POSITIVE CHANGE IN NIGERIA THEWAYFORWARD

Theworldaswehavecreateditisaprocessofourthinking.Itcannotbechangedwithoutchangingourthinking

AlbertEinstein

Changewillnotcomeifwewaitforsomeotherperson,orifwewaitforsomeothertime.Wearetheoneswe’vebeenwaitingfor.

BarackObama

Ialonecannotchangetheworld,butIcancastastoneacrossthewaterstocreatemanyripples

MotherTheresa

Bethechangeyouwanttoseeintheworld.

MahatnaGandhi

LEADERSONTHEBOOK

The book teaches patriotism, good ethical behavior, leadership skills, love,integrity, fear of God among other important values. This singular act ofDivineHartIhegwuwillshapetheperceptionofouryouths…Werecommendit to the education sector and other GovernmentAgencies and Organizations for citizenship and leadership training forpositivechange.

NationalOrientationAgencyOfficeoftheDirectorGeneral

ThebookhasbeenassessedbytheNigerianEducationalResearchandDevelopmentCouncil(NERDC),anditwasfoundtobeuseful.WethereforerecommenditforGeneralReading. Prof.IsmailJunaidu ActingExecutiveSecretaryNIGERIANEDUCATIONALRESEARCHANDDEVELOPMENTCOUNCIL(NERDC).Thebook,“PositiveChangeinNigeria,thewayforward”isawellthoughtoutand stimulating offering, which serves as a change agency. The book alsoreflects the passion of a writer with a deep insight into the nature of thehuman spirit and a strong desire to erase the predatory disposition of thepowers-that-be.

DailySun,1stOctober2011.

Thework is awakeupcall toallNigerians. It isanunderstatement that it isinspiringandhighlypatriotic.Itisalsomysticandreligiousincontent.Itisabook,IthinkeveryNigerianshouldpossessandread.

Prof.S.O.Igwe,FormerViceChancellor,AbiaStateUniversity.

“Positive Change in Nigeria, the way forward” is a positive guide towardsnationalorientationand transformation forstudents, teachers aswellas thegeneralreader.

FederalMinistryofInformationandCommunications,21stOctober2010.

“PositiveChangeinNigeria,thewayforward”isaworkincreativeingenuity,patriotismandpassionforthecrusadeagainstcorruption.

IndependentCorruptPracticesandOtherRelatedOffencesCommission(ICPC)

30thNovember2009.

“Positive Change in Nigeria, the way forward” is a noble effort; a wellpackaged instrument. The ideas espoused in the project cannot be under-estimated.

NationalYouthServiceCorps,16thSeptember2010

…A great research work on ethical values and patriotic love for our greatcountryNigeria. I recommend it forcitizenshipand leadership training… intheGeneralStudiesprogrammeofalltertiaryinstitutionsinNigeria.

SirDavisOffor(OSP,KT.J)A.K.A.ClarusMgbeojikwe

NTANewMasqueradeFame

PositiveChangeinNigeria,thewayforward

PositiveChangeinNigeria,thewayforward

DivineHartIhegwu

VisualImpression

POSITIVECHANGEINNIGERIA,THEWAYFORWARDFirstpublishedin2011as:‘NigeriatheGardenofEden’DivineHartIhegwu(08039401584)Copyright2015byDivineHartIhegwuAllrightsreservedNopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformwithoutthepermissionofthecopyrightowner.PublishedinNigeriaby:VISUALIMPRESSIONAbuja:Suite17,Garki2ShoppingPlaza,Plot1264,MuhammaduBuhariWay,Garki2,Abuja,Nigeria.Aba:149AzikiweRoadbyAdazi,Aba,AbiaState.Email:imprevisual@ymail.comTel:08038955866

CoverConcept:JensonOkerekeComputerGraphics:ChimaobiOkoroandSunnyEmenike

DEDICATION

ToGod,mysourceofinspirationand,

ToallNigerianswhoaredesirousofpositivechange

FOREWORD

Itcouldbesaidthatthestateofaffairsinthelifeofanindividual,acommunityoracountry,isoftenareflectionofthethinkingandbeliefsoftheindividualsorthepeoplewhomakeupthecommunityorcountry.Inthiscontext,thingswillbegintochangewhenthethinkingandbeliefsarechanged,asthiswouldautomaticallyleadtoachangeofattitude.Inlinewiththisposition,itcouldbesaid that Nigeria is what she is today, good or not-so-good, because of thethinkingandbeliefsofmostNigerians,andthatthecountrywillchangeforthebetterwhenmostofhercitizensstartthinkingandactingmorepositively.

Inthisbook,“PositivechangeinNigeria,thewayforward”,theauthor,DivineHart Ihegwubrings to the fore, thegreatneedsofNigerians to change theirattitude towards themselves and towards Nigeria. He has forcefully put inclear and concise form, the need for Nigerians to recognize their personalworthandinherentgoodness.

Fromhisdeep insight, hehas revealed thegreatbenefits thatNigerianswillderive from lovingwho they are andworkinghardenough to develop theirlatentunique potentials.Any readerof thisbookwill certainlybecome veryproud to be called a Nigerian, when one reads through the seven chaptersthroughwhichherevealsthetruemeaningoftheseven-lettername,N-I-G-E-R-I-A.

ThisbookisfullofgreatideasforthegloriousTRANSFORMATIONofNigeria.It isa text fullof intenseandbeautifulwordsofwisdomand timehonouredtruths of life. It is a book whose main aim is to make Nigerians see everychallenge as a great blessing, the starting point of a new attitude, a newbeginningandanewmiracleproducingwayoflife.

I strongly recommend the Transformational Insight to a New Nigeria, aresource-trove for themassivecitizenshipeducation, transformationandre-

orientation to all Nigerians. This book is a must-read for citizenship andleadership training, and should be kept handy by all students in tertiaryinstitutions, allYouthCorpsmembers, all teachers, religious leaders,all civilservants and the generality of the Nigerian public. It is indeed relevant tocontemporaryNigeria.

To my mind, I think the work is a well thought out “wake-up call” forTRANSFORMATIONtoallNigerians.Itisanunderstatementthatitisinspiringandhighlynationalistic.Itisalsomysticalandreligiousincontent.Itisabook,IthinkeveryNigerianshouldpossessandread.OnewouldnotalsohesitatetorecommenditasoneofthereadingtextsfortheGeneralStudiesprogrammesinallNigerianUniversities.ItisasrelevanttothiscategoryofNigerians(thestudents), as to thegeneralityof thepopulace. It is amajor contribution forpositive change in Nigeria. The author is to be highly commended for theexcellent piece. On the whole therefore, the book is a highly commendableeffort.

Prof.S.O.IgweisaformerViceChancellor,AbiaStateUniversity,Uturu,aPro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council, Nnamdi Azikiwe FederalUniversity, Awka, Anambra State, Chairman, Kaduna Federal Polytechnic,Kaduna and currently, The Pro- Chancellor and Chairman of GoverningCouncilUniversityofNigeria,Nsukka.

PREFACE

Nigeriaisabeautifulcountry,blessedbyGodwiththelavishabundanceofallgood.ThenameNigeriaismadeupofsevenletters,eachofwhichrepresentsan important word. The number seven means, wholeness, perfection andcompletion.ThesevenwordsrepresentedbyNigeriaare:

N - Nobility

I - Integrity

G - Greatness

E - Endowment

R - Responsibility

I - Ingenuity

A - Awareness

The aim of this book is tomake the truemeaning of thesewords, have anoverriding influenceon the thoughts,wordsandactionsofNigeriansso thattheywillstarttheprocessofpositivechangeinNigeriaandbuildNigeriaintoa global economic power where all would enjoy to the fullest, the greatopulenceofGod.

DivineHartIhegwu2011.

i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To themanywho have contributed guidance and encouragement, I wish toexpressmydeepestappreciation.Inthisregard,IamgratefultoRev.Dr.AmosN. Kalu, and other Unity Ministers for their many years of inspiration andinstruction.ChiefJosephC.Ogwo,mymostwonderfulsponsor,Iwillcontinueto appreciate him. Professor S. O. Igwe provided the most valuable andmeticulous assistance. Chief John Kennedy Osualawas very steadfast in hissupportandencouragement, inpopularizingthebook.LateChiefJamesKaluInyiri (Kelly) believed inme and that was a needed tonic. The professionalinputofJensonOkerekeineditingthebookisappreciated.

MywifeBeatriceandchildren:Mrs.BlessingOnyema,Emeka,Ifeanyi,KelechiandLoveforstandingsolidlybymyside.Ivaluegreatly,mybrothers,Evang.AnyaeleHart,Engr.EkeHart,andmybrotherin-lawIgweIrohaforensuringthecompletionofthisproject.

Eric Chima showed exceptional commitment in typesetting the manuscriptandIcannotthankhimless.Iamalsoblessedbythedevotionofmydaughter,MissLoveChiomaDivine,fortypesettingthemanyadditionstothereviewededition and am deeply grateful. Osita Udeala showed brotherly love as wetriedtoenhancethebooktothispresentformwiththenewtitle.ToallthosewhoIhavenotbeenabletomention,Isay:“Blessingstoyouall.”

CONTENTSDedication Foreword PrefaceAcknowledgements Introduction CHAPTER1:NIGERIAINTHEMOMENTValueofyourcountry Themostidealplace Thetimetostartisnow Learningfromthepast Creatingthedesiredfuture Howtobegin ThetruemeaningofNigeria CHAPTER2:NOBILITYMeantformore WhatamI? WhoamI? SelfIdentity Callingforthyourspiritualroyalty Thewaybackhome Ariseandshine CHAPTER3:INTEGRITYThedualitiesofnature Thebuildingofcharacter Ingredientsofintegrity Signpostsofintegrity Essentialsofintegrity Theinnerguide Nigeriaisalandofintegrity Livingthelifeofintegrity

CHAPTER4:GREATNESSThechoiceisyours Steppingstones Learningtochoosetherightthoughts The“I-can-doattitude” Youarespecial Focalpointofliving Findaneedandfillit Loveyourself Giveyourselfwhollytotheworld CHAPTER5:ENDOWMENTGod’sgreatgifttoman Therightuseofthemind Creativepowerofthemind Nigeria’shumanresourceendowment Nigeria’sresourcesinnaturalendowments UtilizingNigeria’sendowments Makeyourlifecount CHAPTER6:RESPONSIBILITYTheprocessofcreation Thelawofcompensation Operationsofthelawofcompensation Takingresponsibilityforyouractions GroupconsciousnessinNigeria Nigeria’sbasicproblems TurningNigeria’sproblemsintoblessings HowtocreatetheNigeriawedesire Nigeria’swinningcombination Individualresponsibilityforthegoodofall CHAPTER7:INGENUITYThenatureofGod Man’srelationshipwithGod Threestepstoingenuity Seekingbeauty NigeriatheGardenofEden Utilizingyouringenuity Thekeyforunlockingsecrets ReachingouttoreceivethegoodnessofGod Developingofyourtalent

Doyourworkwithfaith CHAPTER8:AWARENESSYourmostimportantasset Seeeveryexperienceasanopportunity Howtocontrolyourlife Workethics TurningNigeriaaroundforthebest AcknowledgeGod,theultimatesource Flyeaglesfly CHAPTER9:NIGERIAINANEWDAWNThenewbeginning ThenobilityofeveryNigerian Integrityasawayoflife HowtobecomeagreatNigerian Nigeriaisrichlyendowed Takingpersonalresponsibilityforyourlife HowNigerianscanusetheiringenuity Thinkandactwithclarity

INTRODUCTION

Thisbook,PositivechangeinNigeria,thewayforwardhasasitsmainthrust,to bring to the fore, the inherent goodness inNigeria and inNigerians. Theprinciples articulated here as virtues derivable from the seven-letter nameNigeria are applicable to all arms of Government and the generality ofNigerians.Youhavebeendrawntothisbookbydivineappointment,andyouaregoingtobepartoftheprocessforpositiveattitudinalchangeinNigeria.

Youhave toaccept the inevitable truth thatyouareborn towin,andrise tothehighestheights?Youareagreatstar,andnopowerintheuniversecouldstop you from flying into greatness in God’s opulently blessed country.Nigerianshavecometoapointwherethedefeatistattitude,whichmadethemactasvictimsofcircumstance,mustbeovercome.Thisbookrevealsthattheso-calledhardtimes,affordpeoplethegreatestopportunitiestogrow.Toughtimeshelppeoplebecometough. In timesofdifficulty, there issomuch thatwe can do for ourselves and for Nigeria that will lift us up into glory. Theexperiences of life are the out-picturedmanifestations of our inner state ofthinking.Thereisnoexperiencein lifethat isunrelatedtoafalseattitudeoremotion, which caused it, and which a healthy attitude, or emotion, cannotcure.

