and funerals are special opportunities to make peace
- The words of our elders are words of wisdom
- A child who has washed his hands will eat with elders
- A tree does not make a forest
- You can never out-give God.
I have become a little cynical about the whole Cross-Over Night mania. It reminds me of the promises of Nigerian politicians who I guess learnt valuable lessons from their colonial masters. Like Macbeth’s speech they are full of sound and fury but without meaning.
My jungle was full of life. Nature was pure and unadulterated. You could literally pick a small fish at the waterside. The brackish water was cool on the skin and we swam, oblivious of mum’s cane when our red eyes told the story that we had stayed too long in the river. The air was fresh. The day was bright and fair. Our happy day of joy!
My jungle is now a dangerous place. People do shady and shifty things. Some (names withheld), because they are thieves. Others, driven to it by circumstances – like Obi Okonkwo of Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at Ease. I fear for some of my colleagues, working way beyond the call of duty, doing their best to do the right thing while the environment is disenabling and public funds are diverted into the bottomless pockets of Fela’s VIPs.
Forget those who cash in on people’s vulnerabilities and promise the impossible for 2023. Ignore the politicians with their empty promises. They play cracked records. Welcome to the man from the jungle that is full of life. My Nigeria.
In 2023, I hope to work with altruistic Nigerians. Let’s put our money in the land where our father, mothers, brothers and sisters were taken out as slaves, then our natural resouces – palm oil, groundnut, cocoa, crude oil, and solid minerals by the Whiteman, with help from our kith and kin. Let’s find like-minded Nigerians and there are millions of them – honest, hardworking Nigerians and co-produce with them. We don’t need lectures or handouts from anyone. Let’s bring brain gain to the land of economic slaves, the natural home of Diaspora doctors, nurses, teachers, etc.
To do this effectively, the jungle needs an enabling environment so our pregnant women, children, young people, men, women and senior citizens can enjoy life to the fullest. Sadly, that cannot happen without the politicians. If John Maxwell was right when he said everything rises and falls on leadership, then the most important solution for us is to make a choice – Tinubu, Atiku or Obi.
I have this unshakable faith that Nigeria will be a great nation, respected by the world and competing with America not even the United Kingdom. These are the words of Robin Story, a British man who lived and worked in Nigeria and was in Samaru, Kaduna State when the Union Jack was lowered and the Nigerian flag was hoisted on 1st October, 1960. When I was introduced to him at his Sheffield home in 1998, he told me he had a home in Nigeria. Though he had then lost his sight, he occasionally travelled to his second home unaccompanied. I am saddened that his great hope for Nigeria has remained unfulfilled. Take a look at the large population, the natural and human resources Nigeria has. Imagine what a visionary and authentic leadership with a Spirit of Excellence would bring…
From Cross Over Night to a wish for a happy and prosperous New Year 2023, let me join Rod Stewart (my favourite Rock artist) to sing the Auld Lang Syng. Remember, it’s Tinubu, Atiku or Obi.
Think of Bro Grant. I don’t want Nigeria to be a great nation when I can no longer fly there. Think about the next generation of Nigerians and vote wisely. I rest my case.
