Uzokwe's Searchlight

One of the events planned for the Harvard event was book signings by Diaspora Nigeria authors. That was the event that brought the Okonkwos, the Ekekes, the Akintides and the Uzokwes to the gathering. One thing struck me when two young Nigerians came over to where I was sitting with Dr Ekeke, with our books spread in front of us. He picked up a copy of my book, Surviving in Biafra: The story of the Nigerian Civil war. With a somewhat puzzled look on his face, he asked, ''so how many people died again?''. I could tell that he knew little, if anything, about the war. I was not disappointed but must make an important point here. Whether you are a Nigerian student in Harvard University, MIT, Emory University, University of Nigeria or Ilorin or even the new American University in Yola, Adamawa state, be aware that no matter what passion you have for Nigeria, you must first fully understand her history before you can proffer a viable solution to her problems.

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Tuesday, October 5, 2010



Alfred Obiora Uzokwe

ANNOUNCE THIS ARTICLE TO YOUR FRIENDS
CELEBRATING NIGERIA AT 50 AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY:
MY TRIP TO BOSTON

am not sure how this coincidence took place but I was also born on the 1st of October and for as long as I can remember, my birthdays were always overshadowed by the celebration of Nigeria's independence. When I was in high school, my birthdays were celebrated mainly marching past and saluting one government official or the other at the Local Government parade ground as is traditional in most Nigerian secondary schools.


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When my family lived in Lagos, before the civil war, the highlight of my birthday celebration was always a visit to Tinubu Square, the Bar Beach and a few notable places that were usually festooned with buntings and green white green ribbons during the festivities. Infact, I recall that there was a particular October 1 that my father took us to the airport in Lagos, just to watch airplanes land and take off. That was long before it became Murtala Muhammed airport. I am sure kids of today would find it somewhat primitive that I celebrated my birthday watching airplanes take off and land. However, that was the way life was in the days of yore. In all, I never complained about Nigeria's independence celebration making mine a lot less inconsequential because, abinitio, I believed that Nigeria was always bigger than any one citizen in every sense. This is a precept that the thieving politicians that live above the law in Nigeria do not want to imbibe.

It was with all the above in mind that when I was invited to the celebration of Nigeria's 50th anniversary by Nigerian students at Harvard University in Cambridge, I had to think a little. In my mind, my birthday which I had already planned to celebrate was once again going to be overshadowed, at least for me, by Nigeria's own celebration. After serious consideration, I again deferred to Nigeria as the bigger entity and promptly began to prepare for the trip to Boston Massachusetts. At first, I wanted to leave Pennsylvania using the last flight into Boston on the 1st of October since the main activity at Harvard was on the 2nd. That way, I would check into the hotel that evening and on the morning of the second, which was the main activity day, I would head to the event. After much introspection about leaving my family on my birthday, I modified my plans. I would now leave Pennsylvania for Massachusetts very early on October 2nd and return the same day in the evening. That way, I would be home for all the pomp and circumstance regarding my own birthday on the 1st. Of course it was cheapest to take off from Baltimore Washington Airport and so my ticket was billed as such.

Very early in the morning of Saturday, October 2, I left for Baltimore in my car. In about two hours, I had already docked in the parking garage and headed up the elevator to the departure area. In very little time, I was at the security check for the final check in ritual. With my coat, my shoes, my belt and all other metal items removed from my body, I stepped into the glass enclosure and was asked to raise my hands over my head. I did and it was at this point that for the first time, it dawned on me that I was practically bare, nude, in my birthday suit to the person manning the computer on the other side. The thought of that nakedness made me think about how much the world had changed. Traveling, which used to be fun just 20 years ago, was now a source of constant stress. You worry about terrorism. You worry that if anything happened to the plane while in the skies, there was no escape and then now you worry that someone on the other side was beholding your nakedness. That thought only lasted in my mind for a few seconds because I believe in the fact that whatever needs to be done to keep people safe should be done inspite of the inconveniences.