In order to get the best from this book, free yourmind from the erroneousbeliefthatyourpersonalwelfareiscompletelytiedtothesituationofthingsout there. Establish yourself in the unassailable conviction that, as a lovingchildofGod,youareapartakerofGod’sunlimitedblessings,andthatnoone,no circumstance can shut your goodness from you except yourself. As youbecomeawareofthegloriousvirtuesthatexistinNigeria,youcaneffectsomedramaticchangesinyourlifeandinyourenvironment.Thisistheessenceofpositivechange.

Thestartingpointforeffectivepositivechange istoacceptresponsibilityforyour thoughtsandactions.Bysodoing,you takechargeofyourself.Youarenot responsible for all that is happening in Nigeria, but you are veryresponsible forhowyou thinkandreact to them.Youarenotgoing toallowthemediatodictatetoyouhowtothinkandfeel.Howyouthinkaboutwhatishappeningdetermineswhatyouexperience.

Makeacommitmenttokeepyourself inthepositivestreamof life.Refusetoindulge incasualconversationsaboutthebadstateofaffairs inthiscountry.Think of and talk only about the things you want to see manifest, live andgrow in your life. Keep your thoughts centred on the glorious virtues ofNigeria.

Saturateyourmindwiththetruthabouttheever-abidingpresenceofGodthegoodomnipresent,whichisexpressinglifethroughyou.ThegreatesttruthisthatGod’sopulentblessingsaremeantforyoutouseandtoenjoyaccordingtoyouracceptanceofthem.

Thegreat teacher,Thoreau, advices you to, “keepmoving in thedirectionofyour dreams.” Ensure that you become onewith the creative flow from theuniversal mind of God. Be positive in thoughts, words, and actions. Havestrong faith in God. Loveyourself, love your countryNigeria and loveeveryNigerian.BepartofthepositivecollectiveinfluencethatmustchangeNigeriaforthebest.BeanagentofpositivechangeinNigeria.

1

NIGERIAATTHEMOMENT

Thevalueyouhaveforwhoyouare...goalongwayindeterminingthevaluepeoplehaveforyouandallthatconcernsyou.

NIGERIAATTHEMOMENT

ValueofSelf

Self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-confidence, are key factors forsuccess.Thevalueyouhaveforwhoyouare,whereyouwereborn,andwhatyoudo, go a longway in determining thevaluepeoplehave for you and allthatconcernsyou.

Eachoneofusisauniqueindividual.Thereissomethingabouteachperson,whichmakeshim/hercompletelyoutstanding.Lookatyourselfinthemirror.Lookintoyoureyesandaskyourself:whatisitallabout?Theanswerthatwillobviouslycometoyouisthatit’saboutgivingyourspecialgift,whichmakesyouwhoyouare.Weallhaveagiftandthismeansthateachofusisbornwithsomething unique to express that makes us who we are. Of course, that iswhat stands you out amongst other individuals. On this basis, it is yourresponsibilitytodiscoverthatuniquegiftwhichmarksyououtforgreatness.

ValueyourCountry

God’sgreatestactivityistheactofcreation.AcriticalobservationofcreationfillsonewithwonderandaweathowGodcameupwithalltheminutedetailsinformingtheatoms,theworldandeverythingtherein.Theconclusionthatismostlikelytocometomindisthatthisdivinearchitectisnotliabletomakingmistakes.

TheonlyimpossibilityinlifeisforGodtomakeamistake.Therefore,Goddidnotmakeamistaketocreateyouachildofyourparents.Goddidnotmakeamistaketocreateyouamemberofyourfamily;acitizenofyourcommunityorvillageandstateinthegloriouslyblessedgreatcountry,Nigeria.Ofatruth,itis the highest manifestation of God’s Love for me to have been created a

Nigerian.Mybelovedcountryoffersmethebestopportunitiestoexpressmyuniquepotentials.IlovemyFatherland.

TheMostIdealPlace

Thegrassisnotalwaysgreenerelsewhere.Rightwhereyouare, isthegreenpasture; the very paradise that you seek everywhere. Within you lies thepotential for transforming your current abode to heaven on earth. Thispotentialdoesnotneedtimetoripen.Youonlyneedtorecognizeit, identifywith it and confidently make it happen. That potential is always available;ever waiting. Nigeria, our country, offers us the greatest opportunities forrealizing our dreams through our potentials. Granted that presentcircumstancesmay look discouraging; but success always smiles on anyonewhosoldiersonwithdiligenthardwork.Youwillneverhavemorepotentialsfor success and growth than you have now. Conditions may vary from onelocation to theother,butpeoplecreate conditions.All theopportunitiesyouneedareavailabletoyourightwhereyouare.

Discouraging circumstances, when well utilized, turn to wonderfulopportunities for growth. They are wake up calls, which force people torecognize and utilize their latent potentials. Nigerians should look at allseeming discouraging circumstances with a positive outlook; and criticallyexamineandanalyzethemtofindoutthereasonstheyarestandingbetweentheattainmentofourmuchdesiredgoalsandus.Armedwiththisknowledge,theproblemmayhavebeenhalfsolved.Andso,wewouldthenfindouthowto overcome the circumstances.We should not always stop at finding goodreasonswecannotdoanythingaboutthosecircumstances.Insteadweshouldmake efforts to find out howwe can resolve them. In thisway, there is noproblemthatwecannotovercome.

TheTimetoStartisnow

“Now,” as a concept, is rather enigmatic when you think about it. No timeexistsotherthannow.Yesterdayisgone,andcanneverbeinyourlifeagain.Whatever marks it had left on your life can be erased. But interestingly,tomorrow isnotherewithyouyet.When itarrives, itwillalsobenow.Youcannotbringbackyesterday,andyoucannotliveinthefuture.Allthatmattersinyourlifeiswhatyouaredoingnow.

Itisimportantthatyoustartdoingthebestthatyoucan,rightwhereyouare,rightnow.Youcannotboardtheairplanethattookoffanhourago.Itwillbea

waste of your time to board one today that will take off tomorrow. Thecircumstances inwhich you now find yourself contain all the elements thatwill bring out the best you.Decidewho youwant to be in relation to thesecircumstances,nomatterhowchallenging.Thendoyourbestnowtoachievethat. Showing that positive attitude in all circumstances is by far moreimportantthanallthefactsofthecircumstances.Whateverneededtobedoneto remedy any situation around you should be done quickly. Do notprocrastinate till tomorrowwhatought tobedonenow.GailSheehysays “Ifwe don’t change, we don’t grow, if we don’t grow,we aren’t really living”.Move on to do all that need to be done to effect positive change in yourenvironment,nyourcommunityandinourcountrynow.Beapositivechangeagentwhereveryoufindyourself.

LearningfromthePast

Todayisthetomorrowyoumadeforyourselfyesterday.Thepast istherawmaterialwithwhichtodaywasmoulded.Whateveryoudotodaydetermineswhatyourtomorrowwillbe.Givethanksforthelessonsofthepastnomatterhowpainfultheywere.Theymusthaveopenedyoureyestoseewhoyouare,andthestuffthatyouaremadeof.Ifyoumademistakesinthepast,andyounow realize that those mistakes should not be part of your life, that is apositive sign of growth. This means that you no longer identify with themistakes. You have already outgrown them and you should be grateful thatyour experience had taught you a good lesson. You are a new and changedperson.

NigeriaandNigeriansmayhavemadealotofmistakesinthepastasanationandasindividuals.Thatisverynormal.Whatisabnormalisthere-enactmentof thosemistakes. Before now, most Nigeriansmay have thought that suchmistakeswerepartofourwayoflife.Whenwetalkabouttheissue:“NigerianFactor”, youwill find out that your refusal to identifywith such idea couldmakepeopletrytofrustrateyou.Butifyoustandyourgroundtodoonlywhatis right, you eventually earn respect. This is because, in any confrontationbetween the light anddarkness, or the truthand falsehood, the light alwaystriumphs over darkness and the truth over falsehood, no matter anyappearancestothecontrary.

Weneednotfearourpast.Weshouldnotresistorresentit.Weshoulddrawcourageand inspiration fromourpast experiences, goodorbad, todesignaroadmapforthepresentandforthefuture.Lookingbackonourpastwithfear

andresentmentmeansdragging the limitationsofourpast into thepresent,andthatwilldousnogood.Weshouldalwaysbuildupongreatlessonsfromourpast,anddiscardthelessonswhicharenotgoodenough.So,youcannotchange the past, and there is no need wasting your effort trying to do thatbecause the past is gone. Life is a process of continuous creation; everymoment is a stepping stone to themoments that lay aheadofus. “You can’tstopthefuture,youcan’trewindthepast,theonlywaytolearnthesecret---isto press play” says Jay Asher.This knowledge therefore, will prepare ussufficientlytoanticipateourmomentsaheadoftime,andunderstandhowtomakethebestuseofopportunitiestheythrowup.

Wecanonlytakeadvantageoftheseopportunitieswhenwetakeafirmdecisiontochangefromouroldways.“Thegreatestman, ishewhochoosesrightwith invisibledetermination”saysSeneca.Therightchoiceof thoughtsendowsmanwith the greatest power of themind, andwhen this power isexercised in the right channels, great feats areperformed.Nigeria’s greatestneed now, are leaders who choose right with invincible determination.Wehave such leaders in abundance, and this is the time theymust leadNigeriaintoglory.

CreatingtheDesiredFuture

If thereareconditions thatyoudesire tobechanged inyour life, thechangemust start from within you and in the way you think. “Everyone thinks ofchanging the world but no one thinks of changing himself” (Leo Tolstoy).Changing thewaywe think is absolutely importantbecause “Whatwe thinkwe become, all thatwe are arises fromour thoughts,with our thoughtswecreateourworld(Buddha).Allwordsandactionsareexpressionsofthoughts.Youcannotcontinuetothinkthesameway,speakthesameoddwords,dothesamenastythings,journeyalongthesameunprofitableroutes,andexpectanysubstantial change of fortunes. You cannot keep being expectant about thefuture as if the future had powers of its own to gloriously change theconditionsofyour life,evenwhenyoudonotalteryour thoughtpatternsoramendyourunwholesomeactions. “Thepriceofdoing thesameold thing isfarhigherthanthepriceofchange”saysBillClinton

You can change the direction that your life is headed, by changing yourthinking and your actions. Nigeria can be completely transformed now, ifNigerianschangethewaytheythinkandact.Ineverymomentliesunlimitedpossibilities and in that case every moment is appropriate for a newbeginning.WhateverneedstobechangedinNigeriatodayshouldnotwaitforthe next day. This collective lack of decisiveness is the bane of ourdevelopmentasanation.Thismomentinournation’shistoricaldevelopmentrepresents a minefield with unending possibilities. We must assume fullresponsibility forwherewe are as a nation and as a people andwherewewanttobe.

Chinua Achebe in his book “The trouble with Nigeria”, observed that, “TheNigerianproblemistheunwillingnessorinabilityofitsleaderstorisetotheresponsibility, to thechallengeofpersonalexamplewhichare thehallmarksoftrueleadership”.Hewentfurthertosay,“Nigeriansarecorruptbecausethesystem under which they live today makes corruption easy and profitable,they will cease to be corrupt when corruption is made difficult andinconvenient”.

It is a thing of great joy that for the first time in the history of post-independent Nigeria, there is now a mass movement for change. Withsincerity and unity of purpose, this mass movement for change will bringabout positive attitudinal change in all Nigerians.When this happens,mostNigerianswillbecomepeopleofintegrity,andNigeriawillchangeforthebestwith the highest ideals. Already, policies and programmes are beingimplementedtocompeleveryNigerianaspiringtoanyleadershippositiontobe transparent; to take responsibility for all his actions, and to lead byexample.Structuresarebeingput inplacetoensurethatcorruptionismadedifficult,uncomfortableandinconvenient.ThechangeinitiativeoftheFederalGovernment and the anti-corruption crusade must be supported by allNigerians.Wearenowatthecrossroadsofunimpededtakeoffsandagloriousnewbeginning;whenwemusttakeadecisionaboutwhowedesiretobeasanation.

Havingarrivedatthispossibility junction,thequestionshouldbe,“Whatcanwe contribute as citizens, to enable our country overcome her naggingchallengesandemergeasaglobaleconomicpower?”Thefirststeptotaketodiscontinuefromanybadhabits istorealisehowsuchhabitsdonotportrayus in a good light. You would find out that to continue with the old habits

wouldcontinuetoportrayus inabadlight.Decideonwhoyoudesiretobe,andstartactinginthewaythatwillmaketherightannouncementofwhoyouare.YoushoulddoonlywhatcanportrayNigeria andyourselfbetter.Avoidgettinginvolvedinthewrongthings.Thiswayyouwillbecomealightshiningthrough thedarkness.Peopleonly thenwould relyupon you to know.Eachperson inNigeria is very important and has a lot to contribute tomake thenation great and a paradise on earth. All Nigerians who have the burningdesire to be part of the joyful positive change movement are being drawntogether and an unprecedented great change is quietly taking place, andnothingcanstandinitswaytofullmanifestation.

