By OBIOTIKA WILFRED TOOCHUKWU

John Calvin (1509-1564), a French lawyer, theologian, ecclesiastical statesman and the leader of Protestant Reformation said: ?When God wants to judge a nation, He gives them wicked rulers. According to sociologists and political scientists, society is a mirror of its leaders. Leadership in the institutions of society is steeped in corruption and unethical conducts. Their subjects are also neck-deep in the mire of corruption and the whole humanity is entangled in self-destructive actions daily. Thus, integrity is a virtue that builds a godly and prosperous nation. However, the attitude of the present government to the plights of law-abiding citizens leaves much to be desired.

Struggling to maintain stability in instability calls for caution which is the best part of valour. Nigerians must reignite the hardest part of their life which is discipline in order to wade through the storm of hardship. We must get far away from self-seeking to be relevant in the future. Late former president of USA, Ronald Reagan, kept a plaque on his desk in the oval office which read: There?s no limit to what you can accomplish if you don?t care who gets the credit.

Nigerians trying to lift themselves by their own bootstraps would definitely fail. Those who understood this logic had since looked away from the APC-led federal government. The federal government under APC for the past nine years is not in any way concerned about raising the standards of living or creating a vibrant economy. They focused on amassing wealth by breaking every social protection/contract. In our day, much of the citizens believe little or nothing. The president is lying, politicians are lying, NNPCL is lying, the masses are lying. Anxiety, emptiness, meaninglessness have gripped most of the citizens. Our youths are desperately searching for a purpose and a meaning in their lives. Can Nigerians in their country dream great dreams again?

Eating your cake and having it do not go together. Hence, the government wants to lynch the masses and prevent them from crying. The zenith of it all is the despair in the faces of the general populace except those drawing strength from supernatural/external forces. Occultism is getting deeper; evil multiplies daily because humans would always depend on help and support. Citizens depend on the government to do for them that they cannot do for themselves. Incidentally, the Nigerian government through cronyism frustrate patriotic citizens with their appointments, policies and programs.

So many had imagined that the masses would rise to the occasion when big crisis erupts but today the present economic crisis has only revealed the stuff Nigerians are made of. Crises only reveal character. And the character of Nigerians is lying, cheating, stealing, forgery, impersonation, fraud and wickedness. There are certain things in human nature like prejudice, partiality and compromise.

Energy crisis, hike in price of fuel, regrouping electricity supply in bands- A,B,C,D,E, food insecurity, high cost of transportation, bastardization of educational institutions and values have blocked the springs of irrepressible life amongst the youths and working-class citizens. The basic problem facing our world is not just social inequity, or lack of education or even physical hunger. We?re finding out that highly educated and well-fed people have greed, hates, passions and lusts that are not eliminated by education. This is the basic cause of the world?s problems.

Finally, Victor Frankl was a brilliant doctor whom the Nazis imprisoned in a concentration camp. They took away his livelihood, confiscated his possessions, mocked his dignity, and killed his family. They locked him in a cell with no way out?But he found a door that his guards did not know about: ?Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms ? to choose one?s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one?s own way.? The door of choice and attitude is open to Nigerians. Choosing to die miserably should be expunged from the options left for Nigerians. In times of trial and hardship, our own strength may falter, but God?s strength remains unwavering. He is our ultimate source of power and defense, providing us with the fortitude to endure challenges and the assurance of His salvation. His strength equips us to face difficulties with courage and resilience, knowing that He is fighting on our behalf.

?Obiotika Wilfred Toochukwu writes from St. Patrick?s Catholic Church Awgbu, Anambra State.

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