As I was dressing back up, after being X-rayed like other passengers, I noticed that the young Caucasian woman following me was being frisked and patted down. Then I heard her say that she refused to be X-rayed. That caught my attention because I did not realize that people could brazenly refuse to be X-rayed. I stood aside and waited for her to finish. As soon as they were done with her, I started walking beside her and when we were outside the earshot of security agents, I asked her," Why did you refuse to be X-rayed?" She turned towards me and with a surprised look on her face responded, "All that X-ray add up and it could cause cancer". She was emphatic but the benefit of the exercise, which is detecting and deterring terrorism, made me banish any concerns I had about X-rays. After a brief chat on the issue, the lady and I parted and went our separate ways. I sat down, whipped out my verizon droid and started surfing the internet. This gadget, I must say, has made boredom a thing of the past for me since I got it. Being able to read my emails anywhere, without lugging a laptop or seeking out an internet booth has been a welcome change.

The flight to Boston was uneventful. I was pleased that Air Tran had joined the many airlines that, for a fee, offer internet access as soon as the plane reached cruising altitude. I hope that international airlines will follow suit. I have always maintained that if I could surf the internet during a 7 hour flight, it would be a most welcome thing because I would not for one second feel the boredom that 7-hour flights engender. I will also state that the pilot of this flight was a consummate professional. There was no single anxious moment whether that was because there was no turbulence or because of the professionalism of the pilot, I enjoyed the flight and we landed safely.

After picking up my rental car at Logan airport, I raced towards Cambridge. Although I had been around Harvard University before, on this day, the area around it was so crowded, making driving somewhat difficult, especially near Harvard Square. It took a few looping around for me to finally get to Sheppard Street, the venue of the gathering but I still could not find the exact building. I called Rudolf Okonkwo, who was also one of the guests to the event and was already in the building, and he directed to the parking stall and exact building.

At the time I entered the building, students were still gradually trickling into the Student Organization Center. On one arm of the building, some entrepreneurs had already spread out Nigerian artifacts and clothes both for exhibition and sales and some people were going from table to table to see what they had. On the ground floor, in the auditorium, some Nigerians were screening one of the Nigerian movies. The goal was to showcase Nigerian movies, artifacts, clothes, books and you name it to the outside world in one of the great citadels of learning. I found it very impressive that young Nigerian students found it important to not only celebrate Nigeria's 50th birthday with pomp, but also had the wisdom to present to the world Nigeria's artifacts, clothes and way of life when there are some young Nigerians that would rather not even say their last names for fear of being identified as Nigerians.

At this point, I tried to use my phone to reach some of my relatives in Boston, to at least notify them of the fact that I was now in Boston but noticed that my battery had discharged completely and the battle to recharge it started. I was later escorted, by one of the students, to the upper floor. There, Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo and Dr Chima K. Ekeke were already seated and having a chat. Dr Ekeke is a commentator on Nigeriaworld and the author of Leadership Wisdom - Inspirational Insights. After exchanging pleasantries with them, I settled into a seat and we talked about a whole range of issues about Nigeria's development and how writers can help change the hand that some of these never-do-well politicians are dealing Nigerians. Not long after that, Dr Wumi Akintide, another Nigeriaworld contributor and the author of The Lion King and the Cubs, came in and we all once again exchanged pleasantries. Later, a gentleman walked in and I could have walked past him without an inkling of who he was because of his unassuming disposition. Just then, Rudolf retorted that he had an introduction to make. He introduced the gentleman as Omoyele Sofowore the founder of Sahara Reporters. "It's nice to finally meet you", we both said in unison as if rehearsed. Obviously, I from time to time read his writings and he probably reads mine on Nigeriaworld.com.

