Opportunity. Noun. 1. A combination of circumstances favourable for the purpose. 2. A good chance or occasion.
The following statement caught my attention while reading John Maxwell’s Think on These Things some time ago: “The greatest waste of energy in our world is not that of electricity or fuel. The greatest energy shortage today is the unused potential within the lives of people.” I immediately added in my mind: Or of nations. But really, it boils down to the same thing; for what makes a nation if not its individual citizens? Once the citizens realise their individual potential, the nation does so as well.
So, what prevents both individuals and nations from realising their potential? I believe a key reason is the failure to seize the opportunities that present themselves. As stated in the definition above, opportunity is “a combination of circumstances favourable for the purpose.” And what is “the purpose”? Ah, that is where the major problem lies, for very often people tend not to have any particular purpose in mind – that is, beyond the common purposes of remaining alive, seeking food, clothing, shelter and general well-being. However, when you aim at something in particular, you are constantly on the lookout for that moment when circumstances combine favourably to deliver into your hands that which is desired.
Are any of us certain about what our current specific focus is as a nation? Apart from a general pursuit of a “Transformation Agenda” which seems to be most clearly demonstrated in the agricultural sector, what does the general climate of the nation say about where we are going in terms of how seriously the stated agenda is being pursued? We seem so blissfully unaware of the opportunities that are ours for the grasping at this moment in our history. For some time now, there has been a coming together of circumstances which, if seized, could drastically transform our reality, but we keep allowing them to slip through our hands.
For example, it was an opportune development when Nigeria, the most populous Black nation in the world, successfully resisted the third-term bid of then President Olusegun Obasanjo, indicating that we were truly ready to establish a firm democracy. I say this was an opportune moment because it happened before the election of Barack Obama as the first Black president of the United States of America. It was as if circumstances were conspiring to cause Nigeria to clearly emerge as the true leader in Africa and, along with the election of a Black president in America, to herald a new era for Black and African peoples all over the world. What would have been required, after that apparent demonstration of how serious we seemingly were about democracy, was for a political leadership to emerge which would further confirm and entrench that seriousness. Unfortunately, what ensued was utterly disappointing: scandals upon scandals involving some of our political leaders, revelations of mind-boggling levels of corruption and undemocratic practices by them, all in a bid to maintain their stranglehold upon the nation and continue to fleece it as they please.
Just how can it be that our eyes have refused to see, with all the developments around the world, that the 21st century is supposed to be Africa’s, and that Nigeria is expected to lead the way? Is it not clear that history is inviting Africa to step up to the scene and have its own act? Should the upheavals currently racking the so-called developed world (collapse of social institutions, coupled with serious economic problems in some countries) not communicate to us that the time is ripe for us to take our place? We are the next world waiting to manifest, and economists have been drawing attention to the fact.
However, there are certain values that must undergird and accompany our eventual emergence; unfortunately, we are currently witnessing the eroding of these very values. A culture of corruption and impunity does not promote the establishment of a firm democracy. Prosperity for everyone can only come when there is justice for all. Our leaders cannot continue to sacrifice the common good at the altar of selfish, individual interests and expect us to emerge as one of the leading economies in the world; whatever seeming advances are made will keep collapsing for lack of a solid, just and moral foundation. I am convinced that the challenge before us now, especially as we prepare to elect new leaders, is one of morality.
People say that an opportunity once lost can never be regained. Granted, the exact set of circumstances might not present itself in like manner on another occasion; however, a second chance often comes around. If there were no second chances, where would most of us be? As a nation we have lost several opportunities before, but just for how long will we allow that to be our story? Will we forever be that nation that fails to rise up to the occasion and seize the opportunities presented at potentially defining moments of its history? One hopes not. We stand again before an incredible set of circumstances; we stand at the threshold of opportunity. We must be bold to take steps towards a radically different future. The time is ripe for some Nigerians’ names to get etched on the canvass of world history. I wonder, who among us would those be?