HowtoBegin

The Federal Government has already started a massive positive changecampaign to help Nigerians inculcate in themselves a positive change inattitude.Ithasbeenlaunchingamassiveonslaughtonbriberyandcorruptionon all sectors of the economy. The efforts must be complemented by allNigerians through our individual attitudinal change. Legislations, nomatterhow efficiently implemented cannot achieve the desired result without therenewal of the individual’s mind. Every human action results from humanthoughtprocesses.Thereforeanyrealchangecanonlystemfromachangeinourwayofthinking.Thistransformationtherefore,musthaveitsthrustontherenewalofthemindsofNigerians.

Nigeriansmustbeprevailedupontochangetheirvaluesystem.TheremustbeatransformationthatwillrelieveNigeriansoftheburdenoftheiroldwaysofthinking.EveryNigerian shouldbe encouraged tobe true tohis real self nomatterwhatothersmightbedoing.WemustbuildaNigeriawhereallcitizenswould experience joy, and a sense of fulfilment. The Nigerian should bedelivered from the crutches of greed, and filled with love and peace. Beginrightwhereyouare.Weneednotworryaboutwhathasbeenhappening inthepast.WhatNigeriaandNigerianscanbecomeisnotobligatedtowhathasbeen.What canbe isnotboundbywhat is orwhatwas.What is importantnowforallNigeriansisournewbirthinconsciousness,ournewperspectiveaboutourgreatcountry.

Lookforthegoodseedineverysituationyoufindyourself.Bethelightinyourenvironment.Itwillsurpriseyoutofindoutthatasmallefforttochangeyourwayoflife,byimprovingoneverythingyoudowillbringastonishingresults.Whenyourheart’sdesire is to improve: todoonly theright thingnomatter

the odds, God will surely strengthen and bless your earnest efforts. Moveboldlyforwardanddon’tturnback.Bestrongandofgoodcourage.Inordertodiscoverwhoyouare:thegenuineyou, letgoofthepersonyouwerebeforethatdidnotsupportprogress.That is theonlywaywecandiscover therealwonderandgreatnessthatisNigeria.

OurgoalshouldbetoknowallthatNigeriareally is:all thegoodness,all thepotentials,allourGod-givenblessings,sothatwemaytakeadvantageofthemand build from their firm foundations. All our focus, all our vision, all ourthoughts and all our efforts must be directed towards reclaiming who wereally are. In essence, therealmeaningofpositivechangemustbe toregainourlostglory.

TheTrueMeaningofNigeria

Nigeria is a seven-lettername.The number seven represents fullness in theworld of phenomena. Seven refers to the divine law of perfection andwholeness.Thesevenletters,representseveneaglesthatareflyinghigherinaunityofpurpose intogoodness. It isnotbychance that thisgreatcountry isnamedNIGERIA.Thisisacountryinwhichallthesevenpowersofmanmustbe intelligently put into use in a unity of purpose. Every Nigerianmust, asKant posited and as cited byNewtonDillaway in his treatise, TheGospel ofEmerson, “Act always so that the immediate motive of thy will becomes auniversalruleforallintelligentbeings.” Whatthereforearetheseveneaglesrepresentedbythesevenlettersthatmakeupthename,NIGERIA?Whatcanthese eagles do to the life of Nigerians that will eventually and completelytransmuteallnegativitythathadhithertobeenassociatedwithNigeria?Whatmustwedotoimmediatelystarttakingfulladvantageofthepowersinherentintheseeagles?

UnderstandingtheTrueMeaningofNigeria

ThetruemeaningofN-I-G-E-R-I-AortheseveneaglestakingNigeriahighintogoodnessare:

N:NOBILITY

I:INTEGRITY

G:GREATNESS

E:ENDOWMENT

13

R:RESPONSIBILITY

I:INGENUITY

A:AWARENESS

This is Nigeria for you, and these letters represent our heritage and greatpowerswhichwemust exercise as Nigerians by birth. These are great andwonderful attributeswhichwhen intelligently and diligently put towork inthedailylivesofallNigerians,wouldquicklytransformNigeriatoaparadiseandaglobaleconomicpower.

Thenextquestionis:howcantheseattributesbeputtowork?Weshallnowexplore together in greaterdetail, Nigeria’s seven powers in intelligentcreativeaction.Together,wewill create thegrandestversionof thegreatestvisionwehaveeverhadforNigeria.

2

NOBILITY

Iamthefirsteagle.IrepresenttheletterNintheseven-letternameN-I-G-E-R-I-A.

IamNOBILITY.BeingaNigerian,Iamofnoblebirth.Iflyhigherinmygoodnesseveryday.

NOBILITY

MeantforMore

HowcanIfindoutwhatlifeisabout,UnlessIventurefartherout,Somethinginmeisnotcontent,SomethingaffirmsthatIammeantformore,SoIwillseeifsomehowIcanfly,Goingbeyondtheedgeofthings,ImayfindoutthatIhavewings,Eventhoughtheyarenotlikethoseofbirds,Beingmainlyinthemind,WhatevernowIseemtobe,Yetmoreistobefoundinme.

-JamesDilletFreeman

When we understand that mind is the great creative power, we willunderstandthatwithinusliesallweneedtobecomewhowedesiretobe.Nolimitation can hold you downwhen you become very positive in thought. “Before any environment, successful or otherwise can be created, action ofsome kind is necessary, and before any action is possible, there must bethought of some kind, either conscious or unconscious, and as thought is aproductofthemind,itbecomesveryevidentthatmindisthecreativecenterfromwhichallactivitiesproceed”(CharlesHannels).

Tounderstandselfandwhatlifeisallabout,wehavetounderstandthepowers of ourminds. Themind is always telling us thatwe have to changefromouroldwaysofthinkinginordertobecomenew.Weallaremeantformore.Nigeria ismeant tobeoneof thegreatestandrichestcountriesof theworld. To become that requires radical change in our way of thinking and

acting. Individuallyandcollectively,weallmustchangeourwaysinordertorealisewhowereallyareandthegreatnationthatNigeriais.

WhatamI?

Haveyoueveraskedyourselftheseveryimportantsoul-searchingquestions:WhatamI?WheredidIcomefrom?WheredoIgofromhere?Haveyoueverlooked straight into your own eyes in the mirror, beyond the reflection ofyourself, beyond the circumstances of your life, beyond the details of yourbirth, your parents, grand-parents and ancestors? Have you looked beyondthecolourofyourskin,andyourcountryofbirthtoaskyourself,“WhatamI”?

Evenscientistsaremakingunendingresearchestofindcluesaboutthesourceof life.Theologians in thesameveinare thinkingandmeditating inorder tounderstand the truenatureofGodandman’s relation toHim.Thequest forwhatamI, is theunconscious triggerofeveryactionofman’sdaily life.TheunderstandingofwhatIam,theonewhosaysmybody,myhead,myhand,mylegs,makeawholelotofdifferenceinourapproachtolife.Somethingwithinyou is in itself changeless and non-relative. It transcends the mental andphysicalyou.Itsupersedesthepersonalyouanditiswhatyoureallyare.

WhoamI?

Thequestion“WhoamI”isacontinuouschangingphaseofhumanexistence.Itistheaspectofman,whicheats,sleepsandgraduatesfromonestageoflifetotheother.Thisistheentitythatisachildtodayandanoldmantomorrow.He may be a rich man today and a poor man tomorrow. He is in thekindergarten todayandaprofessor,doctor,or lawyer tomorrow.Hismoodsalsochangefromunhappytohappy,lovingtounlovingetc.Thisgivesrisetothequestion,whoamI?AmI thechildor theoldman?AmI therichor thepoorman?Am I thehappyor the unhappyman? Is the egg,whichhas nowhatched to become the eagle, the egg or the eagle? Is the seed, which hasgerminatedandgrownintoamightytree,thetreeortheseed?Isthekingaprinceoraking?

The fact thatyouhave theability tocontemplateon these thingsshowsthatyou also have the ability to imagine, to choose to interpret and towill. Youexpress yourmental self in all that you do, and you use yourmind in yourcontinuousprocessofcreationandinterpretationofyourworld.

SelfIdentity

If you search for clues to your identity, or if you need to be identifiedanywhere, you may use documents to do so. You will present your birthcertificate, licenses, and certificates of educational qualifications, to indicateyour name, nationality, achievements amongst others. But do these papersreallyidentifyyoucompletely?Doyoufeelsatisfiedwithonlytheinformationcontainedinthesepapersordoyouseeyourselfasbeingfarmorethanyouareatthemoment?

According toanoldstory, agreatkingwokeuponemorning to find thathehad lost his memory of whom or what he was. Although he still wore thegolden crown, he had forgotten his identity.He reasoned that the only one,whocouldrevealhisidentity,wastherulerofthelandwhomustindeedknoweveryone.Hecouldnot find thekingbeing thekinghimself.Discouraged,hewanderedintotheforest,stillunabletofindsomeonetosolvehismystery.Inexhaustion and thirst, he fell downbeside a pool ofwater.When he leanedover the shinning pool ofwater, he caught a glimpse of his image reflectedthere. He saw the golden crown on his head, and his memory immediatelyreturnedandhesaid,“Imyselfamtheking!”YouasaNigerianareindeedjustlikethekinginthestory.Youhavesearchedeverywherefortheanswertothequestion “Who am I?” You have searched for your true identity. You havealwaysfeltbiggerthanwhatyouknowofyourself.Intheinnermostrecessesofyoursoul,youknowthatyouareindeedaspiritualroyalty.Youaremeantformore.Averybeautifulsongsays“Iamwiserthanmyyears;Iamstrongerthanmyfears;Iamricherthanmyneeds;forIamhisimage.”Beingtheimageof God confers on you true spiritual royalty, which no one, nothing orcircumstancecantakeawayfromyou.

CallingForthyourSpiritualRoyalty

WhenMichelangelotherenownedsculptorwasaskedhowhecouldcarvehismagnificent David out of a shapeless block ofmarble, he replied thatDavidhadalwaysbeeninthestone.Allasculptorhadtodowasremovewhatwasnot David for David to appear. In another sense: one who puts on amasqueradepretendsandactslikewhoheisnot.Tothecasualonlookerheisamasquerade,buttothecriticalobserverthereisamanbehindthemask.Ifthe man continues to act as the masquerade for a long time, he may loseconsciousnessofhistrueidentityandcontinuetoplaythefalsepartthatheis

not.Torealizehimself,hewillneedtoremovethemask,hemustchangefrompretendingtobethefalseselfwhichheisnot.

Toputitdifferently:ifaluminouslightedbulbiscoveredwithlayersofsheetsof cloth; its brightness will be completely obscured from public view. Thisdoesnotmeanthatthebulbhaslostitspotentialstolightupthesurrounding.Allitmeansisthatsomethinghascoveredit.Toletthebrightnesscomeforth,the layers of sheets of cloth have to be removed. The nobility of Nigeriansseemtohavebeencoveredwiththelayersfromthemireofmaterialism.Weseemtobeactingthepartofamasquerade,whichisnolongerconsciousofitstrue identity. The time has come, when those sheets from the mire ofmaterialismmustberemovedoneafteranother.Wehaveplayedthefalseselfenough;andthetrueidentityofthepersonbehindthemasqueradehastobeuncoverednow.

Thegreatesthelpyoucangivetoanotherpersonistowakehimup;toremindhimofwhohereallyis.Thestoryistoldofaneagle,whichwaspickedupatitseggstagebyahunter.Thiseagleeggwasmixedwiththeeggsofachickenandwas hatched together with the chicken eggs. This eagle completely lostconsciousness of its true identity and saw itself as a chicken. The hunterdecidedtoremindtheeagleofitstrueidentityandeverydayhetookittothetop of a tree and said to it, eagle you are not a chicken, stretch forth yourwings and fly. But the eaglewill look down to the other chickens and jumpdowntojointhemtopickthedirtontheground.Thehunterdidthisseveraldaysuntilonedaytheeaglemusteredcourage;stretchedforthitswings,andsoaredhighintotheskywhereitreallybelonged.

Thisisthetimetoraisenewgenerationleadersoftomorrow,whoaregreatlyexalted in character; leaderswho aremorally and spiritually sound, leaderswhoareelevatedinmindthoughtandaction.Thisisthetimetotrainleaderswhowill standas rolemodelsofperfectionandexcellence; thatwill pursueonlynoble,honourableandworthygoalsandideals.