I was very impressed by the number of Nigerian young men and women attending the prestigious Harvard University. Some of them came over to where we were seated but two young men stand out in my mind. I must confess that I do not recall their names. After being introduced to them, I asked them, in turn, which courses they were pursuing. One said something about Engineering and the other one, I believe, mentioned one of the biological sciences. Again, I was impressed. They will be leaders of tomorrow and can compete without inhibition anywhere in the world. I exhorted them to keep up the good work. Then, jokingly, I asked them if they were ever going to go back to Nigeria. One noted that he had joined in medical missions to Nigeria in the past and has at least visited three times. He was born here in the United States. I then asked the other that was born in Nigeria if he was ever going back and he said no. Of course, that was his prerogative but in the light-hearted mood of the moment I said, "I am going to yank your chain now. How come you were born in Nigeria and yet you are saying you will not go back but your friend was born here and he says he goes on medical missions?" He was momentarily taken aback until Rudolf jokingly urged him to ask me why I had not gone back to Nigeria either. Of course all the exchanges were done in a light-hearted manner but the question of whether to go back to Nigeria or stay in the United States continue to hunt Diaspora Nigerians. Many originally came with the goal of getting education and going back to impart their knowledge but as Nigeria's economy got worse, as the job situation became dire and as insecurity took center stage, they changed their minds. For that reason, Nigerian professionals, who would like to go back, are staying back forever. Dr Goodluck Jonathan was quoted as saying that Nigerians in the Diaspora must not be in a hurry to go home unless they are able to create jobs in Nigeria. That sounds great but he never addressed the issue that forced professionals out of the country in the first place. He should ask himself why they all left and what could be done to get them back and minimize the brain drain. He has the yam and anvil as my father would say. He must strive to make the nation welcoming so that Diaspora Nigerians that have the ability to create jobs would return. I was reading about how Dr Ifeanyi Obiakor of Anambra State built a big hospital in Brooklyn New York. He was asked by the Anambra state governor to also do something for Anambra State to help generate employment. The government would have to create the enabling environment for people like Dr Obiakor to go home and help. In 1980, I stayed with Dr Obiakor, for a few days, in his apartment in Chicago when I went on summer vacation and he was still a student in Chicago. You could tell that he had great ideas and promise by the way he talked. I saw that zeal also, in some of the Nigerians students at Harvard University. They have great ideas, they have great dreams. They are not asking Nigeria for handouts but merely want an enabling environment to make their mark for and in Nigeria and Dr Jonathan must help make that possible.

Soon, after, we all settled down to lunch. After that, we went to the conference room slated for the business of the day. It was one of the Panel discussions titled, "The Role of the Media in Shaping Nigeria's Image: Social and Political Aspects. There were young Nigerians on the panel but the most notable panel discussant was Sofowore Omoleye. He traced the genesis of his website and why he started it. He catalogued the effect it has had on Nigerian leaders and the surprising reaction of some of the leaders whenever they were highlighted on the site. He praised the internet as a powerful medium that helps to reduce the corruption that was eating deep into Nigeria and Nigerians. He emphasized that the internet and citizen journalism has reduced the influence of the print media on politics. He advised young Nigerians to get involved in citizen journalism via the internet as it will help to bring about the change Nigerians want by influencing and redirecting the actions of the leaders. Some of the young Nigerians on the panel talked about a site they had established called VoteorQuench to help mobilize young Nigerians in Nigeria and the Diaspora to get involved in politics. The room applauded when a panel member stated that he was always proud of his Nigerian roots and always wanted to showcase his Nigerianness inspite of some of the negative images that a tiny Nigerian minority projects. He cited an example of a Nigerian that was interviewed on one of the media outlets and when asked where he was from, merely stated that he was from Jersey but his last name of course gave him away. When pressed more for information about where he was from, the guy eventually said that his parents were from Nigeria. The panelist stated that the most disconcerting part was that the person in question was born in Nigeria and yet was trying to deny Nigeria. He stated that the young man lost the opportunity to project and praise Nigeria's good side. To him, the moral of the whole thing was that whenever Nigerians found a public relations platform, they should use it to uplift Nigeria.

