Thursday, February 3, 2011

Wow!! Chinedu (The Debater 2010) is on FeistyPen!! He has Jos on his mind!

The Debaters

Chinedu Chidi won the oratory competition (Debaters 2010) organised by the Inspire Africa Project founded by the hit TV Talk show host Mo Abudu. He loves the great work !FeistyPen! is doing and agreed to lend his voice to the disheartening trend of killings in Jos and other parts of the country. Read what Chinedu has to say.

IN DEFENCE OF THE TRUTH; FOR THE LOVE OF HUMANITY

These are desperate times in our collective existence. I dare say that the disturbing happenings in our polity readily reveal that Nigeria is experiencing a crisis of security occasioned not only by a crisis of political identity but also a crisis of human identity and the burden of social contradictions.

 The misdirecting force of a brand of religious loyalty at variance with the cardinal principles of the natural order, the inordinate quest for material ascendancy and the volatility of the primordial lust for monopoly with a flagrant distaste for orderly competition have all combined to put the country in this state of emergency. Simply put Nigeria typifies a unit strained by the consequent violence of moral crisis.

The pogrom from ethno-religious conflicts and the spate of bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, violent robbery and ritual killings all amplify age-long notable questions about the nature of our being. Is Nigeria a nation or merely a state of contending nations?


Have the majority of Nigerians shown sufficient dissatisfaction having historically been denied their natural right to equity and the legitimate gains of citizenship by a small but adventurous class conquered by the dark lusts of their lower nature?

Considering Nigeria's widespread decrepitude and startling rot, isn't Nigeria in a state of development emergency? In the light of Nigeria's chequered history marked by bad leadership, shouldn't the collective pursuit of radically ingenious and principled leadership be embraced as non-negotiable?

Discrepancy between our religion and the practice of it

Does the crisis of religious intolerance not spite our reputation of a devout nation and reveal the striking contrast between our practice and the true essence of religion which is the moral regulation of man's fallen nature for higher existence, with the consequence of tranquil and prosperous social order? Doesn't our culpability in varying degrees of lawlessness show our growing amenability to both latent and potent nihilism?

Heightened social consciousness

My contemplations on the realities of Nigeria have heightened my consciousness of our true nature and defined my perspective of the direction of our country, challenging my prior conceptions rooted in a false sense of reality born out of the desperate cling on the soothing appeal of imaginary safety. What solemn reflection has taught me is that to live in denial of reality is to shed the empowerment from a cardinal possession of higher humanity--reason--and the extended awareness of the potential for significant intervention.

The surest trajectory to social balance begins with social awareness. As we reflect on the crises of our dear country, let us remember that our society bears the marks of our existence. We collectively define our country by our actions and inactions. We must hold dear the truth that we will not only be judged by history but by the light of conscience, the mold of society and irrepressible wind of providence!

The wrongful use of sectional identities

As the vengeful killings continue in Jos and Borno, I continue to mourn. I believe that at the root of this crisis is the failure to define others by our common and supreme identity--HUMANITY. Ethno-religious, political, cultural and sectional shades are secondary identities and they have immense potential for either good or evil.

Taken as the core of human definition, they possess great volatility, but under the light of conscience and the compass of reason, they lose their dark potential and occupy their rightful place as subordinates to humanity.

True Peace arises from an ordered mind

Despite heavy security presence, the crisis continues in Jos. This is because the crisis originates from a faulty internal reality. External order may be restored,  but ultimately the crisis will be RESOLVED not by the interventive  instruments of state. For true peace cannot be enforced; it only arises from the order of the mind drawn from the stability of conscience! The solution therefore lies in capitulating to our higher humanity.

The highest proof of humanity is to see one's priceless being in others!


Hook up with Chinedu on Facebook HERE and also find out about the The Debaters HERE


7 comments:

  1. wow! am wordagasted!......no wonder he won! I was just nodding my head in agreement as i read.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I know @NG...wordagasted is the word...no wonder he won... Indeed!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a piece! He has said it all in simple but plain truth..
    .Just wondering how many of the so-called Political leaders,will read this and bring an end to these sad tales? I hope they don"t make him do it himself!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for reading, Gem of Africa... Indeed Chinedu has said it very succintly...

    I actually want to send this in to a wider audience where they will read it... Cheers.

    ReplyDelete
  5. A touching piece. Passionate. Two things bother me though: One, how many of the people it is directed at will read it? One might ask whether they read in the first place. Two, how many of them will understand it? For instance, how many will understand
    ...the inordinate quest for material ascendancy and the volatility of the primordial lust for monopoly with a flagrant distaste for orderly competition...
    I guess Chinedu should consider ‘watering’ down this ‘grammar’ a bit. I think many more people would appreciate the message better. That aside, this piece is so on point! The madness being exhibited partly under the auspices of religion would stop if we recognise our collective humanity. I guess Nigeria should revaluate her values, and also encourage interest in the arts. That may be a stepping stone to recognising and respecting HUMANITY for what it is.

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  6. @Oyali...U are so correct..
    1. The target audiece for this piece would probably be uneducated, unemployed people although I'm hardpressed to think any educated person can actually allow himself to be consumed by displaced ethnic and religious zeal.

    So u're in fact right, Chinedu does need to water down this grammar..

    I'm thinking messages like this should be converted into bite sized slogans and translated to vernacular ie all Nigerian languages and they can air it on radio stations and TV programs all over the country esp the areas affected like Jos, Niger Delta, Boko Haram etc.

    The religious organizations have a huge role to play. If there is a sect using Islam as a guise to perpetrate intolerance and hate, I believe it is the responsibility of the Muslim clerics to call them to order and open the Koran to tell them it is NOT inside or is it? I really hope not..

    Same for Christians.. let's tell everybody that God did not send us to be involved in such rubbish..he called us to be the LIGHT..

    So, in the final analysis, readers of FeistyPen may not be the best people to benefit from such a piece.

    ReplyDelete
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