Itistimetoovercometheconsciousnessoflack,thethoughtthat,thatwhichisowned collectively is not enough. This is the time to stop the struggle andschemingforthatwhichothershadcreated.Expandyourvision;lookbeyondthe horizon; into a world of lavish abundance and unending opportunities.Youruniquetalentsaregiventoyouasinnerguidingwingstoliftyouupintostardom.Use themwith faith, self confidenceand determination, tobecomewhoyouwerecreatedtobe.Youarecreatedinnobility.Letyourdailyactions

as ordinary Nigerians produce a glorious Nigerian realty thatwill reinforcehumanity’s belief in justice, strengthen its confidence in the nobility of thehumansoulandsustainallourhopesforagloriouslifeforallNigerians.

Youarecreatedatruerevolutionary.BabaraGrzzutHarrsonsays,“ThetruerevolutionariesarelikeGod–theycreatetheworldintheirownimage.Ourawesomeresponsibilitytoourselves,toourchildrenandtothefutureistocreateourselves in the imageofgoodnessbecause the futuredependsonthenobilityofourimaginings”Yournobledeedswillraiseyouupfarbeyondyourwildestimagination.

TheWayBackHome

Have you lost consciousness of your true identity? Have you separatedyourselfinconsciousnessfromyourrealself?Themostimportantthingtodoistorealizethatyouractionsarenotportrayingtherealyou.Youarefarmorethanwhoyou thinkyouare.Youarecreated in truenobility.Youaremeantformore.

Ourstoryislikethatofaprodigalsonwhoseparatedhimselfinconsciousnessfromthelavishabundanceinhisfather’skingdom.Hewastheyoungerofhisfather’s two sons. He asked his father to give him his own share of hisinheritance. His request was granted and he left his father’s kingdom andwentawayintoafarcountrywherehesquanderedthatwhichhereceived.Hecame to lack and all his friends deserted him. He took up employment offeedingpigsandonlyatethefoodleftoverbypigs.Whenhecametohimself,herealizedthateventheleastofhisfather’sservantswerebetteroffthanhewas.Hemadeuphismindandsaidtohimself:“IwillariseandgobacktomyFather.” This is the great decision: “I WILL ARISE AND GO BACK.” Thissingulardecision turnedeverythingaround for thebest forhim.Herealizedhe hadmademistakes. He rehearsed the apologies hewas to render to hisfather:“Iamnotworthytobecalledyourson,pleasetakemeasoneofyourhiredservants.”Hisfatherwasnot interestedinhisapologiesandsodidnotrespond to them. His father was overjoyed that his son had realized hismistakesandhadtakenafirmdecisionnevertomakesuchmistakesagain.Hewasonlyinterestedinthefact,ashesaid,“Mysonwhowaslostisbackhome.”

Howfar fromourhomeofnobilityhavewemovedaway intoa farcountry?Canyou personally as aNigerian takea firmdecision toARISE andgobackhome?HaveyoubecomedisillusionedaboutthewaythingsareinNigeriaand

youdesirechange?“lfyoudon’tlikesomethingchangeit.Ifyoucan’tchangeit,changeyourattitude”saysMayaAngelou.Thatisallthatisrequiredfromus.Ariseandgobackhome.Youareneededathome.YouhavealottodotosetNigeriansfreefromtheirself-imposedbondage.Thetimetoindeedariseisnow.

AriseandShine

Nowthatyouhavecomebackhometoyouroriginalstateofnobility,youneedtoportray thisnobility inall thatyoudo. “Nobility isagracefulornament tothe civil order. It is theCorinthian capital ofpolished society” says EdmundBurke. Therefore you must be a light in the darkness. You do not need towasteyourenergyfightingorcondemningthedarkness.Justbethelightandenjoywatchingthedarknessdisappearintoitsnativenothingness.Youcanbethe light through your words and actions. Speak words of love, words ofpeace,wordsofwisdom,andwordsofencouragement.Letyourwordsuplifttheheartsofmenandwomen.Letallthosewhoaredrawntoyourorbitfeelthebeautyof your shiningexample. Seek tobuild andnot todestroy. Speakonly in truthfulness and act only in love. Then begin to feel a personalcommitment to your beloved country Nigeria; and see yourself as onewithevery other Nigerian. Be the change that you wish to see n the world(MahatmaGandhi)

Giveeverythingwithlovetoyourcountry.Assureasthedayfollowsintothenight,sothelawofcompensationmustdrawtoyouall that isduetoyoubydivineright.Donotaccepttheunacceptable,forthatwillamounttoanegationofyournobility.Makeeverymomentofyour life,anoutpouringof love.Useeverymomenttoimaginethehighestideals;anddon’tstopatthat:bringtheidealstoreality.Bringpeacetotheworldbybringingpeacetoallwhoselivesyou touch. You are divinely connected to all of God’s creation and you owelove to every creation. Embrace every circumstance and happily learn thelessontheyhavebroughttoyou.Owneveryfaultandbewillingandreadytomakeamends.Dountoallothers,asyouwillwantthemtodotoyou.Beverywillingtoforgiveothersandyourself.

Protectotherpeoples’rights,preserveotherpeoples’dignity,findtheneedsofNigeriaandfillthem.Beagifttoeveryonewhoentersyourlife,andtoevery

onewhoselifeyouenter.Youarebornnoble;youarebornalighttoNigeria.Arise!LetyourlightshineandpenetrateallthedarkcornersofNigeria.Thisisyournoblemomentofglory.ThisisthetimeforyoutobetheagentofchangeinNigeria.

3

INTEGRITY

Iamthesecondeagle.Irepresentthefirst“I”intheseven-letternameN-I-G-E-R-I-A.IamIntegrity.BeingaNigerian,Integrityismywayoflife.

Iflyhigherinmygoodnesseveryday.

INTEGRITY

TheDualitiesofNature

We observe in human nature that every trait has its opposite, and everyindividualhaswithinhimeachofthetwoopposites.Atanypointintime,heexhibitsanyoneofthetwooppositesandexistsasamultitudeofmen,butinone man. This one individual, can exhibit different qualities: good or bad,wisdom or foolishness; kindness or wickedness the good and the bad, thereliable and the unreliable, the loving and the hateful, the happy and theunhappyman, theboldand the timid, thestrongand theweak, thesickandthehealthy, thehonestand thedishonest,andsoon.This isso,becauseyoudon’tknowwhoyouare,untilyouunderstandwhoyouarenot.Youcannotknow hot if there is no cold, and you cannot knowwhat is good if there isnothing bad. This is the purpose of relativity. This is why there is left andright,upanddown,bigandsmall,fastandslow,hotandcold,andtheultimateofallcreations:maleandfemale.Athingiseitherthisorthat.

TheBuildingofCharacter

Themainpurposeof life is thecreationofself in thehighestvisionthatyouever held about who you desire to be: the building of character. Life is aprocessofcreationandwhenthe“You”thatyoucreatedoesnotmeasureupto the high vision you have about who you are, you feel some form ofdisappointment.Thisisgood,foritpromptsyouontomovehigher.Onadailybasiswecontinuetocreateandrecreateourselves.

Aswecontinueinthisprocessofself-creation,wedonotalwayscomeupwiththesameanswerswhenidenticalexperiencesarepresentedtousatdifferent

occasions. At one occasion, onemay choose to be patient, loving or kind inrelationtothatexperience.Atanotheroccasion,onemightchoosetobeangry,ugly or sad in relation to the same experience or impulse. The differentreactionsareonlyamatterofchoice,astheexperienceinitselfdoesnothavethe power to control your reaction. When you are not in control of yourreactions, you are said to be unpredictable. You are not stable and have nostrength of character. By constant self discipline and self control you candevelop greatness of character says Grenville Kleiser The strength of spirit,whichmakesthemanstableincharacter,isveryimportant,ifheistobuildhisintegrity. You must be steadfast, strong and steady in thought, in order toestablishstrengthinyourmindandbody.Youmustlearntobeforthrightandensure that your reaction to any life experience is the best for everyoneinvolved.Noman is ever createdwithout this inherent power in himself tohelphimself.Thepersonality,whounderstandsthatheisendowedwiththismoral power of conquest and asserts it, will become a man or woman ofstrongmentality.Heemanatescurrentschargedwithpower,whichcomingincontactwiththemindsofothers,causesthedesiresofotherstobeinaccordwith the mind of the strong individuality. Theman of integrity is aman ofstrong character and his influence is felt far and near and he securescompliance from others, who willingly act in accord with him. High moralstandardsisthebestwaytobecomeamanofinfluence.

IngredientsofIntegrity

Foranycountrytobecomeahighlydestinedsociety,mostofitscitizensmustbepeopleofhighmoralstandards.Thisiswhatrighteousness,whichexaltsanation, isallabout.Kanthadaverredthatmoralsentimentrequiresthatyou“Actalwayssothattheimmediatemotiveofthywillmaybecomeauniversalruleforallintelligentbeings.”Themanofintegritymustbeawonderfulpacesetter for other intelligent beings, and not just for ordinary people.When acountrychoosesthepathofintegrity,allowingthistopermeateeverydetailoftheirdomesticandcivil life, theresult istheemergenceofgreatdeedsbyitscitizenry.ThegreatestmansaidSenecaishewhochoosesrightwithinvisibledetermination.

The Nigerian who wishes to be a man of honour and who will serve hiscountry in any capacity must understand the beauty of reinforcing himselfwiththepowerofhischaracter.Hemustbehonest,andmorallyupright.Hemustbeamanonwhompeoplecanrely.Hemusthavea lotofvalueforhis

conscience and never break his vow.Hemust be above board to the extentthatnomoneyintheworldcanbuyhim.Hemustunderstandtherealityofhisbeing and act from that understanding. His speech, which he knows is anannouncement to theworld of his character,must come fromhis heart andnot fromhis tongue.Suchaspeechgives to the listener,wisdom,powerandbeauty.

ThisgreatNigerianmustinsistonjusticeforeveryotherNigerian.Heshouldvalueeveryotherpersonashevalueshimself,andloveallasheloveshimself,inthetrueknowledgethatallarechildrenofGodandsoareallone.Hemustdohisworkwithjoyintherightway,attherighttimeandintherightplace,leaving no room for regrets or praise. Such a Nigerian is a hero, and RalphWaldoEmersondescribedsuchapersonas,“Hewhois immovablycentred.”According tohim, themaindifferencebetweenpeople seems tobe thatonemancancomeunderobligationsonwhichyoucanrelywhichheisboundtokeep, and another is not, as he has no consciencewithin him, thus, there isnothing to tie him to.” This is what true citizenship is all about and everyNigerianshouldaspireafterthisquality.ThisisthechangethateveryNigerianleadermustembrace.

Sign-postsofIntegrity

Theconscience:thestillsmallvoiceiseveractivewithinallpeople.Whenyoulearntolistentoit,toyieldallyourmaterialcravingstothesearchlightofthespiritwithinwhichtheDivineminddwells,youarebuildingyourcharacteronthe firm foundation of integrity. Most of us have had experiences of innerturmoil or restlessness after refusing to listen to, and act from the wisecounselof thevoiceof reason fromwithin.Youmayhavesometimesecretlyoutofselfishmotive,donewhatyouknewyououghtnottohavedone;onlytocome out in the open to deny your own actions. While defending theindefensible,thestillsmallvoicegentlyaskedyou,“Whyareyoudenyingyourownaction”?This isthebeginningofaninnerrestlessness,whichwillneverleave you until you are purged of the wrong doing. This is the real you:refusing tobe identifiedwith thatwhich isnot like it.All unhappiness, fear,failureandshameresultfromyourrefusaltobemorallyupright.

Noticethatatothertimeswhenyouhadlistenedtothestillsmallvoice,andhaddonesomegooddeeds foryourselfandothers,you feltatpeacewithin,andyouhadasenseofjoyandfulfilment.Atsuchtimes,youwereveryquickinacceptingresponsibilityforyouractions.Youwould’vealsofeltasurgeof

strengthandpower, becauseeverything could’vebeen in supportof you. Amanofintegritystickstodoingonlythosethings,whichbringhimthehighesthappiness and inner peace. He sees himself as a fountain of all good and awonderfulchannelofGod’s love.Hisnobledeedsareasourceofstrength toall thosewho come across him.One life that bearswitness to the glories ofintegritywillquickentheconsciousnessofallthosearoundhim.

EssentialsofIntegrity

“Hewhoruleshisownspiritisgreaterthanhewhoovercomesacity.”Thisisa great biblical injunction. Everyone needs to develop the power to controltheir thoughts and emotions and to have dominion over the influx ofsuggestions that bombard their minds every day. The fall of man alwayscomes when he fails to sort the wheat from the chaff of these suggestionsbeforeactingonthem.Whetherthesesuggestionscomefromyourownmindor fromwell-meaning friends, relationsoradvisers, theystillhave tobeputthroughthepowerfulsearchlightoftruthtoensurethattheoutcomewillbeforthehighestgoodofall.

