Yesterday, in far away Russia, in the ongoing 2018 World Cup, Nigeria defeated Iceland. Ekong (Ibibio) passed the ball to Balogun (Yoruba) who found Mikel Obi (Igbo) who laid the pass to Moses (Christian) who sent the vital cross that Ahmed Musa(Muslim) scored for Nigeria.
For a moment, I looked around as Nigerians who barely knew each other jubilated and celebrated our victory. Almost every person, complete strangers to every other person, was hugging their neigbhours, patting backs and clinking glasses,just like long lost friends.
I waited to hear somebody say Moses' pass was unacceptable, because it was from a Christian, an "infidel", or Musa's goal was from a Muslim, "son of the bond woman, the Ismail generation."
I did not even see any person query Moses' State of origin, or whether Musa was the son of Fulani herdsman from Sokoto or Kano.
I did not hear from anyone asking whether Balogun worships the god of Shango, thunder, fire, water or 'ekpo ntokeyen'.
We celebrated and rejoiced. Nobody remembered those things we use to divide ourselves as Nigerians.
For a moment, I asked myself, is this not how we should always see ourselves?
Do we realise that God made us Jews and Gentiles, Christians and Muslims, with different faces, colours, height, shapes, sizes, creed and belief for a purpose?
I ask,when we discriminate and segregate on the basis of either religion or where God has taken us in life, are we living by the word of God to love ALL, and hate NONE. Let us be the change we want to see in others. The enemy we are looking for may be right inside us. Just thinking!
So you think Nigeria is actually divided? Look at the line up of yesterday game. Not less than 70% were from the Eastern part of Nigeria. Did you COMPLAIN? Did you even care to notice? No! When Ahmed Musa scored the first goal, was it only the Hausa people that celebrated? Were the Igbó and Yoruba people sad? Did they protest?
When he scored the second goal. Did anybody complain why it's only an Hausa man that is scoring? No! You know why nobody cares about these things? Because we were ALL after the GOAL! One VICTORY! One VISION!
The problem of Nigeria is never our diversity but lack of corporate and formidable national vision. When you have a goal, a vision, nobody cares where anybody is from! The greatest harm that our leaders have done is to succeed in making us believe we are divided. No we are not! They are the ones who don't have goals, solid visions that is attractive enough to bring us together.
Trust me, our diversity is strength and not a disaster. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria