By Chukwudi Ede

It is a common assumption, and belief in many parts of the world today, that the inception of a New-Year can bring with it many changes to people’s lives in particular, and to an entire nation in general. New-Year calls for a fresh start, a clean sweep, a new orientation, a new relief, and a better situation of things from the previous year or years.

In preparation to welcome the New-Year, there are various types of rituals, prayers, and cleansing that are performed the day or few minutes before the inception of the New-Year. To stress the importance and seriousness of rituals and cleansing exercises that go on before ringing in the New-Year, in many house holds in Nigeria, people make sure that there are no left-over cooked foods in the pots and plates that will be carried over to the New-Year.

Pots, pans, utensils, clothes are thoroughly washed, and houses, and their surroundings are dusted and swept clean ready for the New-Year. Every thing that needs washing has to be washed, to make sure that the New-Year is ushered in with new spirit, cleanliness and ready for a fresh start.

The most popular activity that many people can identify with is making New-Year resolutions. Almost all New-Year resolutions have positive connotations. Some of the common resolutions I have heard over many years include; to start loosing weights, to stop smoking, to stop drinking alcohol, to start exercising, to start saving money, to stop night activities, being punctual to appointments, commit to come closer to God, etc.

There are also some myths about the first hour and day of the New-Year. The myth that whatever mistakes or misbehaviors you display on the first hour and day of the New-Year, will dictate your performance for the rest of the year. Cowardly, many people strive to watch their conducts and behaviors especially in the first hour and day of the New-Year. Some people would go extra mile to be very nice so that the New-Year will reward them with good luck and blessings.

I have observed here in USA, that some families even prepare a special dish of black-eye peas as the first meal of the New-Year. It is their belief that a meal consisting of black-eye peas on the first day of New-Year brings some good luck for the rest of year.

The old year is chased away with drumbeats, shouts, and sticks, while the New-Year is ushered in with fireworks, gunfire, dances, carols and merriments.

As I am writing this article, I am sure some of you are seriously thinking about your respective New-Year resolutions.

My New-Year resolution, although is going to be a very tough one, is a prayer to God that Nigerians, as a society, will undergo a total reprogramming in many aspects of their lives in 2008.

There is a common expression that “If something is not broken, you do not fix it.” However, if something is broken, you have to fix it. A thorough examination of our life style, social structure, some of our behaviors for years in Nigeria, have aroused my curiosity to put forward the above statement.

Because the statusquo has advanced us little or nowhere in terms of improving our whole society, there is ardent need to orientate our Nigerian society to a different way of looking at life in general. I call it reprogramming Nigerians.

The questions that need to be asked are as follows: Why should Nigerians undergo reprogramming? Can it be achieved? The answer is “yes.” The next question is “how?”

The “why” part of the questions can simply be answered by arguing that the system is broken, and therefore needs to be fixed. We have not advanced as a people in discipline, honesty, trust or ethics.

Nigerians, in general, worship material wealth, and they do not care how they acquired such wealth. We witness how our leaders, politicians, and some Nigerians with questionable characters are crowned Chiefs, Royals, and decorated with accolades simply because they have amassed wealth, and they are ready to dish out money during ceremonies, parties or at any social gathering. What is wrong with an acceptance of this caliber of people in our midst is that it breeds more of their types, and leads to further moral decay of the society.

When your morality is corrupted, it adversely will affect every other personality of your existence. It will be difficult to trust you, discipline will be out of question, and so is being honest.

There should be three-prong approach to reprogramming Nigerians. First prong is the parents. Parents should start educating their children on the importance and need for honest earnings and living, and the punishments for being dishonest. The emphasis is on the new generation, rather than our own or older generation. Each of us, as parents or potential parents should take it as a challenge and moral obligation to impart this doctrine to our children.

The second prong will be our schools, churches, mosques, and synagogues. These institutions and house of worship should try to re-enforce the moral education that these young ones are getting from their respective homes. They have to emphasize and cite honesty, hard work, and discipline as the qualities of life style that will help Nigeria to survive as a nation, and Nigerians to over-come the corruptions that have permeated and polluted the whole fabric of the Nigerian society.

