As a child in the primary school and as a teenager in the secondary school in the then Bendel state, I was taught with other children to be proud citizens of the state, now Edo state. We were also taught to contribute our quotas to the development of the state, particularly in terms of exhibiting the professionalism we would later in life equip ourselves with. Luckily enough, I was fortunate to have participated in the compulsory morning assembly sessions held at the then Niblick Grammar School, that was later renamed Oghada Grammar School and Uhi Grammar School, Uhi where I finally pass out from.
We were also taught to religiously observe some national rituals of which one of them was to sing the national anthem at the assembly and recite the accompanying national pledge with undeniable nationalistic pride. Today, with the proliferation of private schools I doubt if this ritual is still being done as most of them are located on road-sides, and therefore lack enough space to do that.
Again, we were taught how diversified Bendel state was and the need to see ourselves as brothers and sisters irrespective of ethnic or religious differences. I grew up with all the foregoing civic education that presently in Lagos where I have migrated to for more than 30 years I am wont to see those that are affiliated to other ethnic groups in Edo state like Ishan, Bini, Etsako, Igbanke among other ethnic groups as my brothers and sisters as well as friends. In my days as a bachelor anyone that sincerely identified himself to be a Bendelite was immediately accepted as a brother and friend and immediately allowed to squat with me without any condition attached. Then, Bendelites were admirably hailed by people of other ethnic groups or tribe as “Up Bendel!”. The reason for the foregoing manner of greeting cannot be farfetched as Bendelites then were wont to excel and wont to carve niche for themselves in any given enterprise.
I must confess at this juncture that at a point after my secondary school education that I thought of joining any of the ministries, departments or agencies under Orhiomwon local government area that was (and still) headquartered in Abudu to enable me have a platform of expressing my unalloyed citizenship for the state as I was taught by my teachers. But my ambition then was fruitless as I was pessimistic of scaling the hurdles that were literarily placed on the way of selection process, and more so did not even know who to help me as joining the civil service then was basically on the grounds of “man-no-man.”
Also, at a point in my career as a Garment Sorter in a dry cleaning company, and later as a Security Guard in Lagos, I thought of resigning my appointment to enable me further my education on full time basis. Due to inadequate savings as a result of poor salary, I was cowered considering the fact that I would likely be faced with crushing hardship given the fact that the governments of the then Bendel state government would not have granted me sustainable bursaries; that is if I were to be considered lucky to be a beneficiary. Then, I had no option than to go for a part-time studies which I relatively concluded but not without pitiable struggles. I obsessively nurtured the ambition of graduating from either University of Benin or Bendel State University (Now Ambrose Alli University). But my dream of graduating from any of the foregoing universities did not come true as my ambition of studying on a fulltime basis was completely ruled out due to my status as a self-sponsored student on a low salary scale.
Be that as it may, I was able to acquire the university education I yearned for at both University of Lagos and Olabisi Onabanjo University on part-time basis. Regrettably, I was not given the opportunity to serve my state, Edo, as I dreamt of; even right from when I was a teenager.
The foregoing is not all about this writer but it epitomizes the journey of life which thousands of Edolites are passing through as a result lack of opportunities in the state. People have been taunted with John F. Kennedy’s motivational quote that says “…ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” I must confess that I wanted to do my best for Edo state but I was never given the opportunity. Most Edolites that are today in Lagos, Ghana, Germany, France, Italy, U.S.A and U.K dreamt of doing something for the state but they were denied the platforms or opportunities.
It is very easy for some readers to begin to disagree with my views but they should realise that it is psychologically unhealthy for anyone to be in a strange land, so to say, without experiencing discrimination in whatever form. The discrimination may be subtle and not pronounced but it is damaging. Which parents would be happy when their child was denied admission in a university owned by the state they have been living together and paying their taxes to as couples for more than 20 years? Who would be happy when he is eligibly qualified to occupy a position in any of the ministries, departments or agencies in a state where he has been contributing his quota to but was denied employment on the grounds that he is not an indigene of that state? I must confess that many Edolites in diaspora equally share the feelings that I am expressing in this piece.
As it is now, the level of commitment to the state by many youths that are denied opportunities in our state is fast waning. One can even say that it is because of this reason that the level of insecurity in the country is getting worse. People are no more committed because the politicians are seeming not investing in their lives. No doubt, lack of commitment as citizens is making the youths to be vulnerable and some mischievous politicians are cashing in on it. In my view, creation of opportunities for the citizens by the incoming governments would be an added impetus to the overall level of commitment of all youthful Edolites, and this would in turn positively affect the development of the state as well compel those in diaspora to begin to think of coming back home to the state to start contribution to its development. In an article titled “Letter to our friends in diaspora which was written by Eubaldus Enahoro, and posted on the online version of the Nigerian Observer edition of October 16, 2016, it is opinionated that those in the diaspora should come home to help in building the state. It is a well intended opinion but the incoming government should equally play its own role by the time it takes over the reins of government from the outgoing government.
I am very optimistic that if the incoming government make the state to be more attractive by creating jobs and enabling environment that those in diaspora would definitely come back home with their children in manner that is reminiscent of the Israelites when they started coming back from captivity to Jerusalem after Nehemiah rebuilt it.
This piece was written to sensitise the leaders of the incoming government that they should not relent in providing the necessary “dividends” of democracy for the people as failure to do that would in the long run diminish the level of commitment of the people; both at home and in diaspora, and that in turn would affect the growth and development of the state.
Isaac Asabor, a Journalist, writes from Lagos.