One of the events planned for the Harvard event was book signings by Diaspora Nigeria authors. That was the event that brought the Okonkwos, the Ekekes, the Akintides and the Uzokwes to the gathering. One thing struck me when two young Nigerians came over to where I was sitting with Dr Ekeke, with our books spread in front of us. He picked up a copy of my book, Surviving in Biafra: The story of the Nigerian Civil war. With a somewhat puzzled look on his face, he asked, "so how many people died again?". I could tell that he knew little, if anything, about the war. I was not disappointed but must make an important point here. Whether you are a Nigerian student in Harvard University, MIT, Emory University, University of Nigeria or Ilorin or even the new American University in Yola, Adamawa state, be aware that no matter what passion you have for Nigeria, you must first fully understand her history before you can proffer a viable solution to her problems. It is said that he who does not know where he is from can hardly know where he is going and those who shy away from history, are bound to repeat the mistakes of history. If our youth must effect viable and lasting change in Nigeria, they must take time to understudy her history, both good and bad. Remaking Nigeria for the better starts with a very good understanding of what made it good and what brought it down. It is only when this is properly understood that one can help proffer viable solutions on the way forward. What I am saying here, in many words, is simply that those young Nigerians who are working hard to help make it better, to get involved or to get everyone to vote, must do first things first and that is understand Nigeria's journey. Once that is done, most other things will fall in place.

I took my leave from the venue sometime after 4:00PM as I had a flight to catch back to Pennsylvania via Baltimore. Back in Logan Airport, as I was going through security, the action of the young woman that refused to be X-rayed in the morning, on the ground of too much radiation, came back to my mind. I had just passed through the airport not quite 7 hours earlier when I came to Boston. During that time, I had a dose of the X-ray passed through me. Here I was again, in the booth, being X-rayed and getting a dose of radiation again. Who knows how much radiation this is putting inside me in just a one day. It occurred to me that while I fully and wholeheartedly support all attempts to prevent terrorism, a comprehensive study needs to be conducted to ensure that flying does not suddenly become a radiation hazard to passengers.

As soon as I cleared security and it was departure time, I settled into my seat. I thought about what I had seen at Harvard and the zeal with which the new generation of Nigerians were seeking to portray the nation in good light and take ownership of it from corrupt and often selfish leaders. I thought about Nigeria on her birthday as well as myself on my birthday. It was clear that I, the October 1 birthday boy, had a lot in common with Nigeria. Just like me, Nigeria has not attained her full potential and needs to redouble her efforts along that line. Just like Nigeria, I am not perfect but not being perfect should not lead to my excommunication. In the same way, just because Nigeria is not perfect does not mean that people should derelict her. Just as I am a work in progress, living and learning, so is Nigeria. Listening to the panel discussion at the Harvard University marking Nigeria's independence, brought me to the understanding that Nigeria does not have to be perfect for us to claim it as a nation or be proud of it or embrace it. It does not have to be perfect to be celebrated. Inspite of my imperfection, I still celebrate my birthday and existence. It does not mean that Nigeria should not be criticized because that is how improvement comes like Omoleye said.

I applaud the students of Harvard that thought it necessary to celebrate Nigeria at 50. The celebration must go on and the greatest gift they can give Nigeria, as students in the greatest citadel of learning, is to always remember to give back to Nigeria in any way they can. In whatever they do, they must represent the country of their birth or their parents' birth creditably. As Veno Marioghe, the prolific 1980's singer once crooned- Nigeria go Survive.

Finally, let me say this. Even though my birthday celebration on October 1st was low key for me, I got so much birthday wishes by email, voice mails and ecards that at a point, I was humbled and wondered why I deserved that not just from family and friends but from well wishers I had never met. I wish to thank all for that.

HERE I STAND