Like any other nation, Nigerians should be thankful to God for the freedom they seem to enjoy today. Fighting for power with the colonial masters was not such an easy task. When the men signed the Declaration of Independence, they might as well have signed it with their blood.
The United States had about fifty-six men who signed the declaration of its Independence. Of the fifty-six me, five of them were captured by the British and tortured to death, twelve had their homes ransacked or ransacked or burned or taken over by the enemy, two of them lost their sons in the army, one had children captured by the British, and nine of them died by hardship or by enemy bullets. They paid a tremendous price for what America enjoys today.
In Nigeria, the story is a bit different, but challenging. Those who signed the document actually pledged their lives, their honor and their fortunes to the new country, Nigeria. Although this document declared Nigeria separate from the colonial masters, the colonists at that time had to fight the British before they were recognized as an independent nation. If the declaration had failed, they knew what was in store for them; they would have been tried as traitors and would have faced the hangman’s noose. Their lives, their homes, their families, and the failure of the nation were at stake.
We are not talking about irresponsible men here, because those men were high-ranking and responsible people on earth, however, they were different from the average citizen, considering freedom much more important than the safety, tranquility and comfort they enjoyed, both who pledged their lives, their fortunes and even their honor to make it come true. The Nigerian Declaration of Independence document was not signed with ease, but with the blood of frontline freedom fighters.
It was Thomas Jefferson who, lamenting the state of America, says: “How little do my countrymen know of the precious blessings they possess and which no other people enjoy.” Nigerians are privileged to own and live in a country blessed by God and endowed with great and valuable resources as is evident today. Imagine how sweet and joyful it is to regain your freedom, without reservation, from a giant you can never fight for power with.
It bleeds to my heart that all the efforts and labors of our heroes of the past are quickly becoming futile. Nigeria today, is hanging from a wooden pillar, being weighed on a scale and found wanting. It is a pity that a nation established on God-given principles is rapidly depreciating in the knowledge and fear of God. Instead of being thankful to God for the freedom these men laid down their lives to obtain, Nigeria is becoming a nation where ungodly activities are glorified.
Corruption, both in high places and low, has become a norm in Nigerian society. People, now rob the government and challenge the rest of the people to fight. Insecurity of life and property, murder of innocent people, armed robbery, lack of leadership focus, irresponsibility of public and political office holders, tribal and religious intolerance, etc., are fast becoming a tradition in the nigerian society. Education, which is a right of every citizen, has become the status symbol of the rich and rich. In Nigeria, almost everything is in a coma: road network, electricity, water, etc. and the government is not doing enough or not disturbed at all. The law gives all citizens the right and freedom of movement to come and go anywhere in the country unmolested, but today many Nigerians are losing their freedom as citizens as they are treated as foreigners in their own land. .
Let me remind you that when a nation or an individual abandons God, there will be a drastic turnaround. When a nation strays from righteousness it will surely go downhill until it finally ends up in the realm of the lost. Nigeria should take care of itself, because we’re seeing things that weren’t right before are right today and the government is clapping their hands to celebrate.
Freedom can intoxicate. Every time this happens, danger lurks and the line between good and evil blurs. Nigerians question many things, they look for loopholes so they can be more like ordinary dogs. But God is still aware of every situation, no matter how bad it is. He created man and built something within each individual that allows him to distinguish good from evil, and that is called conscience.
Our conscience tells us that stealing is wrong. You don’t need to listen to what they preach to you before believing, it’s in you. Unfortunately, the Nigerian judiciary, which many people believe to be functioning well, has only recently begun to show its true old nature. They allow spaces for unjustified loopholes that encourage bad tendencies. When people leave the godly principles established by the King of kings, then wicked men and women will push their agenda to the fore. Those who signed the Nigerian Declaration of Independence were God-fearing men; who did not give in to their need, even though it cost them a lot.
We should have considered how good it would be if we had considered the cost of being free. Nigeria has the potential to be bigger than what we are seeing now, if it thinks back and builds on the sacrifice of our heroes of the past. We will not continue in this way, it is useless to do evil. Those who forget God follow the line of destruction. Once again, Nigeria should not get drunk on freedom: it is dangerous. What we need now is a time to crouch closer to the Lord, not a time to go astray. God will always be with us if we hold on to what is right. God bless Nigeria.