ADVERTISEMENT
The Sun Nigeria
  • Home
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
No Result
View All Result
The Sun Nigeria
No Result
View All Result
Home Columns

Perils of zeal without knowledge

7th September 2018
in Columns
0
ZEAL WITHOUT KNOWLEGE
2
SHARES
112
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Zeal without knowledge is foolish and, in fact, dangerous. What Nigeria needs now is not folks who are zealous for religion, tribe, or money…

Ladi Ayodeji

The momentum is gathering as the nation prepares for the general election, the biggest competitive event in our political calendar. The star prize is the Presidency and politicians will do anything to get the Number One office in the land. Religion and ethnicity is the two-edged sword we use freely in great political battles like this.

READ ALSO: Ekweremadu’s many battles

Any nation like Nigeria where religious affiliation, not merit, is one of the criteria for appointment or election into public office would always function below par. Such a nation is destined for the lower rung of the ladder in the global development index. The ripple effects of this can be seen in the endemic poverty and sectarian violence ravaging the land. And our young folks are usually the victims while their sponsors keep their own children in Ivy League schools in safe havens abroad.

Our youth must realise that Nigeria’s problem is not religion but development. We are now impoverished by the reckless stealing of our public funds by rapacious political elite and their cohorts in the armed services. These partners-in-crime are responsible for the economic adversity of Nigeria, the collapsed public infrastructure and the general dysfunction of the national economy.

This is why our resource-rich nation cannot pay its bills, has become import-dependent, and is reeling under the weight of moral degeneration and criminality. The onus is now on our youth to take control. How do you take control of a failed republic like Nigeria, with its many complex problems of mass poverty, illiteracy, ethnicity, sectarian crisis, disunity, xenophobia, endemic, widespread ignorance and cultural myths/superstition?

If you want to take charge of things in this nation, you must be fully in control of yourself. You first prove to your folks that you are in charge of your life before you can rule over others. Our current leaders failed because most of them are failures in their private lives, homes, businesses or in their professions and affiliations. Failure in private life cannot produce success in public vocation.

Therefore, live a life of purpose and be focused on your mission. Succeed first in your primary calling, vocation, business and home before you venture out to pursue public office. A footballer first becomes a star in the home league before foreign clubs sign him to play on the big stage. You should be the captain of 10, 20, hundreds and thousands, before you aspire to rule over millions. If you can’t govern a local government, you can’t govern a state. If you haven’t governed a state successfully, how can you rule Nigeria with a population close to 180 million? Start small and master small projects before you aspire for the big ones. A young man must have a clear vision and the ability to pursue it to the logical conclusion. No matter the obstacles, you must never give up. That is how to be a winner.

READ ALSO: MTN Project Fame winner decries stereotype in Nigeria music

Manage your private space brilliantly. Others will notice you and, before you realise it, you’ll be called to lead. It is better to go through the ranks and work your way up. Some folks want to be governors or presidents, when they have never managed any institution of note before. How do you get the experience to run a state or country, if you have not been tested in small projects? You don’t become a General the day you join the army. It takes time, training, drills, tests in real combat situations and then you rise through the echelons to become a General.

Zeal without knowledge is foolish and, in fact, dangerous. What Nigeria needs now is not folks who are zealous for religion, tribe, or money; we need youth who are zealous for the right knowledge to engender self-development, national prosperity, peace, internal cohesion, technology, hard work and clean morals. We need youth who are keen to serve the fatherland with qualifications obtained on merit, not by quota, sex-for-marks or ghost writers of exam papers.

This nation will be transformed before our eyes within record time if our youth could turn their amazing creativity and energy away from criminality to worthy enterprises. Crooked leaders hide under religion to mislead our youth into mindless

violence in order to seize power and control our common patrimony. They promote religious bigotry across ethnic borders to pump zealous commitment into youthful adherents of contending faiths, who are then sent on sectarian battle grounds to fight for religious hegemony over others.

The 2019 general election is close. Very soon, you will begin to hear the sounds of war drums. Folks, don’t heed the call to battle. Be zealous, instead, for knowledge, for self-actualisation, progress, peace of Nigeria, national development, prosperity and good governance. Invest your precious time in worthy causes. Ethnicity does not develop any country, rather, it brings devastation and untold suffering. Look at South Sudan and see what ethnic violence has done to the people there.

