Remembering Our Heroes Past

opinion

The labour of our heroes past shall not be in vain, says a phrase in Nigeria's national anthem. Who are these heroes? What was their labour? Why should they be remembered and how do we remember them?




Whenever we talk of the struggles against colonial domination in Nigeria, the sacrifices made by her leaders (dead or alive) - Herbert Macaulay, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe, Pa Anthony Enahoro and others whom one may call 'anonymous' nationalists - can never be forgotten or erased from the country's history without rewriting the entire history.

In other African countries, we had the likes of Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, Samora Machel of Mozambique, Stephen Biko and Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela of South Africa, among others. These were men of impeccable character whom, irrespective of the precarious socio-economic and political milieus of their time, transformed the continent that was hitherto under the shackle of colonial domination to the continent of hope. They are, in the words of G.W.F. Hegel (German philosopher), "the heroes of an epoch..." and they must "be recognised as its clear-sighted ones, their deeds and their words are the best of their time."



In Nigeria, October 1st has dual significance. It is a day to commemorate our national independence and a day to remember those who were behind the independence, that is, our heroes past. Those who were and still are models and icons to many; they liberated the country from slavery, subjugation and other forms of inhuman treatments that epitomised colonialism. They sacrificed their lives and lived meaningless life in order to secure meaningful and better future for the nation.

They were the initiators of Nigerian "revolution". Not the type of revolution Vladimir Lenin championed in Russia, but the one which Amical Cabral (one of the African heroes who led Guinea Bissau in the armed struggle against Portuguese colonial domination) defined as "the transformation of our present life in the direction of progress."

Can we confidently say that since our independence, Nigeria has moved significantly to an enviable height of progress? Though it can be argued that since 1960, Nigeria has recorded some landmark achievements in terms of development, but this is not without drawbacks. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the former president of Nigeria, in his nationwide broadcast to mark Nigeria's 45th independence anniversary, reiterated on this point when he confessed that "over the years, our country has been through a lot of contradictions, challenges, conflicts and temptations.

We have seen trust betrayed and opportunities mortgaged. We have seen hopes dashed and steady steps to progress compromised". All these shortcomings may have contributed to the low level of life expectancy that Nigerians experience today. According to Patrick Wilmot, a professor and sociology lecturer, "while most people on earth look forward to eight decades of life, Nigerians' average has been reduced to forty-three years. And those who survive may envy the dead".

One may ask: "was this part of the nationalists' dreams for Nigeria and Nigerians?" How would the dead heroes feel if they supernaturally resurrect from their graves today? Would they see a fulfilled dream or shattered one? Would they envy themselves or envy those who are still living? Our heroes past are remembered for the roles they played in the evolution of political parties in the country. They configured a political foundation on which the political future of Nigeria rests.



For instance, the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDC) was formed by Herbert Macaulay; the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM) was led by Ernest Ikoli while Obafemi Awolowo and Ahmadu Bello led the Action Group and Northern Peoples' Congress respectively. Though these parties were regionally based, they served as platforms through which the nationalists vented their anger and heaved their discontentment about the colonial government and their obnoxious policies. Parties of those days had ideologies and purpose, not just to capture power but to use such power to fight all the enemies of civilisation and development of our nation. But what manner of political parties and actors operate on our political space today?

Wale Sokumbi in her column Currents on January 10, 2007 of the Daily Sun newspaper succinctly described the personality of today's politicians when she disappointedly asked: "will this year's political office aspirants continue to promise the nation heaven on earth as our politicians have been doing for decades only for the heaven to materialise in their houses while the rest of the nation continues to live in the hottest part of hell?" Remember, life in this "hottest part of hell" is hard, as unemployment is pervasive, poverty ubiquitous and power supply erratic where it is available.

Our heroes past were the ones who reinstalled the history that colonialists filched from us following the annexation of Lagos Colony in 1861. They restored the dignity and respect Nigerians deserve; they did not compromise national interest for personal interest. Unlike most Nigerians who today can exchange their birthright for a spoon of porridge, the nationalists fought fearlessly and collectively won against colonialism. They chose to be hero masters rather than puppet masters. In fact, they demonstrated that if London is for the British, then Lagos, Kaduna or Calabar should be for Nigerians!

But can we, for instance, consider those who "have stolen about $500 billion (N85 trillion) within the past 40 years" leaders or looters? This was the mind-boggling amount pilfered by so-called Nigerian leaders as announced by the former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission boss, Nuhu Ribadu at the launch of "Fix Nigeria Initiative". This figure according to Ribadu "could have recreated the beauty and glory of Western Europe six times over." If these leaders were in the shoes of the nationalists, one may wonder what would have happened to our 1960 independence. The activities of African students in the Diaspora added impetus to the liberation of the continent from colonialism.




For instance, in Britain alone, we had Union of Students of African Descent, the African Progress Union and the West African Students Union (WASU). History has it that staunch nationalists like Nnamdi Azikiwe, Eyo Ita and Kwame Nkrumah were trained by WASU. How many students union governments can boast of such records today? Many commentators are of the view that unionism or politics on our various campuses today has become breeding ground for cultism and has been reduced to politics of opportunism where students make "political connection" with politicians "outside" the school walls.

In developed countries, war heroes, leaders and nationalists are immortalised by building monuments for such people. In the United States of America, for instance, monuments exist throughout the country from the revolutionary site of Bunker Hill to the many Civil War battlefields. The U.S. state capital features several large monuments like Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, Vietnam Veteran Memorial located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, among others.



As much as I know, there are no such national monuments (I stand to be corrected) but this should not however prevent us from immortalising our own heroes. To me, remembering our heroes past means juxtaposing the cause they stood for with the cause that today's Nigerians stand for; it means counting the blessings and legacies that the nationalists left behind as against the legacies of today's Nigerians. Therefore, the only and greatest gift we can offer our heroes past who were martyred for the peace, progress and civilisation of this country is to keep the comradeship spirit alive; to fight poverty, illiteracy, injustice, corruption and unemployment with the same enthusiasm and commitments that they used in fighting colonialism. This is the surest way that we can immortalise our heroes past and their dreams or else their labour will be in vain.

Nigeria is 48. Happy birthday, Fatherland! Bravo, our heroes past and congratulations, fellow Nigerians!!


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