Why do I emphasize the young generation rather than us, the older generation? Because I consider our older generation as a “dirty water.” You are aware that when things are dirty most of the time, you usually wash them with water. However, when the water you are supposed to use to wash dirty stuff is dirty, you have no choice but to discard it, or throw it away.

It will take almost total destruction to salvage our older generation. As we often say, “you can not teach old dogs new tricks.” We, the older generation, have made conscious choice to acquiesce to these ills in our society.

The third prong approach will be the laws. Our laws should be able to punish dishonest people, and set good examples through punishments to discourage dishonesty and “false life-style” in our society. Unfortunately, laws and police actions are the only tools that can be used to reprogram the older generation, if they were applied judiciously and forcefully too. Moreover, it has worked in the past.

Some of us still recall how discipline was instilled into Nigerians, during the short span of 201 days in office, when General Murtala Muhammed first took over the leadership of Nigerian government in a Military coup of July 1975. Ethics, honesty, discipline, respect, orderliness, and a sense of purpose were some qualities of life style Nigerians were forced to accept. Like a bitter medication that is good for your wellness, it accomplished what it was supposed to do. That is exactly the type of reprogramming our older generation will need to undergo to turn things around again for the good of the country. I stand to be corrected!

One other misconception that seems to exist among Nigerians at home that needs to be corrected is the idea that all the Nigerians that reside in overseas or abroad are richer and well to do than almost every Nigerian at home. That is far from the truth, but I will admit there are very few exceptions. “What gift did you bring for me?” is a common question and greeting you are often confronted with each time you meet friends, strangers and even your enemies. Surprisingly, when you do not present any gift to somebody who requested for one, you become heartless and mean person.

Some of the people who confront you with the question “What did you bring for me?” are noticeably well to do, look more prosperous than you, and even dress better than you. This attitude of putting yourself down before your visitors or loved ones coming from abroad is something to think about seriously. It is very embarrassing. It indicates some inferiority complex.

So, as you are taking stock of the year 2007, what are your New-Year resolutions? I am sure you have one, whether they will come through or not. 2007 has been a good year to me and the rest of the members of my family. We are grateful to the almighty God for keepings us alive. By his grace, we will live to celebrate 2008 with the rest of the good people like you. Have a happy New-Year.

GOD SAVE NIGERIA FOR WE ARE ALREADY BLESSED.

Robot  # 1 | 29.12.2007 03:32

var sbtitle6970=encodeURIComponent(Nigerians N...Read the full article.

Enforcer  # 2 | 29.12.2007 05:03

=Robot;4294976166>var sbtitle6970=encodeURIComponent(Nigerians N...Read the full article. This customary practice is news to me. That could be true of where author comes from. Sometimes, mainly due to ignorance, people associate things that they do as something common to others.

