I was a bit of a rascal when I was in Federal Government College, Kano and the Principal of the school, described me as virus that spreads and cause all kinds of problems, so he told me parents to find another school for me, where I will be uncomfortable so that this viral infection can not grow or spread.
I was moved from one of the best schools in the country to one of the schools that can be aptly described as local – in the sense of being pedestrian, underachieving, with students that wear shorts instead of normal Trousers at FGC, Kano, and instead of nice pairs of shoes, they wore sandals or in some cases, bathroom slippers, because some of them were from such poor homes, their substitute to slippers will be to come to school bare feet.
I was moved from the “great” Federal Government College, Kano, where the students were from some of the richest families, middle to upper class of the country, elite kids from homes where summer is spent abroad, to then go to a school where the average student was born and grew up in Otta, the boundary area or as I would put it then, the middle of no-where between Lagos and Ogun States.
This is a story I will tell someday and the experiences can be likened to how a friend of mine described the BBC’s “Welcome to Lagos”. This friend said that the programme has some amount of hilarious comedy in it, making one laugh and some bits of it bring tears to one’s eyes because of the abject poverty on display.
However, the essence of this preamble is the Principal at Iganmode Grammar School, Otta, he ensured that every single morning at the assembly, he never failed to put a new spin on his favourite saying “seest though a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.”
Where am I going with this, especially as I have not made any reference to the subject matter? OK, let me put it in perspective, when you think of the top ten most powerful leaders in the world, there is often the understanding that the President of U.S.A. seat at the top of that list. The Prime Minister of United Kingdom will be in the mix of the next 3 to 4 names.
If I am diligent in my business, including the politics of governing the country that is now my home, then of course, I should be standing before the Queen, and of course the leaders of this nation. I should be rubbing shoulders with them and asking questions about what their plans are for this country where my children are growing up. I should be positioned to network with them and secure acknowledgement that my vote counts and my ideas, thoughts and views could potentially influence or inform their policies, decision and strategies for governance.
Well, this little boy-rascal has grown out of that rascality and become a diligent man that is trained, educated and now aspires to greater things than he has achieved so far. I am keen to see my presence in a place contribute to development of groundswell or impact change in that commune. That will not happen if I sit on my hands and do nothing, because those who give excuses for not being able to influence, cause or impact change cannot be described as diligent.
A “mean man” according to a dictionary is one who is “ignoble, base, miserly, stingy, low in quality or grade, low in value or amount, low in social status, selfish in a petty way”. I will choose to now put myself in situation where I share the same space with “mean men” because what they do is moan, groan and whinge about anything and everything. They are never diligent enough to get up and contribute their quota to anything.
So, now I have gone full circle and would want to know who should be out of the list of people I can call friends or even acquaintance. Who can I deem worthy of calling to join me when I stand before kings, king-makers and leaders that are recognised worldwide?
I will be at the BLACK BRITAIN DECIDES this Wednesday the 28th of April 2010 at 6.30pm, to join other diligent black people in Britain. The intention is to have a show of face to let the eventual leader of this country know that my vote will count in the decision to see any political party emerge as party of government.
In securing my vote, the emerging leader will have to give a thought to what my needs are, what my aspirations are, what kind of Britain do I want to live and raise my children in. I will want to hear what the programme of the leader will be and hear the leader confirm he cares about me and understand that being black in Britain comes with its own challenges and he is planning to make life better for me and my children because I am diligent member of this society.
You can find more details about the event by checking this website: www.BlackBritainDecides.com
You can register to attend and I hope a large number of my friends will show they are diligent too and do not sit on their hands doing nothing only to moan, groan and whinge when government fail to meet the needs of the black population of this country. If we do not get them to commit to anything as baseline programme, then there is nothing to challenge them on if they deliver nothing for our community.
I look forward to seeing my diligent friends meeting Messrs Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg this Wednesday 28th of April 2010 at 6.30pm. Venue is:
The Methodist Church,
Methodist Central Hall,
Westminster, London,
SW1H 9NH.
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