Where Does Your Honour Lie?

Photo Credits: www.revolutionflame.com

Adenrele is a young and passionate Nigerian who hopes to see the betterment of his nation. He hopes for a country where majority of young people would be happy and live together with understanding and positive apsirations. He dreams of a Nigeria where everyone would realise that the way forward is to take responsibility for the errors of our former leaders as concerned individuals, supportive families and responsible organisations. Every week, he spares time to disturb God from his room, praying with an utmost passion for himself, his friends and every other Nigerian youth. His request remains the same, "Oh that you may raise more young people, open their eyes of understanding and anoint them with a burning desire to create change and bring about transformation in our nation." Adenrele believes that displaced value for human lives on the part of some leaders coupled with the gradual adoption of corruption as a silent element of Nigerian culture are the basic problems the youth must fight to ensure enduring unity. He hopes that more youths who would challange what is wrong, do what is right and pursue life-changing initiatives would emerge.

Some of his friends believe he is simply fanatic about his country and consider his passion a waste of latent energy. They even refer to him as "Mr Things Go Better". They have advised him to "save his life and that of his unborn descendants by escaping from the national crisis he still calls a country." When they were back here in Nigeria, they knew he also nurtured plans to leave the country and never return. In fact, he was more determined than them all. While they were still together, he would crack jokes about why he is not meant to suffer for the wrongs of past leaders who have carefully stuffed public funds in private safes and set the nation behind. One day, he even told his mother, "When I grow up, I will run away from this country and never return." He did not consider it a threat to the woman who had just one son. He did not care that his siblings would miss him and did not wonder how his father would perceive it. But Adenrele did not know much. He did not know that SOMEONE would cross his path and tell him to join the righting process. He could not see a part to play until the questions, "Where will your honour be and for what do you think men would remember you?" were popped at him.

Later on, Adenrele realised that unlike those friends, he should not migrate to a foreign country, away from his own responsibilities. Rather, he should visit foreign soils to learn, network and equip himself. He was informed that his honour lies in seeking how to salvage the future of the land where he was born. Though he would rather have his children bear the citizenship of a foreign country where things have not gone so wrong, that they may not live as victims of his own passion, Adenrele believes that he cannot go and stay put on foreign soil. But he would like to have his children make a choice on how they want to make the world better a place.

Perhaps, like Adenrele, you are struggling with the desire to do something to solve a problem in Nigeria when you have the option of running away, you too may want to ask yourself two questions. "Where is my honour? Is it here or elsewhere?" The answer will come to you if you listen for it. If it happens that you are one of us, start solving problems in little ways.

Adenrele may be bearing a different first name in reality.