When you have a firm and abiding conviction about who you are and youdecidetocreateyourselfanewinthehighestvisionofwhoyoudesiretobe,youwill stick to controllingyour reactionswithin the confinesof yourdailyexperiences. You have to choose what you want to do and the wise choiceshouldalwaysbetheactofintegrity.Integrityissteadfastoruncompromisingstrictethicalcodes.Itisthequalityofbeingunimpaired,honest,andsoundincharacter. It is freedom from corruption, and uprightness of character. Youmustdisciplineyourmindtotheextentthatyouunderstandthattheeffectofevery action is already in the action. Think before acting instead of actingbeforethinking.Themanofhonouristhemanwhoiswise,lovingandcaring.Integritydemandsthatyoudoonlywhatyouknowisgood,notmindingwhatothers are doing. Be impeccable with your word. Speak with integrity. Sayonlywhat youmean.Avoidusingyourword to speak against yourself or togossipagainstothers.UsethepowerofyourwordinthedirectionoftruthandlovesaysMiguelAngelRuiz.

The fastestway to become aman of integrity is to start telling yourself thetruth about yourself. This is the beginning of truthful living, as youwill seeyourselfalwaystellingthetruth.Tellthetruthtoeveryoneabouteverything:yourself and theotherperson. Stophiding the truth.Donotdeceive anyoneintobelievinganuntruth.Onlythetruthcansetyoufree.Onlythetruthwill

makepeopleloveyoualwaysandthereisnowisdomgreaterthanthis.Yourtruthmustbe temperedwith love,but itmuststillbe the truth. In thisway,youwillmaintainyourintegrity.

TheInnerGuide

When you observe someonewho takes his time to give attention tominutedetails, toensurethathisworkisdoneperfectly,youwilldiscoverthatheishonouring an innermandate, which transcends thework itself. He sees theneedforexcellence, fordoingonlytherightthingandforgivinghisbest.Hedoesitnotforsomeoneelse’sapprovalorpraise,butbecauseitfeelsright.

The man of integrity does only what is right without seeking popularapproval.Hefollowsthebuilt-ingauge,whichtellshimthedifferencebetweenwalkingthehighroadofintegrityandmoralrectitudeandjoiningthemassesto dowhatever they do.He refuses joining them, to dowhat is notmorallyright, even if joining themmight notmatter to anyone else. “He knows likeStephen R. Covey, that integrity is fundamentally the value we place onourselves. It is our ability to make and keep commitments to ourselves, to‘Walk our talk’. It is honour with self, a fundamental part of the characterethic, the essence of proactive growth”. He sticks to living his truth withpassion and conviction, and speaks the truth from his heart, with the fullknowledge that his genuine self, authentically lived, is his best gift to theworld.HeagreeswithRalphWaldoEmerson,that“Hewhodoesagooddeedis instantly ennobled, he who does a mean deed is by the action itselfcontracted.Hewhoputsoffimpuritytherebyputsonpurity”.Therefore,livebythetruthalways;knowingwhoyouareandthevaluesyouholddear.Donotbeafraidtofollowyourheartandspeakthetruth.Beboldand courageous in doing only thatwhich is right and good. Strive to be thelight in the darkness instead of becoming part of the darkness. Notice howeasy it is for a little candle light todisperse thedarkness around it andyouwillrealizehowpowerfulyoubecomewhenyoushineyourlightofintegrity.Donotwasteyourtimeandenergyfightingthedarkness,forwhatyouresistpersists,andwhatyoufight,fightsyouback.Sticktobeingyourrealselfandwatchandseehowthemasseswhowantedyouto jointhemwillallbecomeafraidofyouuntil theyturnto joinyou.“Betterthatthewholeworldshouldturnagainstyou…thanyoushouldconsenttoturnagainstwhatistruewithinyou”saysGuyFinley.BobMarleyalsosaysthat“thegreatnessofamanisnotinhowmuchwealthhe acquiresbut inhis integrity andhis ability to affectthosearoundhimpositively”.

Beassured that inanycontestbetween lightanddarkness, lightwillalwaysovercomedarknessandthetruthwillalwayssurmountfalsehood,nomattertheappearancestothecontrary.Bestrongandofgoodcourageasyoustandfirmonyoursolidfoundationofintegrity.Alwaysbethelight,bethetruthandwatchhowtheworldwillfollowafteryou.

NigeriaisaLandofIntegrity

EverytrueNigerianisamanorwomanofintegrity.Thisisthetruthaboutusno matter what may have happened in the past, and no matter theappearancesaroundus.WhatevermistakesNigeriansmayhavemade in thepast or at present...all of that is a part of the passing phase of our nation’shistory.Thetruthisthatintegrityisoneofourcorevalues.Infactitisourwayoflifewhenyoulookatourvariouscommunitiesintheirpristineinnocence.Itisinourculture.Itisinourblood.ThisiswhatgaverisetotheoldIgboadage,whichsays“thechildwhowasheshishandswell,dineswiththeelders.”Thechild who is morally upright is taken into confidence by the elders. Let usremindourselvesoftheessentialdecencyandintegrityoftheNigerianpeopleand through this decency and integrity we can build Nigeria into the greatland of hope and opportunity. Let us be the generation that finally freesNigeria from the clutches of corruption. Dennis Prager says “Goodness isaboutcharacter–integrity,honesty,kindness,generosity,moralcourageandthelike.Morethananythingelseitisabouthowwetreatotherpeople”.

Positive change therefore must bring about the training of futureleaders who are imbued with moral soundness, common honesty andintegrity: leaders whose inherent attributes are morality and truthfulness.Transformationintheeducationalsectorshouldevolveaprocesswhichmainobjective is the formationof character of theyouths thatbringsback to thefore,thesecorevaluesoftheNigerianculture.

AgreatwindofpositivechangeisnowblowinginNigeria.Itwillcontinuetoincrease in its intensity as the daysgoby.Thewondrous lightofwisdom isnowdispersingthedarknessofignorancetoestablishthetruthinNigeriathatmust set everyone free. As this light continues to increase in its intensity,every secret must be exposed; every wrong redressed; and every virtuerewarded.

LivingtheLifeofIntegrity

YouarereadingthisbooknotbychancebutbyGod’sdesign.Youareachosenvesselforthepositivechangeofthisgreatcountry,Nigeria.ThetimehascomewhennoNigerian canhavepeaceunlesshe lives the lifeof integrity.Anewrace of Nigerians is being born. The so called “Nigerian factor” is beingcompletely expunged from the minds of all Nigerians. The fetters of theunwholesometraditionofselfishness,greedandcorruptionarebeingmeltedoffthemindsofNigerians,andtruthisrisingfullorbedbeforeanastonishedmultitude.

Brain Tracy says “When things are not going well in any organization(Government) the fastest way to bring about change is to bring in a newpersonwhochangesthewaypeoplethinkandfeelaboutthemselvesandwhatthey are doing. New values, new visions, new strategies and new policiestoward customers (the citizenry) and toward each other bring about rapidandoftendramaticchange”.Youareanimportantpartofthemassmovementof great lights. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committedcitizens can change theworld. Indeed it is theonly thing that ever has saysMargaret Mead. See it as a call to duty to be part of this new awakening.Nigeriaisatthedawnofanewera.

Marchontothevictoryofgoodoverevil.March on to the era of triumph of the principles of moral rectitude overimmorality.Marchontotheovercomingoftruthoverfalsehood.MarchontothelandoffaiththatisNigeria.MarchontothelandofabundantprosperitythatisNigeria.MarchontothelandofpeacethatisNigeria.MarchontothelandofgreatpossibilitiesthatisNigeria.MarchontothelandofharmonythatisNigeria.MarchontothelandoflovethatisNigeria.MarchontothelandofwisdomthatisNigeria.MarchontothelandofunderstandingthatisNigeriaMarchontotheheaventhatisestablishedonearththatisNigeria.MarchontoglorybecauseyouareaNigerian.MarchonwithboldnessforpositivechangeinNigeria.

4

GREATNESS

Iamthethirdeagle.Irepresenttheletter“G”intheseven-letternameN-I-G-E-R-I-A.

IamGREATNESS.BeingaNigerian,IamaGreatcitizenoftheworld.Iflyhigherinmygoodnesseveryday.

GREATNESS

TheChoiceisyours

Weare allbornwith thepotential forgreatness.Therearenoexceptionsorspecial people born with special talents while others are left out. Yet mostpeoplehardlyrealize less than10%of theirpotential,whileanegligible fewrise to become great achievers, and legends in their own right.Why shouldthere be such a disparity?What separates the ordinary individual from thegreat?Whatmotivating factors propel great achievers to defy the odds thatpullothersdown?Howcanyouunlockyourgreatness?

If you read the autobiographies of great achievers in any field of humanendeavour: be they business leaders, political leaders, athletes, religiousleaders, great teachers,medicaldoctors, scientists etc, youwill discoveronething in commonwith all of them. They know that success comes from theinside out. Their outer great achievements derive from an inner source.Greatnessisaninnergame,andtheonlywayyoucanwin, istoelevateyourmind. “There are no ordinary people, just ordinary minds” says DeniseCorcoran.

You are who you think you are. You can become who you believe you canbecome.You canachievewhat youwant to achieve.You canbegreat if youbelieveyoucan.Yourlifeproceedsoutofyourintentionsforit.Thewayyouthink has a lot to do with who you are now, and who you will becometomorrow. You use the power of your thoughts to shape your life, yourenvironmentandyourworld.Youhavethepowertodecideorchoosewhattothinkandwhatnottothink.Nobodyandnocircumstancecandictatetoyouwhattothink.“Theworldaswehavecreateditisaprocessofourthinking.Itcannotbechangedwithoutchangingourthinking”saysAlbertEinstein.Think

ofthewonderfulaswellastheterriblecreationsofmankind,theyarealltheproductsofourthoughts.

Man has been able to create telecommunications and electronic equipmentwithwhichhecouldsource informationfromanywhere intheworldinsplitseconds. Man has created glorious symphonies, magnificent works of art,imaginative instruments to investigate our universe and ourselves. He hasalso createdwonderfulmachines with whichwe traverse the universe in afewhours,andthesehavevastlyimprovedourlives.Ontheotherhand,manhas created weapons of mass destruction with which mankind can becompletely annihilated. With some of these weapons he kills his fellowhumansforselfishreasons.Boththeusefulanddestructivecreationsofmanstartedasanidea,athoughtinsomeone’smind.Youhavethepowertochoosewhat to think. Theway you think canmake ormar you. Your thoughts canmakeyougreatasmuchastheycandestroyyou.

TheSteppingStones

Thereisnothingthatdidnotbeginasathought.Ourworldwascreatedasanidea in themind of God.Man and everything thatwas created began as anidea.Thebookyouarereading,thehouseyoulivein,yourcar,andeverythingthathasbeenorwill everbebeganas an ideaor thought.Thoughts are thepower of the world, and the blueprint of our lives. God created the wholeworld as a thought, and we create our own world with our thoughts. Godcreatedusandwecreateourconditions, thismeans thatweareco-creatorswithGod.God’swillforusisourwillforourselves?Ifyourthoughtsarefilledwith limitations or impossibilities, you create conditions of impossibility orlimitationsforyourself.

Withour thoughts,weattracttoourselvespeople, conditions, circumstancesthat eventually become our reality. Thought will lead to action, action willdevelop methods, and methods will develop friends, and friends will bringabout circumstances and finally manifestation. Each thought serves as thenext stepping-stone into our future experience. Today is the tomorrow youmadeforyourselfyesterday.Yourthoughtsoftodaycreatetheconditionsyouexperience tomorrow. We shape our world through our actions, and our

actionsaretheresultofourthoughts.Decidetothinktodayaboutlove,peace,harmony, prosperity, wisdom and understanding, and begin to use youractions to build your tomorrow upon these great attributes. The power tocreate or destroy our ownworld is in our hands. AsNigerianswe have thepowertocreateordestroyourowncountry.Thechoiceisours.

LearntoChoosetheRightThoughts

“Man’sgreatnessliesinthepowerofhisthoughts”saysBlaisePascal.Asa man thinks, so he is. We act andmove according to the direction of ourthoughts.Whateverwegiveattention to,weproduce inour lives.Wecreateaccordingtoourvision.Weshouldlearntoconsciouslywatchandchoosethethoughtswegiveattention to.This isbecause themoreattentionwegive toourthoughts,theeasier it is forustoproducethemasourreality.Lookandobservewhat is happening in your life now to know if it is reallywhat youdesire.Findoutifitisservingyourpurposeofbecomingwhoyoudesiretobe.Find out if you are thinking the highest ideals. The highest thought is thatwhichcreatesinyourrealityconditionsofreal joy, innerpeaceandafeelingoffulfilment.Itcreatesforyouanatmosphereofperfectineffableharmony.

