Arise, O Compatriots

Arise, O compatriots.

I know we have heard these words so many times that they now sound like background noise.

We hear them at ceremonies, school assemblies, and when the national anthem is played.

But maybe, just maybe, it is time we actually listened. Not just to the words of the anthem, but to the responsibility hidden inside them.

This is because there is a Nigeria we complain about every day and there is a Nigeria we are helping to create every day.

Yesterday, I was thinking about how change begins with us.

Today, I am thinking about what happens after we realise that. Because knowing that change begins with you and still sitting down waiting for somebody else to do something is another form of doing nothing. And honestly, we have done enough of that.

We complain about the state of the country, about leadership, about corruption, the economy, insecurity.

We complain about bad roads, poor services, unemployment, rising prices and practically everything that makes existing in this country sometimes feel like an extreme sport.

But after complaining, what next?

Do we become more informed?

Do we pay attention to the people asking for our votes?

Do we ask questions?

Do we look beyond the beautiful posters and dramatic campaign promises?

Do we examine records, policies, character and what candidates actually intend to do?

Do we vote?

Or do we simply complain online and disappear when it is time to participate?

Democracy cannot be a spectator sport. You cannot sit in your house throughout the entire process and then suddenly become a political analyst when the results come out.

You cannot refuse to participate and then complain that your voice was not heard.

And no, I am not saying your single vote will magically solve every problem in Nigeria.

It won't.

One person cannot fix an entire country overnight.

But imagine if millions of people stopped saying, “What difference will my own make?”

Imagine if millions of people decided that their own little responsibility mattered.

Imagine people choosing to register, choosing to verify their voter information, choosing to show up, to learn, to ask better questions, to hold leaders accountable after elections, not only during campaigns.

Choosing to stop defending everything simply because it was done by “our person.”

Choosing to stop selling our convictions for a bag of rice, a few thousand naira, a promise that will probably disappear after the election, or simply because someone told us, “This is who our people support.”

Arise, O compatroits!

Not because one political party is perfect, not because one candidate will magically become the answer to every problem, not because voting will suddenly turn Nigeria into heaven.

Arise because this country belongs to all of us.

The politician is not the only Nigerian.

The civil servant is not the only Nigerian.

The business owner is not the only Nigerian.

The student is not the only Nigerian.

The person sitting in an office somewhere is not the only person responsible for what Nigeria becomes.

You are responsible too.

I am responsible too.

And that is the uncomfortable part.

We want better leaders, but we also need better citizens.

We want honesty from people in public office, but we need to practise honesty in our private lives.

We want accountability from leaders, but we must learn to hold ourselves accountable too.

We want people to stop taking advantage of us, but we must also stop taking advantage of people whenever we get the opportunity.

We want a better Nigeria.

Then let us become better Nigerians.

Let us arise from the habit of complaining without participating.

Let us arise from political apathy.

Let us arise from blindly defending people because they belong to our party, tribe, religion or favourite political camp.

Let us arise from forwarding every piece of political information without checking whether it is true.

Let us arise from choosing leaders solely because somebody told us to.

Let us arise from believing that our responsibility ends on election day.

It doesn't.

The work continues after the votes are counted.

And that is what being a patriot should mean, not just loving the country when the national anthem is playing or posting the Nigerian flag when Independence Day comes.

It is caring enough to do your part when nobody is clapping for you.

Caring enough to make informed choices.

Caring enough to participate.

Caring enough to question and hold people accountable.

Caring enough to become the kind of citizen you keep demanding from everybody else.

Yesterday, I said change begins with you.

Today, I am saying: Arise!

Start where you are. Do what you can. Learn what you need to learn. Participate where you can participate. Vote when it is time to vote.

And when you do, let your decision be your own, made from what you have taken the time to understand, not from noise, pressure or empty promises.

Nigeria may not change in one day, but countries do not become better by magic.

They become better when ordinary people decide that they will no longer be passive about the kind of country they are building.

So, arise, O compatriots.

There is work to do.

And this time, let us not wait for somebody else to start.