'Silence of the lambs'
By Levi Obijiofor
HERE is an assignment for you. The next time Nigeria's representatives in the current Under-17 world soccer tournament line up to honour the national anthem ahead of a match, watch closely to check how many of the players would be silent and how many would be reciting the anthem. The task is not difficult. Just follow the television camera as it gives a close-up of the face of each player. Extend the same scrutiny to Nigerian officials standing alongside the players.
I don't know whether I am the only person who has noticed that Nigerian sportsmen, sportswomen and officials hardly recite the national anthem when it is being played before a sporting event. Look into their faces and you will find them gazing blankly into space. You get the impression that these representatives are either indifferent to the national anthem or they do not know the lyrics of the anthem. How do we interpret such behaviour? Does that empty stare suggest that our sports representatives and officials are contemptuous of the national anthem - that symbol of national praise? Does the silence of the soccer players, athletes and other categories of sports representatives signal a more serious problem - general ignorance of the words that constitute the national anthem? Either way, we have a fundamental problem.
Compare how Nigeria's soccer players (U-17, U-20 and the senior ones) stand and gaze emptily into space when the national anthem is played and the way players from Western Europe, North and South America, and Oceania enthusiastically sing along as their national anthems are played. If patriotism were to be measured by the eagerness with which sports representatives recite their national anthems, Nigerian sports ambassadors would be stuck at the bottom of the league.
In many parts of the world, when sportsmen and women are selected to represent their countries, they are overwhelmed with joy. They become instant celebrities because selection in the national team represents a phenomenal feat, a major national honour. In Nigeria, when sportsmen and women are invited to national camp in preparation for major international events, they see it as an inconvenience rather than an honour. They behave as if the nation owes them some debt. They complain about many things, including the ban on the consumption of alcohol during training or that they were precluded from taking their girlfriends or boyfriends into camp and especially during training. Most cocky
Nigerian sports men and women who are based overseas tend to be the grumpiest, the cockiest and the most bad-tempered. At home many people perceive them as sports representatives with attitude. They are conceited, noisy, snobbish, presumptuous, and all-knowing.
Surprisingly, in spite of the swagger and the exaggerated air of self-importance, you will find that these sports ambassadors and officials can't recite their national anthem. It may not be their fault. Blame it on the quality of education they received. Some of them were never taught about the national anthem in their primary or secondary school years. And if they did not learn the anthem at the early years of education, the lyrics of the national anthem will never enter their diary of important matters to memorise. In defence of these sports representatives, some people have argued rather mournfully that the inability to recite the national anthem should never be used as a barometer to determine excellence on the track or field. That may well be the case. But humility has its rewards.
The fault may indeed lie in the education system. Is there a problem with Nigeria's national curriculum at the primary school level? Is there a defect in the way we teach school children their rights and duties as citizens? Should there be a conscious effort by educational institutions to teach every child of school age the importance of the national anthem and the national pledge?
During my primary education, learning the national pledge was a compulsory part of the daily routine. While emphasis was placed on learning and memorising the national pledge, little effort was made to get us to learn the national anthem. In essence, while many school children could sing the national pledge effortlessly, we could not say the same about their ability to recite the national anthem.
In those days, we were provided with little leaflets on which the national pledge was written in beautiful calligraphy. Every morning, during the traditional "school assembly", we were required to spit out the national pledge before official studies commenced. And so, through conscious efforts, the national pledge became metaphorically our school's official motto, a part of our daily routine. Knowledge of the national pledge ennobled rather than diminished our feelings of self-importance. Reciting the pledge also helped us to exercise our intellect and to demonstrate our readiness to receive the day's lessons.
While it is disappointing to see our soccer players, athletes and officials remain mute when Nigeria's national anthem is being played, it is important to emphasise that it is not only sports representatives who have shown total disrespect for the national anthem as a symbol of national exaltation, reference must also be made of political leaders in Abuja and various states, including legislators at the national and state assemblies. These have also demonstrated awful lack of knowledge of the national anthem.
How many senators and members of the House of Representatives can recite the anthem without stealing a fleeting look at a secondary source? I daresay not many. The shoddy and inelegant methods adopted by the National Assembly in screening candidates nominated as presidential assistants and ministers have intensified calls for the National Assembly to screen future presidential nominees not only on their ability to recite the national anthem and the national pledge but also on their knowledge of Nigeria's history and heritage, their understanding of our belief systems, their knowledge of the cultures that constitute the geographical entity known as Nigeria, as well as their knowledge of the basic laws of Nigeria.
It is not too much to expect prospective presidential assistants and ministers to demonstrate clear knowledge and understanding of their basic rights and obligations to Nigeria. In virtually every western country, knowledge of the national anthem is regarded as an important gauge of a citizen's level of patriotism. In our society, the national anthem and the national pledge ought to be taught as part of everyone's civic responsibility. To suggest that the national anthem is irrelevant is to propose that we should discard the teaching of the history of Nigeria.
In late July 2009, in a major speech about the elements of patriotism, senate president David Mark identified criticism of Nigeria by Nigerians as evidence of disloyalty. Mark, who spoke through Jubril Aminu (chairperson of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee who represented him), said: "This country is doing well, we are moving in the right direction, but for some people who are running down this country from within and without. A lot of Britons will never go out to criticise their country elsewhere, but a lot of Nigerians go out and start running down our country. Why can't they go and start another country?"
Nowhere in that speech did Mark include failure to recite the national anthem as evidence of disloyalty. Perhaps he should revise his understanding or misunderstanding of patriotism, loyalty and nationalism. If the expression of critical views in a democracy constitutes disloyalty, failure to recite the national anthem must be placed in the same basket of offences that anyone could commit against his or her country. Nigerian politicians, sports representatives, and the rest of society are not silent lambs. They should open their mouths and sing the national anthem. Citizens of other countries sing their national anthems with pride. What makes us different?
There are underlying reasons why many Nigerians are reluctant to respect their country. Look at the nature of leadership at the national and state levels. Look at the subtle manner in which corruption is being promoted by those whose responsibility it is to check the problem. Look also at the failure of national and state leaders to provide people with the most basic needs for survival. It is as if no one has a stake in the enterprise known as Nigeria. The citizens of other countries are happy to recite their national anthems because their countries look after their welfare. In Nigeria, there is no platform which people can use as a basis to express their respect for the country. We have a long way to go.