Searchyourmind to see if youare thinkingabout thehighest ideals forourbeloved country,Nigeria. Your beautiful thoughts forNigeriawillmake youspeakwiththeclearestwords.Yourwordsshouldbehonestandmustcomefromyourheartandnot just fromyourlips.Wemustall imbibeandshowadeep-rooted love forNigeria;and thismustbereflected inall thatwedo,asourthoughtscontrolouractions.AsmajorityofNigeriansthinkaboutthebestideals,speakwiththeclearestwordsandhavedeeploveforNigeria,Nigeria’sgreatness will become a reality. All that is required in Nigeria is a positivechange of attitude and re-orientation. Nigeria is in the condition it is todaybecause of the choices we have made or failed to make in the past and atpresent.Everyindividual’s life is inthecondition it isbecauseofthechoiceshe has made or failed to make. At every moment in life there aboundopportunitiesforchange.“Lifeisaseriesofnaturalandspontaneouschanges.Don’t resist them.Thatonlycreatessorrow.Letrealitybereality.Let thingsflownaturally forwardwhateverway they like” (LaoTzu). Choose this day,the way you want your life to be by becoming very positive in yourattitudes...andseeyourselftransformed.

DevelopingtheI-can-do-itAttitude

WeareallcreatedintheimageandlikenessofGod.Wearethespringingforthof God into manifestation. We are wonderfully equipped with the greatattributesofGod,withwhichwecanre-createandchangeourworldthewaywewouldwantit.“Changewillnotcomeifwewaitforsomeotherpersonorifwewaitforsomeothertime.Wearetheoneswe’vebeenwaitingfor.Wearethechangethatweseek”saysBarackObama. Allthat isrequiredofusistodevelop the “I-can-do-it attitude.” One of the greatest American NegroscientistscalledDr.GeorgeWashingtonCarver,rosefrombeinganorphanedslaveboywhowasgreatlydisadvantagedforbeingblack,tobedescribedbyaworld famous scientist, Dr. David Fairchild, as “One of the world’s mostremarkable and extraordinary minds.” Dr. George Washington Carver,discovered300newusesofthepeanut,and150newusesofthesweetpotato,and his discoveries completely transformed the agriculture of the south ofUSA.

One great poem served to inspire him, and I am sure it will inspire mostNigerianchildren.ItshouldbetaughttoallchildrenofschoolageinNigeria.Itissimplyreferredtoas:

OneofDr.Carver’sFavouritePoems

Figureitoutforyourselfmylad, You’veallthatthegreatestofmenhavehad:Twoarms,twohands,twolegs,twoeyes,Andabraintouseifyouwillbewise,Withtheseequipmenttheyallbegan,Sostartfromthetopandsay,“ICAN”Lookthemover,thewiseandthegreatTheytaketheirfoodfromacommonplateAndsimilarknivesandforkstheyuseWithsimilarlacestheytietheirshoesTheworldconsiderthembraveandsmartButyou’veallthattheyhadwhentheymadetheirstart

YoucantriumphandcometoskillYoucanbegreatifyouonlywill,You’rewellequippedforwhatfightyouchoose,Youhavearmsandlegsandabraintouse,Andthemanwhohasrisengreatdeedstodo,Beganhislifewithnomorethanyou.

Youarethehandicapyoumustface,Youaretheone,whomustchooseyourplace,Youmustsaywhereyouwanttogo,Howmuchyouwillstudythetruthtoknow,Godhasequippedyouforlife,butheLetsyoudecidewhatyouwanttobe

CouragemustcomefromthesoulwithinThemanmustfurnishthewilltowin,Sofigureitoutforyourselfmylad,YouwerebornwithallthatthegreathavehadWithyourequipmenttheyallbegan,Sostartfromthetopandsay,“ICAN.”

-AnonEveryNigerianmustbechallengedtobelieveinhimself.EveryNigerianchildshouldbemadetorealizehistrueworth.Weareborngreat.Weallareborntowin.Weonlyneedtodiscoveranddevelopouruniquepotentials.ParentsandteachersshouldcloselymonitorallNigerianchildreninordertoidentifytheir unique potentials early in life so that they can be assisted to developthem.Oureducationshouldfocusonopeningtheeyesofthechildrentotheirinnate unique potentials, in order to ignite their zeal towards theirdevelopment. Inthisway,mostNigerianchildrenwillnaturallyblossomintogreatness.YouareSpecialGreat achievers, at some point awaken to their true nature and innatepotentials.Howyou“see”and identifyyourselfare thesinglemostpowerfulinfluencesonyourfuturesuccess.Donot letyourpastdefineyou.Donot letyourpresentcircumstancesdictateyourfuture.Onamomenttomoment,dayto day basis,make every effort to fully understand and appreciate yourself.Youarecreatedauniqueandspecialpersonalityandyourbodybearswitnesstothis.Every cell and organ of your body, including your every aspect...your face,yourvoice,andyourfingertipsbearthestampofthisuniqueness.YouhaveadefiniteidentityinthemindofGodasaspecialperson.Youneedtounderstandthatyouhavesomethingspecialtogive,ordofortheworldthatisseparateanddistinct,likenootherone.Youmustlearntofollowyourinnerpromptingsinsteadofconformingtopublicopinionaboutyouand

theworldaroundyou.Youcannotachievegreatness ifyouallowyourself toberestrictedbytheopinionofothers,orifyouletthemsqueezeyouintotheirmould. Indeed, now is the time for you tomake up your mind to use youruniquegifttobettertheworld.Youaretheonlyhandicapyoumustface.ItisonlyyouthatcanstopyourselffromexpressingyouruniquepotentialswhichGodhasgenerouslybestowedonyou.Youcanbewhatyouwilltobe.Aimatbeingthehighestandthebestinwhatyouwanttodo.

Youareworthyofthehighestidealsinlife.Believeverystronglyinyourselfinorder to develop the I-can-do-it attitude. Eliminate all doubts about yourabilitytorisetothemostenviableheight.Donotbemyopic.Godcreatedyoutobegreat.Refusetoentertainthoughtsofinferiorityorinadequacy,fortheyarenotforyou.Aslongasyoumakeupyourmindtoserveyourgreatcountry,Nigeria, you are already on your road to success and greatness. God hasequippedyouwith all the skill youneed tobecomegreat.Hehas also givenyouenergy,wisdom,andthegracetoaccomplishyourcalltogreatness.HavefaithinGod,andimplicitconfidenceinyourself.Nooneandnothingcanstandinyourwaytoachievingresoundinggreatness.

FocalPointofliving

Tobesuccessful in life,youmusthavea lifeambition.Beforechoosingyourlifeambition,youmustinallhonestyexamineyourmotivesforsuchachoice.Themotivesmustbepure,andtheymustbeanchoredupontheover-archinggoal, achieving the best for all mankind. The common thread among greatachievers is that success is not their ultimate goal. They are crusaders,propelled by a vision tomake theworld amuch better place, fired by theirconvictionanddetermineddiligencetopersevereagainstalloddstoachievetheirgoal.

What is the focal point of your living? How do you intend to utilize yourpotentials to achieve greatness? How do you hope to be the self you werecreated to be in order to express to the fullest that which you have beencreatedtoexpress?Whatdoyouhopetoaddtotheworldoryourcountryinordertomakeitbetterthanyoufoundit?Whatisyourlifeambition?Whatisthepurposeofyourlife?

We all are bound together to the lives of others on earth. Our thoughts,speeches, andactions affect the livesof thewholeof thehuman race inone

wayor theother.Thiscanbeeasilyunderstood ifwe remindourselves thatevery mouthful of food we eat passed through many hands including thehands of our enemies before coming to our dining tables. In the same vein,everygarmentwewear,everymoneyweearn,hashadsomeconnectionwithotherpeople.Weareboundtogetherevenbytheairwebreathe.

Imagine the number of lives that goodmedical doctors and nurses care forthroughout their working career? How many lives does a good teacherpositivelyaffectallthroughhisworkingcareer?Howmanypeopledependonthe farmer for their daily food? Thewise saying that “Noman is an Island”makes it plain thatwe all dependononeanother forourdailyneeds, asnoone can be a farmer, a teacher, a doctor, a nurse, an engineer, a ReverendMinister etc., all byhimself inorder to provideall his needs.Wedependonone another for reciprocal actions. All our thoughts and actions mustthereforebechannelledtowardsmakingourworldbetterthanwefoundit.

Thecomfortweenjoythroughthemanyvariedusestowhichelectricityhasbeen put as light, television, x-rays, computers, telecommunications etc., arethe effectsof the thoughts andactionsof othersonour lives.Theeasewithwhichwenowtraversetheglobethroughroad,railandairtransportation,isacontribution given to the human race through the positive thoughts andactionsof a fewmembersof theglobal family. “The real objectof life is notmaking money or becoming famous, but the building of character and thebringing of the potentialities that exist within each of us” said CharlesFillmore.

Too many people scatter their thoughts and actions in so many differentdirectionsthattheydonothaveacentral ideaonwhichtoconcentratetheireffortsandbuild.Thesecretofsuccessandgreatnessistheabilitytodirectallyour efforts with one pointed attention clearly to your chosen course. Youmust decide what you want in life and direct all your attention and efforttowardsitsachievementtotheexclusionofeveryotherthing.Maketheimageclear-cutholditfirmlyinmindandyouwillgraduallyandconstantlybringthethingnearertoyou.Youcanbewhatyouwilltobe”.Youaretopictureinyourmindwhat youwant and see exactlywhat youwant toachievebefore eventakingthefirststep.That ishowyousowtheseedin yourmind.Butbeforesowingtheseedyouwanttoknowwhattheharvestistobe.Youshouldaskyourselftheseveryimportantandsearchingquestions.WhyamIhere?What

canIaccomplishinthislifethatwillmakemyworldbetter?HowcanImakemylifecount?

In order to make your life count, William James advised, “Seek out thatparticularmental andmoralattitudewhichmakesyou feelmostdeeply andvitallyalive,alongwithwhichcomestheinnervoicewhichsaysthisistherealme, and when you have found that attitude, follow it.” How you see andidentifyyourselfisthesinglemostpowerfulinfluenceonyourfuturesuccess.Greatachieversatacertainpointintheircareerawakentotheirtruenature.You must do a soul searching in order to know your strengths andweaknesses. Move towards the development of your strengths, whichconstituteyouruniquepotentials.Chooseandsetgoals foryourself thatwillassist you to develop and actualize these potentials. Never quit even in theface of difficulties. You will notice yourself being fired from within toaccomplishyourgoals.ChooseagoalforyourselfandWorktowardsachievingit.Neverquiteveninthefaceofdifficulties.FindaNeedandFillit

EveryNigerian ishere forapurpose.Everyonehasgotan important task toperform to improve the overall well being of his community, state and thecountry.Whatever the task is, do it to the best of your ability because it isimportant.TheScriptures admonishes that, “whateverourhand finds todo,weshoulddoitwithalldiligence.”Beyouapolitician,apresident,agovernor,a reverend gentleman, minister, a doctor, a civil servant, a businessman, ascientist,a truckpusher,anarchitect,a farmer, ahousewife,etc.,your job isvery important for thewellbeing of society. Perhaps there is a talentwhichyou desire to develop in order to improve your life and help the growth ofNigeria.Whenyourentirebeingisconsumedwithsuchadesiretodevelopatalentwhichyouhaveandyouareabsolutelyconvincedthatyoucangoalltheway,Godwill reveal toyoua vision,whichwhen implemented,wouldmakeyou a success. God meets you more than halfway when you embark on aprojectofservice.

Youmusthaveaburningdesiretorenderservice;andtheimportanceofthiscannotbeover-emphasized, forGodonlyhelpsus in gettingwhateverhefindsoutthatwetrulydesire.Desire,especiallyifitisconstructiveistheforcethatcontinuestoexpandtheactivitiesoflife.Itisonlythroughconstructive desire that greater and greater ideas are pushed into

expressionintheouterworldofsubstanceandform.“Takeuponeidea.Makethatideayourcentralpointoffocus.Thinkofit,dreamit.Liveonthatidea.Letthebrain,muscles,nerves,everypartofyourbodybefullofthatidea.Andjustliveeveryotheralone.Thisisthewaytosuccess”saidSwamiVivikananda.Youraimmustbetomakerelevantinputandrendervalue-addedservicestoimproveourcountryandtheworldyoulive in. You must seriously lookout for and find a need, and workconscientiously and diligently to fill it. The need must be something,whichyoucanuseyourspecialtalenttofill.Itmustbedonedifferentlyso that it will stand-out from what already exists. Give it a touch ofexcellence by giving it your whole attention and love. Every greatachiever is fanatical about the values for which he stands. They haveinnervaluesorbeliefsthatenhancetheirsuccess.Therefore,“Beusefulto the world and mankind will give you bread” said Ralf WaldoEmerson.So,giveyourgiftoflove,toyourcountryandtotheworldandyouwillachievegreatness.Yourgiftmustbeconstructivesothatitwillbringjoy,love,comfort,goodwill,harmonyandbeautytotheworld.

