The Nigerian national pledge is a brief and powerful selfless prayer that defines a Nigerian patriot.
It is a very simple poem molded with strong words of virtue,intended to convey an unambiguous clarity in meaning. This design was to encourage easy understanding of any reader. It should be engraved in the mind of every Nigerian citizen from birth through a process of daily recital and meditation.
This prayer acknowledges the abstract concept of a nation which is merely a land mark and a name, and places the onus of individual responsibility in any circumstance within our nation on the collective integral daily action of every Nigerian citizen. There is no line that literally mentions any action from the entity Nigeria toward the citizen because no abstract concept possesses such inherent capability of life on its own.
This aspect of any abstract concept is driven by human beings. It is a fact therefore that the circumstance of any nation is an aggregate reflection of the state of mind of a majority of its citizens, rather than an arbitrary occurrence of fate.
A keen observation of the progressive nations around the world will agree with this logic of reason. In the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and indeed in all the countries we look up to as our model of a dream nation, the logic is the same. An aggregate majority of the citizens of those nations have a virtuous intent regarding the effect of their daily actions whether at home, at work, at play, name it. This attribute is not only reserved for citizens in position of leadership, it the preserve of every citizen. This foundation attribute of a patriot is the driving force behind the lives of all prominent Heroes in the history of those nations.
It is strongly evident in the life of Nelson Mandela, who is unarguably one of the greatest African patriot.
The result of an honest examination of self by all Nigerians regarding our individual adherence to the tenets of the national pledge will provide an answer for the reason behind the currently precarious circumstance of the Nigerian nation.
Moving forward, assuming it is possible for every Nigerian citizen to be guided by the selfless tenets of our national pledge in a majority of our daily actions, achieving our dream Nigeria would be an easier collective reality. On these truths and more, I rest my case.
Arise O Compatriots…
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