One of Newton’s laws of motion states that everything continues in a state of rest or permanent motion until a force is applied. Another of his laws states that force is equal to the rate of change of momentum. Momentum is a product of mass times velocity. Force can therefore be generated by the rate at which you change your velocity or your mass or a combination of the rate of change of mass and velocity.
For any meaningful change to take place there is the generation of regulated or controlled directional, disruptive force. For a married virgin to get pregnant, there is a regulated disruption of her hymen by her husband. It’s different from rape with uncontrolled, non-directional destruction of her hymen. For her to become a mother at term, there is the controlled, directional disruption of the membranes holding the amniotic fluid and an expansion of the cervix. When the child is pushed out of the womb by the mother, there is another disruption; the umbilical cord is cut and the placenta separates from the womb.
To plant the cassava, we had to cut the stem and disrupt the soil by tilling it.
In fact, there were palm trees I had to cut down from the plot where I planted them. You could see from the video how harvest disrupted the soil and surrounding plants.
Great changes come with great disruptions.
Nigeria will never be the same again after the present disruptions taking place. When the change comes,
- There will be mutual respect for each tribe or component of Nigeria; that’s if we don’t fragment like former Yugoslavia after president Josef Tito.
- We will learn bitterly that no tribe, religion, or agency has the monopoly of violence.
- Our security agencies and government at all levels will realise that resistance war or rebellion is difficult to win; in fact, in recent history, even superpowers fail to conquer the revolting sub-units of a country.
- Young men who have been clamouring for secession or war will learn that nobody benefits from war. We might pay a costly price for our mismanagement of this disruption.
- The disruption, if not grabbed and controlled by capable hands, could be very catastrophic.
- We will find out very painfully that we need each other dearly.
- Change will come but not what we anticipated and not from the source we anticipated.
What bothers me most is that this crop of leaders in Nigeria lacks the sincerity, wisdom, and capacity to manage the change that is coming. We have a bundle of obscurantists masquerading as nationalists.
Garri or fufu do not look like the cassava cuttings or tubers that produced them.
What is coming is a painful process but it’s good for all of us.
Remember to pray for Nigeria. Nigeria is in the labour room. A big change is coming.