LoveYourself

When you closely observe the different functions of the organs of the body,youwillmarvelat thecomplementaryroleseach joyfullyplays toproduceawhole and healthy body. The eyes, which are responsible for vision, do notclaimtobesuperiororinferiortotheearsthatareusedforhearing.Thelegs,whichcarrytheentirebodyframedotheirworkwithjoyandknowtheyareasimportantfornormalbodyfunctionasthehandsandthemouth.Eventhereproductiveorgansandthewastedisposalorgansbothofwhicharehiddenfrompublicview,stillrecognizetheirimportancetothewellbeingofthebodyand they diligently perform their functions. What of the digestive systemwhose function is so important for turning the foodwe eat into the energythat the body needs to function, and the brain,which transmits intelligencewhichalltheorgansneedtofunctioncorrectly.

Thebodycannotbeseenasperfect ifanyoftheorgansisnotperformingitsfunction perfectly. So it is with the human family. Each person is a uniquepersonalitywithaspecificspecialfunctiontoperformlikethemyriadorgansofthebody.Youareveryimportantforthesurvivalofyourhome,yourfamily,your community, your country and theworld as awhole. Loveyourself andcovettheuniqueroleassignedtoyouforthegoodofthehumanfamily.

Nobodyonearth ismore important thanyou,unlessyou think there is.Youcanachievegreatnessbybeingyourrealoriginalselfandnotanimitationofanother person. “Do not be afraid of greatness. Some are born great, someachieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them” – saidWilliam Shakespeare. Go within and find out the things that give you thegreatestjoyandinnersatisfaction.Findoutthatworkwhichmakesyoufeelathome.Goaheadandstartdoingittothebestofyourability,andyouwillfindoutthatyouwillexcelandyourachievementwillbegreat.Yourgreatnessinlifegreatlydependsonyourrecognitionofand loveofwhoyouare. It isbyyour faith in yourself and by the things you do that other peoplewill havefaithinyou.

GiveYourselfWhollytotheWorld

You create who you are through your relationship with others, yourenvironment, your country and theworld in general.Who you are is not aresultofhowyouractionsaffectyouorwhatgainsyouractionsbringtoyou,butthebenefitsyouractionsbringtothepeoplearoundyouandtotheworld.When youdescribe amanas good, kind, loving and compassionate, youarenotdescribinghowhebehavestohimselfbuttoothers.Inrealitythisiswhatmakesyougreat. Indevelopingyourself,alwaysaimatcreatingyourhighestself-esteem,expressingthebestthatisinyou,andenvisioningthemagnificentversionofyourself.Alwayslookoutfor thebestthat is inyouand inothers.Searchdeeperanddeeperwithinyou,andasyoucontinuetolistentothestillsmallvoice,calledintuition,youwillunlockthesecrets,whichwilltakeyoutogreatness.

Canyouimaginewhat joyandinnersatisfactionyouwouldderivefromyouruniquegifttotheworldifthegiftcouldassistinraisingtheimageofourgreatcountryNigeria! It is something great to have one’s name associatedwith agreatachievement.Itisyourdivinebirthrighttoachievegreatnessandnoonecanstopyoufrombeinggreatbutyourself.

AriseandshineandbeyourrealgreatselfAriseandshineforyouarethelightoftheworldAriseandshineforyouareagreatNigerianstar,AriseandshinebecauseNigerianeedsyou,ArisewithconfidenceandmoveontogloryArisewithconfidenceandmoveontogreatnessArise,arise,ariseandmakeNigeriaGreatAriseandgiveyourselfwhollytotheworld.

5

ENDOWMENT

Iamthefourtheagle.Irepresenttheletter“E”intheseven-letternameN-I-G-E-R-I-A.

IamENDOWMENT.BeingaNigerian,Iamuniquelyendowed.Iflyhigherinmygoodnesseveryday.

ENDOWMENT

God’sGreatestGifttoMan

God created man in his own image and likeness. Man is God physicallymanifested; just like achild is amanifestationofhisparents.Thedrop fromthe ocean contains all the properties of the ocean, even though it is not theentireocean.InthesamewayGodourFatheriseverywherepresentasthelifeandinspirationofallthings.LifeistheactionofGod,so“LifeisGodinaction.”Godisnearertousthanevenourbreath.WearecompletelyonewithGod,forGod iswithin us, around us and over us. Life: God in action is a process ofcreation, and this process is moved forward with the power of the mind.Everything thatwesee in theworldofphenomenaand form is aproductoftheone“MindofGod.”Godisthecauselesscauseofallthings.Inessence,manasthemanifestationofGodonearthisendowedwithonegreatgift,thepowerofthemind.“Everyhumanlifeinvolvesanunfathomablemystery,formanisthe riddle of the universe and the riddle of man is his endowment withpersonalcapacities”saysHarryEmersonFosdick.Thishumanmysteryliesinthe unfathomable power of his mind. With this great power, man has theprivilege of shaping and reshaping his world and environment to suit him. Whenwediscernandunderstandthevariousfactorsthatenterintothecreativeprocess,wefindoutthatalltheintricateandmultitudinoussystemsthatmakeupthevisibleuniversearefirstformedintheminduntilallbecameaclearpictureofwhatGoddesiredtocreate.Thentheyweremademanifestinthephysicalworldofappearances.Manalsomustfirstcreateintherealmofthemindbeforemanifestationcantakeplace.

TheRightUseoftheMind

Themindislikearichsoilintowhichallkindsofseedsareplanted.Thesoilhasnochoiceastowhichseedsshouldbeplantedin itorwhichshouldnot,butisopenandreceptivetoallseeds.Agoodfarmerchooseswhichseedthatshouldbeplantedwhereandwhichshouldnot.Thesoilhaswithinitthegreatpotentialstosupporttheseedtogerminate,growandyieldfruitaccordingtoitskind.Theseedsthatareplantedintotherichsoilofthemindareideas.Themindevolvestheseideasandtheyareexpressedasourthoughts,wordsandactions. This is why the question: “What is your idea about it,” is veryimportant. Really,yourideaaboutsomethingcontrolsyourthoughts,wordsand actions. “Ideas generate thought-currents, as a fire under a boilergeneratessteam.Theideaisthemostimportantfactorineveryactandmustbegiven firstplace inourattention ifwewouldbringaboutanyresultsofapermanentcharacter.Menformulatethoughtsandthoughtsmovetheworld”according to Charles Fillmore. Ideas as seeds planted in the rich soil of themindbecomecentresof consciousness.Theyhavea positive and a negativepole,andastheygerminateandgrow,theyyieldfruitsofthoughts,wordsandactions according to their kind. This is why people think, speak and actaccordingtotheideastheyhaveconcerninganyissue.

Youareendowedwiththepowertochoosetheseedideasyoumayretainandgive attention to in the rich soil of your mind. You also have the power toexpunge from yourmind the ideas that you do not accept. Those ideas youretain and give attention to, you assist to germinate, grow and bear fruitsaccording to their kind. This is how you use your ideas to formulate thethoughtsthatmovetheworld.Thus, inordertocultivatetherightuseofthemind,wemust learn tobeopenand receptive to the inflowofdivine ideas.Divine ideas are always the promptings from within, the small still voice,whichassistsuswiththerightinsights.Thisistheteachingfromwithin.Whenitispositivelyexpressed,thewholeraceisupliftedandblessed.

CreativePoweroftheMind

Whensomeonedesires tocreatesomething, likebuildingahouse, thehousemustfirstbebuiltinthemindwithallthedetailswellspeltout,beforeworkonbringingitoutintophysicalmanifestationstarts.Theplanforthehouse,orthatwhichneeds tobecreated, firststartsas theseed idea.Themind is thegreat laboratorywhere this seed idea is fullyworkedoutuntil it becomes aclear picture of thatwhich is desired. Any seed idea, fully developed in the

mindasaclearpictureandalivingreality,canbeeasilytranslatedintorealityinthematerialworldofsubstanceandform.

God is a threefold being: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; making up the HolyTrinity.Man is also a threefoldbeing: spirit,mind, andbody;makingup theHoly Trinity. Man is endowed with three great creative energies from histhree-fold nature, and with these energies, he creates his world andexperiences. These energies are thoughtswords and actions, andwhen puttogethertheyproduceresultsinlife’sprocessofcreation.

Theprocessofcreationstartswithathought,anideaorconcept.Everythingweseeinourworldtodaywasfirstanideainsomeone’smind.Ourworldiswhat it is todaybecauseof the thoughtsofmen,andwecanmake itwhat itwillbetomorrowwithourthoughtsaswell.NigeriaiswhatitistodaybecauseofthethoughtsofNigerians,andNigerianswillusetheirthoughtstomakeitgreatagain.Thisisonlypossiblewhenwepositivelychangethewaywethink.“Changemeansthatwhatwasbeforewasn’tperfect.Peoplewantthingstobebetter”sadEstherDyson.Mindtherefore,isthepowerdynamoofhumanandsocietalchange.

Every thought is creative, to thedegree that it isheld fervently as truth.Tothat same degree it is used to create experience. Your thought of yourselfwhichyouhavetenaciouslyheldonto, isthemostpowerfultoolwithwhichyouhavebeenshapingandre-creatingyourworldandyourexperiences.Withthat same tool, Nigerians will individually and collectively transform ourcountrytoaheavenwedesiretobeestablishedhereonearth.

What you are experiencing today is the out-picturing of your thoughts ofyesterday.Yourthoughtsoftodaywillbeout-picturedasyourexperiencesoftomorrow.Youhavetherighttochoosewhatthoughtstothinkrightnow,andbysodoingyouconsciouslycreateyourexperiencesoftomorrow.Youcannotchangeyourthoughtsofyesterday.Youcandecidewhatthoughtstogiveyourattentiontonowandwhatthoughtstodiscard.Bysodoing,youconsciouslycreate your tomorrow. Consequently, Nigerians will consciously start theprocess of positively changing Nigeria into a global economic power, whentheybecomepositivelytransformedinthought.

Howdoyou thinkof and seeyourself andothers?Howdoyou thinkof andfeelabout thecircumstancesofyour life?Doyouknowthatyourattitude tolife is a great determining factor about your life experience? It is important

that you adopt a positive attitude to life, for your attitude is far moreimportant than all the facts of life. What are your highest thoughts aboutyourself? What are your highest thoughts about our country, Nigeria? Areyour thoughts censored by your acceptance of God’s unconditional love foryouorbythefearofapowerthatyoucannotcontrol?DoyourealizethatGodhasendowedyouwithpowerstocreateyourownworldbyyourownself?Doyouknowthatnopowerintheuniversecanstopyoufromusingyournaturalendowmentstobecomewhoyouchoosetobe?Youarewhoyouarebecauseof your conscious right use or unconscious wrong use of these naturalendowments.

Inorder touseyourmind to great advantage, let yourdaily thoughts aboutyourselfbelofty.Imaginewhoyouwouldbeifyoulivedyourlifeatthatlevel.Stillwiththisunderstanding, imaginewhatyouwouldthink,sayanddoandhowyouwouldrespondtowhatpeoplesayanddo.Youwillimmediatelyfindout that there is aworld of difference betweenwhat you think, say and donow,andwhatyouwillthinksayanddowhenyoubecomeyourhighesttrueself.Thatway,youwill consciouslychangeyour thoughtpattern,wordsandactions tomatchyourhighest vision about yourself.Monitor and filter yourevery thought,wordandaction.Chooseonly those thatare in linewithwhoyounowdesiretobeandholdfasttothemuntiltheybecomealivingrealityinyourmind. “The lawof attractionwill certainly andunerringlybring to youtheconditions,environmentandexperiencesin lifecorrespondingwithyourhabitual,characteristic,predominantmentalattitude”saidCharlesHannels.Ifyourthoughtsarepredominantlynegative,weakandharmful,youcannotuseit to attract beautiful, strong and harmonious conditions. But cultivate thehabit of thinking only positive, loving, prosperous, harmonious, joy filledthoughtsandthelawofattractionwillattracttheseconditionstoyou.

