When conscience dies in a nation, truth becomes the first casualty. A nation is not great because of the value of its wealth, but because of the wealth of its values. Dr. Erwin Lutzer once said, “an economic crisis is always a gift to a leader who wants to capture a nation.” This is precisely the situation we find ourselves in Nigeria, the “supposed giant of Africa.” Despite its rich natural resources and some of the best minds on earth, Nigeria remains deficient in transformational leadership and national value systems, two critical components for national transformation. This is the story of Nigeria, a 65-year-old supposed giant, still struggling to rise to her full potentials.

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“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).

However, we must ask ourselves: can we nurture a nation from infancy to adulthood without understanding its lineage? There is something strategic about the lineage of a child. It defines the DNA of the child. You’ll carry the DNA of your progenitors, those whose seeds gave birth to you. Nigeria, who gave birth to you? You were born from the imperialistic wombs of the British Empire, a product of economic transactions among greedy imperialists. Your foundation was built on divide-and-rule, and the merging of diverse ethno-cultural interests into one state, thus ensuring perpetual division and conflict among her constituent parts.

This British divisive strategy shares similarities with the tactics of Nazi Germany, where division was weaponized to maintain control in Germany. Hitler’s propaganda’s machinery, led by the notorious Dr. Joseph Goebbels, employed propaganda to create a society unable to distinguish between truth and falsehood. Dr Lutzer defines propaganda as, “the intelligent manipulation of the masses.” Goebbels controlled the narrative in Germany.

He twisted the truth to satisfy the establishment, but to the detriment of the people and their socio-economic emancipation. George Orwell captures it so accurately in his famous book, “they don’t solve problems, they use them.” Similarly, Nigeria’s rich resources have been exploited by imperialists and their local enablers, the Nigerian greedy establishment, leading to a society where misinformation reigns supreme. The media does not just disseminate information, it alters the consciences of entire generations. Thus, the Nigerian media which should be among the unbiased umpires of truth, balancing socio-economic narratives, have also been compromised, leaving the people at the mercy of various gaslighting narratives.

As Richard Terrell aptly puts it, “Create a critical mass of people who cannot discern between truth and nonsense, then you will have a society ready to fall for any leader.” Not even the evil personified Hitler was unaware of how easy it is to capture and control the people. He once noted, “How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don’t think.” In today’s Nigeria, we face the scaring reality of state capture, acute poverty, corruption, ritual killings, organized crime, vote-buying, election rigging, kidnapping, and the corruption of the church.

The level of dishonesty and corruption in the land, whether in the church or in the secular society is now at an all time high. The church that should be the light of Nigeria has lost her voice in the pursuit of money, influence, and relevance. It was Dr Tony Evans who once said, “when conscience is absent in a nation, everyone is at risk.” As I now write, everyone is now at risk because conscience is not just absent, but is gradually dying out.

To rescue our nation, we must first understand our past, our lineage. It is time for Nigeria to think beyond the imperialist mould. Aristotle once said, “Tolerance is the last virtue of a dying society.” We have tolerated this evil for too long. The Nigerian society is buried in the sands of silence. The people have been silenced and captured by poverty. They are too weak to speak out and hold their leaders accountable. Silence is an evil culture, promising delusional solutions to problems that are never spoken about. If you don’t talk about it loud enough, it won’t be solved. For the remnant of Nigerians with integrity, it is time to stand for change, from our homes to our spheres of influences. It is time to turn to the Lord. We may not be able to stop election riggers or the looting of the Central Bank, but we can uphold integrity in our daily lives.

Nations are great because of the wealth of their values. The Nigerian church has been deeply compromised, and it is time for repentance and renewal. General Overseers and church founders must humble themselves, call for a solemn assembly, and return to God. It is righteousness that will make Nigeria great, justice, equity, fairness, integrity, rule of law, truth, love, and a progressive change in our national value systems. The messages from our pulpits as a church must change to reflect these dominant values of righteousness.

In an environment of righteousness, our prayers and fasting will work, generating spiritual power to overcome darkness and bring about the stirring up of the spirit of revival and revolution. In an environment of righteousness, value systems will change for the better, leading to a society with conscience. With increased commitment towards righteousness, the scale and scope of corruption  will diminish and prosperity will return to the land.

Whether we split Nigeria into different regions or pursue restructuring or remain as we are, it is still righteousness that will make us great again. An unrighteous Yoruba nation is as worse as an unrighteous Nigeria. An ungodly Biafra nation is as worse as an ungodly Nigeria. Whether we split Nigeria into different regions or pursue restructuring or remain as we are, it is still righteousness that will make us great again.

“Righteousness makes a nation great; sin is a disgrace to any nation.” (Proverbs 14:34)

God bless Nigeria.

Ayo Akerele is the senior pastor of Rhema Assembly and the founder of the Voice of the Watchmen Ministries in Ontario, Canada. He can be reached through [email protected]