HOW TO BUILD A NATION (Part I)
By ONOJA J. OKPANACHI
“Oh God of creation
Direct our noble cause
And guide our leaders right
Help our youth the truth to know
In love and honesty to grow
And living just and true
Great lofty heights attain
To build a nation where peace
And justice shall reign.”
May God continue to bless the lineage of John A. Ilechukwu, Eme Etim Akpan, B.A. Ogunnaike, Sota Omoigui and P.O. Aderigbe for the LYRICS of this National Anthem and also the Nigerian Police Band under the directorship of B.E. Odiasse for the MUSIC and all those who carefully worked to select these words from all the entries which were finally adopted in 1978 as the National Anthem replacing the old “Nigeria, We Hail Thee”.
These words from the second stanza of Nigeria’s national anthem (ARISE, O COMPATRIOTS) truly encapsulate all that is needed to build a nation where peace and justice shall reign. Because if we don’t, then we shall live in a country where disharmony and injustice shall reign. So, what do you think of our country today?
In summary, here is a brief analysis of the NATIONAL ANTHEM:
“Oh God of creation”
True acknowledgement of God in all our dealings.
“Direct our noble cause”
The cause we pursue must be noble for God to direct us as a people. Anything not noble, count God out of it.
“And guide our leaders right”
Our leaders need guidance but do they avail themselves? How many are trained or ready to be trained for leadership? Guidance means following a lead which means there must be a plan and so the plan must be followed. This equally means steady followership which can be ordinarily interpreted as training and retraining as being static or dogmatic would never take us to the promised land.
“Help our youth the truth to know”
These lines became very necessary just 18 years (1978) into our independence seeing the happenings then as I believe the composers probably have seen a kind of future that truth may evade our youth and therefore danger looms across the nation. Today, what do we see all over? Misplacement of priority because our values are gradually being replaced by other things so we are loosing it as a nation. Until we get our school curriculum right, until we understand our humanity beyond ethnicity, region and religion, until the TRUTH become part of the growing of our youth there will be no peace and justice in the nation.
In ISSUE 47 we shall continue with the other lines but we must always be conscious of one fact that building a nation begins from where we are right now – from our families, communities and then the larger society will feel our collective impact cumulating into goodness for all.
ARISE!