READ ALSO: South Sudan’s warring leaders agree to share power, again

In the North-East of our country, you have seen what Islamic insurgents have done to the people there. Afghanistan, Libya, Myanmar, Yemen are now in shambles over sectarian wars. Citizens of these countries are now perishing in high seas as they embark on perilous journeys in search of safe havens abroad. Take control of your nation so that you do not fall into such calamity.

 

Weekend Spice:

God’s heart is never for you to die prematurely or live a life that is miserable

– Joseph Prince

Okay folks, let’s do it again next Friday. Stay motivated.

________________________________________

Click Here>>>>>>7 Natural Herbs to Finally End Premature Ejaculation and Weak Erection<<<<<<

Click Here>>>>>>Anti-kidnap and anti-theft device for tracking and listening<<<<<<

AYODEJI is an author, rights activist, pas- tor and life coach. He can be reached on 09059243004 (SMS & WhatsApp only)
Tags: criminalitydisunityethnicityglobal development indexilliteracyknowledgemass povertypolitical battlesprogressreligionsectarian crisisself-actualisationxenophobiazeal
David

David

Sun News Online team

Related Posts

United xenophobic Republic of South Africa
Columns

Almajiri as consequence of Boko Haram

20th January 2021
Go the extra mile, not miles
Columns

‘White elephant projects’ wrong

20th January 2021
Of false prophets and fake prophesies (2)
Columns

Remove that fatwa from Bishop Kukah’s head

20th January 2021
Next Post
GERNOT ROHR

Rohr: We are in Seychelles for serious business

EAGLETS

Golden Eaglets spank Cote d’Ivoire 

Rayon Sports

Federation Cup: Akwa United, Pillars, Enyimba get easy draw

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Highlights

21 dead as Cholera ravages Delta communities

Insecurity: Northern leaders unhappy with Buhari – Bafarawa

Communal clash in Akwa Ibom claims 7 lives

Fayemi felicitates Kukah on appointment into papal dicastery

NDLEA arrests 262 suspected drug traffickers in Edo

Police parades two suspect of Turkish national in Ilorin,four others

Trending

Ilorin Rainstorm: Kwara disburses N92.5m to victims
News

Ilorin Rainstorm: Kwara disburses N92.5m to victims

20th January 2021
0

From LAYI OLANREWAJU,Ilorin Kwara State Government on Wednesday began the disbursement of N92.5m to 2,300 victims of...

Octogenarian seeks Oba of Benin, Edo govt's intervention in land dispute

Octogenarian seeks Oba of Benin, Edo govt’s intervention in land dispute

20th January 2021
#EndSARS: Youths make fresh demands from Delta government

Lagosians protest NIN registration deadline 

20th January 2021
Confusion trails alleged killing of youth in Delta

21 dead as Cholera ravages Delta communities

20th January 2021
Insecurity: Northern leaders unhappy with Buhari - Bafarawa

Insecurity: Northern leaders unhappy with Buhari – Bafarawa

20th January 2021
ADVERTISEMENT

Follow us on social media:

Categories

  • Abuja Metro
  • Arts
  • Broken Tongues
  • Business
  • Business Week
  • Cartoons
  • Citizen Joe
  • Columns
  • Cover
  • Culture
  • Duro Onabule
  • Editorial
  • Education Review
  • Effect
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Events
  • Features
  • Femi Adesina
  • Food & Drinks
  • Frank Talk
  • Funke Egbemode
  • Gallery
  • Global Square by Kenneth Okonkwo
  • Health
  • Insights
  • Kalu Leadership Series
  • Kunle Solaja
  • Kunle Solaja
  • Letters
  • Lifeline
  • Lifestyle
  • Literary Review
  • Marketing Matters
  • Muiz Banire
  • National
  • News
  • Offside Musings
  • Opinion
  • oriental news
  • Politics
  • Press Release
  • PressClips
  • Public Sphere
  • Ralph Egbu
  • Shola Oshunkeye
  • Sideview
  • South-west Magazine
  • Sponsored Post
  • Sporting Sun
  • Sports
  • Sun Girl
  • Tea Time
  • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
  • The Sun Awards Live
  • The Sun TV
  • Thoughts & Talks
  • Time Out
  • Today's cover
  • Tola Adeniyi
  • Travel
  • Travel & Tourism
  • Trending
  • TSWeekend
  • Turf Game
  • Uncategorized
  • Updates
  • Views from Abroad
  • Voices
  • World
  • World News
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Paper Ad Rate
  • Online Ad Rate
  • The Team
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© 2019 The Sun Nigeria - Managed by Netsera.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun

© 2019 The Sun Nigeria - Managed by Netsera.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist