Being missed when you are gone

If there is anything a successful business, brand or administration understands quite well, it will be simplicity, transparency and accountability. It is the same success story of the popular sentence – “the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog” the simplicity of which made it become the typical sentence that contains all the letters of the alphabet and not “sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow” which to some of us (nerds) objectively, is a million times cooler.

To be visible in a noisy connected global economy of sundry red oceans, brand differentiation is key. What precisely do you do that makes your clients, consumers or citizens addicted to you?

What have you mastered enough that makes you a champion even when you don’t feel like it? What makes you a winner when you are not even competing?

If your customers had to stop using your product or services tomorrow, how much will they miss it? If you fail at securing a second term in your political bid, what would the citizens notice years down the line that they have lost in your candidacy/leadership?

How easy are you to replace? How essential are your interactions? If you stopped working at your firm, will you be missed by all? If people unfollow or unfriend you on socialmedia, will they miss something or bloodily scratch themselves in withdrawal?

Suffice to say that being missed when you are gone is a worthy objective for many individuals, firms or administration in government. This has nothing on being gone in the actual sense but creating such an experience that no one will want to live without.

This is the phenomenon responsible for people sticking with the Devil they have come to know. This is what makes the unknown a worthy threat and a risk not worth taking.

Many of the Amazons in Nigeria, from Late Dora Akunyili to Ngozi Okojo-Iweala focused on leaving a mark on the sands of time by leaving a legacy many men can only dream to match. They left an experience worthy of re-living especially now that we have come to know the value.

Same thing goes for our heroes past Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Chief Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe (Zik), Sir Herbert Macaulay, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chinua Achebe, Odomegwu Ojukwu etc have all created an experience that immortalizes their name.

It is time to get personal. What will you be remembered for? Will we emit a long, deep sigh of relief that you are finally gone? Will the citizenry rejoice on streets and throw an obstreperously spirited party when you finally get served your share of pineapple by a foreign mistress or disgruntled aide? Will the memories of you fade with the winds or will we have course to remember the unforgettable experience that only you can bring?

Well meaning and deep spirited Nigerians are passionate people who leave a mark everywhere they go wittingly or unwittingly, negatively or positively. We are not deemed the happiest people in the world for nothing. We find a cause to grow opportunities under the soles of our feet and find a reason to laugh even in the gravest misfortune. We demand for next to nothing from our leaders and dig a hole when pushed to the wall. But this is about to change.

The Nigerians of this age are about to make history and create an experience for the entire Africa to remember. After all, the paradox of education/enlightenment is that one begins to become conscious, when one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated (James Baldwin). We have seen the disparity between the Town and the Gown and it is time to bridge the (institutional) gaps.

We have resolved to refuse to become what the oppressors call normal. Our life is what our thoughts make it, thus we are seeing a common picture on the horizon.

A #NewNigeria where Equity, Justice, Fairness and Righteousness reign supreme. A place where our youth need not fear for their lives while driving on the road or because of their mode of dressing/possession of a computer or an iPhone.

We are earnestly working towards a true republic where transparency and accountability is the watchword of our leaders, a sphere of true federalism where the Police actually serves and protect the populace not threaten our sovereignty and civilization by truncating law and order with impunity.

We see it, we walk in it, we demand it, we dream it and by God we will have it!

In the years to come, this is what those who lived in this age will be remembered for. This is what we are fighting for, this is the experience we hope to leave as a legacy for our kids. When children walk the streets without apprehension in the future, let the record reflect that those reading these words made that happen.

We won’t be forgotten, because we actually live for something worth cherishing for generations to come. Our dead will not die in vain. Get your PVC/TVC and be ready to protect your votes with all that you’ve got.