Opportunity. Noun. A set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something; a chance for something to happen.
What is it that turns potential into reality, for individuals as well as nations? It must have to do with the ability to take the decisive step at the opportune moment. It would appear at times as if circumstances connive to almost impose a certain line of action which would catapult a person or a people into the actualisation of something that up until then had been merely latent. Various developments may for long have been hinting at it; but then, all of a sudden, there appears to be a groundswell, a coming together of forces which makes the choice almost obvious. All it needs at that point is for that right, bold step to be taken.
That was my take, for example, on the election of Mr. Barack Obama in 2008 as the first non-Caucasian president of the United States of America. The preceding decade or so had seen a phenomenal increase in the American society of a reality which I had termed in one of my books the “hyphenated American”, a development greatly encouraged by the country’s Visa Lottery programme. Thus, long established American sub-cultures like African-Americans, Latinos and Israeli-Americans (or Jewish-Americans) had their ranks swelled by several others: Pakistani-Americans, Japanese-Americans, even Nigerian-Americans. America was becoming truly multi-cultural. Spanish had also gained ground as a second national language. It was time for Americans to demonstrate to themselves and the world that theirs would be a country where the colour of a person’s skin would no longer be accepted as an inhibiting factor, not only on paper, but in reality. It was time for a Barack Obama to emerge; and the country did not fail itself. The Americans seized their moment of opportunity.
On December 11, 1845, Mr. James R. Lowell published a poem in the Boston Courier protesting America’s war with Mexico. The song, which was later set to music and found its way into the hymn books of the Christian Church, has as its first verse the following:
Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide
In the strife of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side
Some great cause, some great decision, offering each the bloom or blight
And the choice goes by forever, twixt that darkness and that light.
We sang that song in the secondary school I attended – St. Anne’s School, Ibadan – and I must pause to appreciate again the well-rounded education I received in that school. Our school song, for example, also taught us to be mindful about how we built on that which had been handed over to us: “Here in this place, a new generation; We too are building for good or for ill; What shall we hand unto those who come after us – Treasures of beauty, of thought and of skill?” I believe I shall do a piece on that school in no distant future.
Now, back to the song quoted above. Well, those words have been gnawing at my mind for several days now, and it is not difficult to know why. Of course, with the approach of the 2015 elections, one cannot but sense that we stand at a moment when we are again presented with the opportunity to take a bold step forward for good, for truth, for light. Are we going to take it?
Over and over one comes across people who express a sense of hopelessness and helplessness concerning the current situation of our country. Indeed, the wide-spread belief now seems to be that there is no point expecting any fundamental change in our situation: there are no credible options to what currently prevails, so we might as well continue to make do with what we have. Yes, we accept that things are bad, very bad, but there really isn’t much we can do to change the situation. I just wonder, did this mind-set evolve spontaneously from the people, or is it the result of the crafty manipulations of some expert opinion spin-doctors?
Whatever be the case, it is important to give the lie to this manner of thinking. Is it not true that the more challenging a situation is, the greater the opportunity presented for radical, truly beneficial change? We Nigerians, unfortunately, tend to balk at taking the radical option, preferring instead to keep “managing”. And yet, the best thing that could happen to a totally dilapidated house is to tear it down completely and build a new one. What good would it do patching up such a building? As the Yoruba proverb says, ile oba to jo, ewa lo bu kun un – when the king’s palace burns, it will gain in beauty (since it will be rebuilt). Our house has burned down; it needs rebuilding.
The challenge before us should not be whether we can take steps towards making a radical change or not, but rather, how to set about it. People are asking, for example, where are the people who can stand against the current crop of leaders we have. Well then, let’s start to look for them! We must devise ways, means and strategies to identify them and cause them to emerge as alternatives. We stand again at an opportune moment in our history as a nation; let us ensure this time that opportunity translates into reality.
