LESSONS FROM CHILE

As I sat glued to my television set watching the extra ordinary and momentous event at San Jose camp, Chile, on the second day of the rescue operation of trapped Chilean miners, various thoughts raced through my mind. Thoughts on leadership, patriotism and the deployment of technology in our modern lives among others, were competing for reflection.

This process was momentarily disrupted by the emotional scene at the camp, as the last of the miners - the captain was brought from the bowl of the earth to the surface by the machine. Amidst the thunderous clapping and ovation that erupted, suddenly, the President of Chile called for the rendering of the country's National Anthem. What struck me most was the instantaneous rendering of the anthem of everyone present, including the President himself! The unanimous demonstration of joy and pride with which the anthem was rendered was quite amazing. That, to me, was patriotism personified.

I was surprised, because here in Nigeria, our National anthem is usually sung by school pupils and their teachers. It is certainly not meant for our political leaders and senior civil servants. Thus, at public functions, when the anthem is played, one would notice this public figures tight lipped and a bit distracted and the sound of the instruments is usually made to overshadow the natural voices so that what they actually say is not heard. One equally wonders how many of them actually know and can sing and do understand the full import of the wordings of the anthem?

Another stunning observation of the scene of the rescue was that the captain of the trapped miners was the last man to be rescued. He waited patiently for all his men to be rescued first before accepting to come out. Understandably, he was described by the president as "a loyal and good captain".

To me, that action of his was a true demonstration of humility, altruism and sacrifice. Again, in Nigeria what do we have? Can we readily and proudly point to such selfless leaders and role models, who are humble, humane and are prepared to put themselves last? In our system, it is obviously self first and others last! Else, how would one explain the brashness, uncouthness and lack of consideration for others by the youth? How would one explain the mind boggling looting of the treasury such as the pension scam? At every level of leadership right from the family, a measure of humility and sacrifice is indispensable.

Next is the issue of hope. Hope is what keeps us going even in the face of obvious odds and seeming intractable challenges. The opposite of hope is despair. For about 70 days the trapped miners spent underground, they never complained, but were i high spirits, even in the face of imminent threat of death. Why? It is because they had hope. They had implicit confidence in their system and believed they would be rescued. Can we as individuals and citizens of this country demonstrate such indomitable spirit?

That is where the current sing song concept of the administration, be it rebranding or now transformation comes in. If we have faith in the system, believe in ourselves and have hope for a better future, then we would desist from indulging in those unwholesome practices which are not only injurious to ourselves, but capable of destroying the nation. A case in point is the mindless bombing all over the country and destruction of our precious pipelines.

Finally is the magic of technology nurtured by man's creativity, innovation and co-operation. Technology, as demonstrated by the Chilean rescue mission has been deployed to solve most of the challenges faced by man, such as famine, flooding, earthquake and volcanic eruptions. However, technology is effectively deployed where there is co-operation and by those who appreciate its worth. In Nigeria, how committed are we in the acquisition and the deployment of technology in solving our basic problems, usually, man made? we grapple with issues of food security, inadequate energy, devastation by flood, erosion etc. The answer obviously lies not in paying lip service, but embracing technology. To achieve that, we must pay adequate attention to science, technical and vocational education - the bedrock of industrialization.

It is only when we learn these lessons from Chile that we can say we are on the right path to development. It is then the new slogan of transformation will be more meaningful. Transformation must be felt at all levels of our individual ad national life. When this is done, we can then proudly say that Nigeria is a great country of good people.

Thanks for reading..
Again Happy New Year!!!