Building Patriotism

Our dear country has witnessed what can be termed a new wave of revolution. This started as the #EndSARS protest where young persons clamoured for the government to disband the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) due to the widespread negative perception the body has attracted. The young protesters went further to seek an end to police brutality and all forms of bad governance. The climax of the protest is better imagined as it degenerated to riots in different parts of the country which led to loss of lives and properties. In the face of these events, it becomes difficult to associate oneself with our dear country; we as a school stand with and pray for a better Nigeria. While Nigeria is not near perfect, there are a number of things to appreciate about our country.

A better Nigeria can be built when we have citizens who are more patriotic.

Here are ways we can be more patriotic as a people:

1. Vote without fail: the election of leaders has some sort been left in the hands of certain persons as it has become a general belief that “politics is a dirty business”. Refraining from voting does the nation no good. The advice will be to vote for your choice candidate while working towards becoming more involved in the process of electing the leadership of the country.

2. Prefer indegenous products: buying locally made goods increases the country’s revenue generation and improves the economy generally and this in turn improves the country’s viability.

3. Keep your surroundings clean: this looks like a simple thing to do but it has to be emphasised. Dispose waste properly, recycle, plant trees occasionally.

4. Talk about the pros of Nigeria: it’s not all about bad vibes anyway. There are many great things that positively stand us out as a people. 

5. Pay your taxes: yes, this too. Tax is used to develop infrastructure and make life better for the citizenry. 

6. Give to charity: this helps elevate the destitutes in our country  

7. Appreciate diversity: there are different ethnicities and tribes that make up the country. Have a mindset of respecting everyone’s tribe, religion and belief systems as they are entitled to them.

8. Teach your children the importance of being active citizens from a young age. Teach them how to seek change and challenge norms without violence.

Having done all these, we must hold our leaders accountable on different fronts. Do not sit and watch, take part in positive causes for better leadership, demand to bring about change when things are not moving in the right direction. This is our country and we must not watch it disintegrate.