MAGNUUM777  # 3 | 29.12.2007 23:51

Mr. Chukwudi Ede: Most of your write-up is meaningful, but you missed the mark when you became 'holier than-thou' by being judgemental and casting the old as "dirty water worthy of being discarded" with this insulting quote below: "Why do I emphasize the young generation rather than us, the older generation? Because I consider our older generation as a “dirty water.” You are aware that when things are dirty most of the time, you usually wash them with water. However, when the water you are supposed to use to wash dirty stuff is dirty, you have no choice but to discard it, or throw it away". Anybody who wishes a critical anlysis of your write-up would read between the line to see you for who you're- a religious zealot who some how believe you're better than the average Nigerian who is not as religious as you. For that, I have news for you. Your religious mentality should be the first on your list to be reprogrammed because Nigerians are not short in religious beliefs as several versions abound. What's the bane is the religious superiority that attracts your likes where everybody pretentiously hide to commit attrocities that include disrepect to elders, culture, customs and related laws of the land that made our society a model society until the love for earthly agrandizement took hold due to the love of money engineered through religion. I can shock you that most of our problems center around religion. Look at the hatred between Christians and non Christians or muslims and non muslims. Look at Christianity which has been used over years to divide us as Catholics and Protestants with Protetanism splintered in "evagelical and non-evangelical". When old generation is disrecpected as you have just done, how do you think any enforcement will take hold because you've just advocated dismantling "Charity begins at home" tennets that guide every society. I should emphasize that the Older generations had their religion based on Methodism, Anglicanism, Baptistism and Catholicsism with teachings through well structured academic and morality secondary schools where students learnt to respect their elders and toe the line of discipline. That was the type of school that most older generation Nigerians attended and the influences are still there, until your so-called "new generation, mama and papa" mushroom churches in batches, needless to talk about erceting a center for learning. It is doubful, what kind of secondary school you attended in Nigeria, otherwise, you'll have known that the old generation students still have a meek and gentle lifestyle laced with discipline. They are not "Money Chasers" and that's why they are still poor and curry the disrepect from a society where the new generation you're expousing disrepect people without money. Check your record to prove me wrong that the people who are hero worshippers or money sacophants are not the well educated Nigerian. The "money Worshipers" of Nigeria are the drop-outs that could not attain meaningful standards in those days when hard work mattered. They are the empty barrels that make the most noise and that's why they seize power to elevate themselves to substance which lack of proper education, morals and discipline rubbed them. Their followers have inferiority complexes or religious disorientation. Coming back to your later-day religion(Christianity), what the majority of them teach is how to indoctrinate people and label others as you have just done and preach hate-mongering, fear, hopelessness, etc as long as as their pockets are being lined with money by parishioners seeking answers to their problems. Has it occurred to you that the more we pray, the more Nigeria problems get worst? Because, all of you have left the basis for effective law abiding principles which starts from honoring the old, respecting elders and assuring humility instead of ostentious life styles in religion, politics etc. Your new year resolution should be for God to help us respect everybody Old and New and for us to be inclusive in our bid to finding a meaningful solution rather than discarding any segment of our society. For all we know, Jesus was inclusive as he came to salvage all of us. We were also taught never to judge so that we may not be judged. For all intent and purposes, you have just judged the "Old Generation" harshly with a life sentence which I personally think you should recant before the new year sets in. A real new year for all of us is to "Tell the Truth" all the time without disdaing anybody-be there old or not. TRUTH SHALL SAVE US! Think seriously of reprogramming youself first. HAPPY NEW YEAR IN ADVANCE!

Chukwudi Ede  # 4 | 30.12.2007 12:15

MGNUUM 777 With all due respect, you did not read my article between the lines as you claimed. I am afraid you read it below the lines, or backward. First, you started by being judgemental by calling me "holier than-thou" which you accused me of doing in my article. My statement still stands that the older generation, which happens to be my own generation, is "dirty water." Who have been piloting the affairs of our country, Nigeria, since 1960? The people who have been piloting the affairs of Nigeria since her independence, happen to come from the old school, the old generation, the generation you and I belong. Leaders and politicians like Babangida, Obasenjo, Yara'Dua, Umaro Dikko, Yakubu Gowon, Mike Okiro, Maurice Iwu, the ex-governors: Orji Uzo Kalu, Nnamani, Iboris, the Emires in the north, the Igwes in the east, Oduduwas in the west etc. These are the makers and shakers of our government and seem to control the destiny of Nigerians. If somebody would ask you (MAMNUUM 777) to give a correct analysis of the SATE OF NIGERIA and Nigerians today, what pictures will you be painting? A country where bribry and corruption is the order of the day. Honesty, ethics, trusts and morality are things of the past. Unfortunately our generation has suported these crooks and thieves who have raped, and looted the wealth of Nigeria, and corrupted the entire system for these many years. Our old generation has encouraged them by crowning them with Chieftencies, Royalties, and decorated them with accolades. Our generation is an accomplice, and part of the problems. That is what I am talking about, and not the religious and judgmental issues your are discussing. Our only hope to salvage that country, Nigeria, is to begin to plant new hopes in our childern by honestly teaching then rights and wrongs. For we, the old generations have sold out. Next time you want to read between the lines, please wear your glasses ! They may help you to see clearly.