Nigeria 🇳🇬 2007
What Nelson Mandela said to Nigerians in 2007
“You know I am not very happy with Nigeria. I have made that very clear on many occasions. Yes, Nigeria stood by us more than any nation, but you let yourselves down, and Africa and the Black race very badly. Your leaders have no respect for their people. They believe that their personal interests are the interests of the people. They take people’s resources and turn it into personal wealth. There is a level of poverty in Nigeria that should be unacceptable. I cannot understand why Nigerians are not more angry than they are.
“What do young Nigerians think about your leaders and their country and Africa? Do you teach them history...?
“What about the corruption and the crimes? Your elections are like wars. Now we hear that you cannot be president in Nigeria unless you are Muslim or Christian. Some people tell me your country may break up. Please don’t let it happen.
“Let me tell you what I think you need to do. You should encourage leaders to emerge who will not confuse public office with sources of making personal wealth. Corrupt people do not make good leaders. Then you have to spend a lot of your resources for education.
“Educate children of the poor, so that they can get out of poverty. Poverty does not breed confidence. Only confident people can bring changes. Poor, uneducated people can also bring change, but it will be hijacked by the educated and the wealthy...give young Nigerians good education. Teach them the value of hard work and sacrifice, and discourage them from crimes which are destroying your image as a good people.”
Many years back, I remember when I was undergoing my clinical internship at the University College of Hospital Ibadan at the pathology department. I was lucky to witness an autopsy procedure of a man in his fifties (50's) who died a night before that day.
I won't give more details about the man because this is a public forum. I asked the lead pathologist what was the cause of the death of the man. The pathologist told me that the man just retired from the federal civil service some months ago.
He said the man died on the street after he hit his leg on a stone which made him fall down and that was the end of the man. Furthermore, I was told the man was coming from the pharmacy shop where he went to get some antimalarial medications for his daughter who was sick at home.
The man was still fresh on the table, clothed with a nice lace and looking as if he was going to stand up and go home. After the procedure, the cause of death was "Hypertension" let me put it that way for public consumption.
I was left distraught for the next 1 month anytime I remember that man. He went out around 8 p. m in the night to go and back antimalarial medicine for her daughter and he died when coming back because he "tripped" on his way and died at the spot.
This made me remember several times fathers will run around to look for money for medical procedures for their sick children or pregnant wives. Men will approach their sworn enemies for help in order to save their family. Nobody cares about these sacrifices and the society trivializes these sacrifices of love because men are supposed to be "Men"? Men even come home only to be treated with harsh criticism by their wives and even the children.
Men will silently move on with their pains and lick their wounds in silence. Yet we all ask hypocritically why do men die early compared to their wives? This is because they have taken too much beatings and trauma and nobody cares about them to the extent of alleviating their pain.
There are millions of single fathers out there who single handedly raised their sons and daughters but because they don't talk in public, many people think only single mothers exist, no single fathers.
Men should start speaking up when they are in pain. This ideology that men don't cry must be crushed. Men deserve to live long and be protected by society. That we absorb so much pain does not mean we are superhumans.
Men also cry. Our tears are always in the dark because society does not care about our pains. We are expected to "Man up" and do not show pain when we are actually shattered body, soul and spirit.
Please let's all take care of our fathers most especially the sons out there, treat your father with love and respect. Don't forget him because one day, you will be in his shoes.
God bless all fathers.
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