Every true Nigerian, who is desirous of real positive change, shouldconsciouslymonitor his every thought,word and action concerningNigeria.We all should choose only those thoughts that are in line with our highestvision for Nigeria.Wemust hold fast to such thoughts until they become alivingreality inallouractionsconcerningourgreatcountry.Allourpositivethoughts will eventually be out-pictured in the world of form. Any thoughtthatisnotinharmonywithyournewvision,moveawayfromitandchooseanewthought.Anythingthatyoudonotdesireinyourlife,orinNigeriadesistfrom thinking about it, and stop giving it your attention. Do not allow anybodytodragyouintonegativediscussions.Anytimeyousaysomethingthat

doesnotmatchyournewvisionaboutyourselfandaboutNigeria,makeanotenot to say suchagain.Donot respond to someone in annoyance.Donot sayanythingnegativetopleaseanother,orbecauseyouwanttobelong.Betruetoyourself, and to your country. In thisway youwillmove on to self-masteryand freedom. “A hero is someone who understands the responsibility thatcomeswithhisfreedom”saidBobDylan

Nigeria’sEndowmentsinHumanResources

Nigeriaiswonderfullyblessedwithmorethanonehundredandsixtymillion(160,000,000) citizens. This means that Nigeria is endowed with over onehundredandsixtymillionpotentiallygreatminds.Thegoodnewsisthatwithlittle deliberate effort, these potentials can be awakened and developed sothateveryNigerianwillgivetoNigeriahisorherspecialgift.

CouldyouimaginewhatNigeriawouldbelike,ifallNigeriancitizensbecomethebestinthepursuitanddevelopmentoftheirtalentsorcareers?Onethingis certain: such individuals will become great assets to themselves, theirfamilies, their communities and to the entire nation. We must realize thateverytalentisimportant,nomatterhowinconsequentialitmightlook.Nonecan succeed without the assistance of others. Every trade or profession isimportant,andinwhateverworkyoufindyourself,youareimportanttothesurvivalandgrowthofNigeria.Youmustloveyourworkwithagreatpassioninordertodevelopit,tobecomethebest.

Nigeria’sResourcesinNaturalEndowments

A critical observation of Nigeria shows that Nigeria is one of the mostnaturallyendowedcountriesintheworld.Nigeriaisabundantlyblessedwithlots ofmineral resourceswhich include: petroleumpopularly referred to asliquidgold,naturalgas,coal,ironore,barite,limestone,gypsum,bauxite,andseveralotherdocumentedmineralassets.Nigeriaisblessedwithaverylargeexpanse of fertile arable land. In the south there is the tropical rain forest,which is very suitable for the cultivation of lots of root crops and theseinclude, yam, cocoyam, cassava and, potato. Others are economic trees likepalm trees, coconuts, oranges, mangoes, plantains, bananas, guava, pears,cocoa, kola nuts, bitter cola nuts, timber, rubber, cashew nuts and so on.Nigeria also has in the savannah region of the north, abundance ofgroundnuts,yams,rice,beans,carrots,assortedvegetables,cotton,andsoon.Nigeria also produces abundant meat and fish to provide the protein

requirements of all Nigerians, and for export. If all that Nigeria has beenblessedwith are properly harnessed, an aberration it would be to find anyNigerian living poorly. But alas,more than half of the population ofNigeriatoday live below the poverty level. This must be immediately reversed.Nigeriansmustbesupportedtoutilizeboththeirindividualendowmentsandthenation’snaturalendowmentsforthegreatestgoodofall.Whenthisbeginstohappen,NigeriawillbecomethemostpowerfuleconomyinAfrica,andoneofthegreatesteconomiesoftheworld.

IamproudtobeaNigerian,forGodcreatedmeandplantedmeinthisblessedcountry.Doyounotseehowblessedyouaretobeofnoblebirth,livingalifeof integrity, certain of attaining greatness, andwonderfully endowed in theGardenofEden?ThetimehascomewheneveryNigerianshouldholdhisheadhigh and say, “I AM ATRUENIGERIAN.” I am of noble birth. I am aman ofIntegrity.Iamgreatlyendowed.IambelovedofGod.

UtilizingNigeria’sEndowments

Ashasbeennoted,manwascreatedintheimageandlikenessofGod;afterallthatheneededtoliveahappyandcomfortablelifehadbeencreated.Hewasgiven dominion to use all as hewished, and to continue the process of co-creatinghisworldandenvironment.Lifeisthusaprocessofcreation.Inthisprocessofcreation,manuses theverypowerfulequipmentofhismind.Theseed ideas,planted in therichsoilof themindare the toolswhich theminduses,toproducetheperfectpatternoftheworldofman’sdesires.

It is not everyone who uses his mind to create his world according to thisperfectpattern.Everyoneisapotentialgreatmanbuteveryoneisnotgreat.Agreatmajorityofworldcitizensrefusetobecreative.Theyactuallyrefusetobegreat!Butwhyshoulditbeso?Itisobviousthatthegreatmajorityrefuseto utilize the divine ideas planted in the rich soil of their minds to createthings; theymove along in life as sleepwalkers, oblivious ofwhere they aregoingandfallingintoditchesandbumpingonsidewallsandotherobstacleswithout knowing what to do about them. But they complain, criticize andcondemntheforcesthattheythinkareresponsiblefortheirunfortunatefate.

Nigerians have come to the point where they must consciously use thewonderful creative tools of their minds; to harness all their naturalendowments and create a heaven here on earth for every Nigerian. This is

whatpositivechangeisallabout.Yourspecialtalentisonegreatendowment,whichGodhasgiventoyouforservice toNigeria.Therefore,thinkdeeplyofhowyoucanpositivelyuseyourtalentstotransformNigeria.

RememberthatyouarenotaNigerianbychance,andyouarenotcreatedfornothing.Youarehereonaspecialmissionandyouhaveaspecialroletoplayinyourfamily,yourcommunityandinNigeriaasanation.Definitelyyoumustmakeyourlifeandtalentscountforyournationandhumanity.

MakeyourLifeCount

Lowermindsdiscusspeople,ordinarymindsdiscussevents,andgreatmindsdiscussideas.Amongstthesethree,whatNigeriatodayneedsisplentyofmenandwomenwhobelong to the third category: greatminds.Greatmindsareoptimists:theylookforandfindthebrightsideofthings.Theyareabletoturnseemingly hopeless situations to great opportunities for growth. Theyworkthrough life with a smile. They inspire others with messages of hope;encouragethosewhoneedsuccour,offeringthempricelesscounsel.Theyaretrueagentsofpositivechange.Theyarefilledwithlove,whichtheyradiatetothe whole world. They use their creativity to assist others to overcomeconditionsofdespair andmisery.Theyare alwaysatpeacewith themselvesandtheworld.Theylookforthegoodinthesinnerinsteadoflookingforthebadinthesaint,andinthiswayassistthesinnertobecomebetter.

Let the great minds in Nigeria rise now to their natural responsibility ofworkingforthegrowthandgreatnessofNigeria.Thegreatmindsoftheworldare responsible for the wonderful creations of man that have turned ourworld into a global family. Nigeria is abundantly endowed with such greatminds.Thetimeisripeforthemtocomeoutoftheirhiding.Nowisthetimeforyouagentsofpositivechange:yougreatminds,toputconcertedeffortstoprocessNigeria’snaturalresources,intothederivativesthatwillbringlavishabundance to all Nigerians. All that you require is to get your mindscompletelyattunedtothemindofGodfortheinflowofdivineideas.Alwaysmake out time to have some moment of silence with God. Have a burningdesiretobecreative.

Work diligently to actualize the great divine ideas that flow into yourmindfromthemindofGod.Bereadyforthedivineconnectionsthatwillassistyoutomakeyourideasreality.Haveconfidenceinyourselvesandhavegreatfaithin God and as you work hard to become very useful to Nigeria and to theworld, you should be rest assured that you will be richly and greatlyrewarded.

Thepressureof theunseenhandofGod isnowuponyou,urgingyou toputyouruniquetalentstoimmediateuseforthetransformationofNigeria.Inthedarknessof thenight,whenotherswill bedozing, youwill feel thegloriouspresenceofGodbyaflashof illumination,andyouwillknowwhattodoforyourbelovedcountry.Your eyeswillbeopened to therealityofyourbeing,andyourburningdesire towork for your countrywill becomeunassailable,simplyirresistible!Youwillworknotforself,butforthegoodofall, foryouwouldhavebeenchanged fromselfishness toselflessness.Youhavebecomesimple,lovingandkind.YouarethefulfilmentofprophecyofNigeria’sfuturegreatness.

Nowthatyouarefeelingthecall forpositivechange,donotresist.Nowthatthepressureoftheunseenhandisuponyou,riseandobey.

Now that you have felt the presence of the Father, followhimwhereverHeleadsyou.

Now that you have the glare of this flash of illumination, become open andreceptivetotheinflowofinspiration.

NowthatyouareledbyGod,lovewhatyoudoandworkincheerfulnessandjoyforthegoodofourgreatfatherland,Nigeria.

In thisway, youwill becomeapowerful instrument forpositive changeandunimpededgrowthinNigeria.

6

RESPONSIBILITY

Iamthefiftheagle.Irepresenttheletter“R”intheseven-letternameN-I-G-E-R-I-A.

IamRESPONSIBILITY.BeingaNigerian,ItakeResponsibilityforallmyactions.Iflyhigherinmygoodnesseveryday.

RESPONSIBILITY

TheProcessofCreation

Lifeproceedsoutofyourintentionsbecauselivingisallabouttheprocessofcreation. Nothing ever happens by chance. Everything is caused to happen.Man is responsible for everything that is taking place in the world today.Thought is themostpowerfulpart ofman.With it,man continues to createand re-createhisworld.As Godbrought forth theworldwith a thought,webringforthourworldwithourthoughts.Godcreatespeopleandpeoplecreatetheir conditions. In thisway,we are co-creatorswithGod of ourworld andcircumstances.ThedivineideasthatflowintoourmindsfromthemindofGodareforourhighestgood.Buttheseideasarefilteredthroughourownmindtocreateourworld.

Our life’s experiences are theout-picturingof the stateof ourmind.Weuseour thoughts todrawtoourselves thepeople,placesandcircumstances thateventually become our reality. With our thoughts today, we build ourtomorrow,whileourtodayistheresultofourthoughtsofyesterday.Wearealwaysfocusedwhereourthoughtispointing.Wherewearelookingiswherewe are heading. We work to achieve our vision, and where we put ourattentioniswherewewilleventuallyendup.Weconsciouslyorunconsciouslyputinalotofeffortinbringingintomanifestationourinnerideas. ‘Thoughtsheld inmind, produce after their kind’ is the law ofmind in action. “As hethinksinhisheart,soishe”.Yourstateofhealth,yourlifecircumstances,your

relationships, your finances and everything about your life are the out-picturing of the consistent and persistent state of your mind. Change yourthoughts and you change yourworld. “Change is the law of life. Thosewholook only to the past or present are certain tomiss the future” said John F.Kennedy.Dotherightthingthroughpositivechangeofattitudetodayandyouwillbeassuredofabrighttomorrow.

Everydeep-seatedconviction,expectationandemotioniseventuallybroughtout into physical manifestation. When thoughts combine with feelings,manifestation must take place. When conscious positive thoughts arecombinedwithfeelings,manwieldsthemostpowerfultransformationtoolforhis highest good. Nigeria’s positive change will start when Nigeriansconsciouslystartthinkingandactingpositively.

TheLawofCompensation

There is the natural desire in man for some form of compensation for hisworks.Noonewillaccepttoexpendhistimeandenergyindoingsomethingunless he expects to reap some benefits from it. No good businessman willinvesthismoneyunlessheissuretomakeprofit.Studentsburnthemidnightoilinordertogetgoodgradesattheendoftheirschoolcareer.Withthis,theyexpect to securegoodpositions in lifewhere they reap lotsofbenefits.Thefarmertoilsduringtheplantingseason,clearsthebushandplantshisseedsinanticipationofabumperharvest.Everythingwedoinlife isdonebecauseofsomeexpectedreward.Thelabourerisworthyofhiswages.Thisisalsoseenasastrongmotivatingforcebehindreligion.TheworshipofGodoranyotherdeityismainlybecauseoftheexpectedbenefits.Thepromiseofheavenwherethe righteous will enter to enjoy the highest form of bliss and the life offulfilment are strongmotivations for people to become strong adherents ofreligiousorganizations.

Life is a process of creation. Each creation of man brings to him, itscommensurate compensation. Everyaction is followedbyanequal reaction.Actionandreactionareoppositeandequal.Eachactionisacause,whichmusthaveaneffect.Eachseedsownmustbringabout areaping.Asyougiveyoumust receive. Asyou do, it isdone toyou.As aman sows, sohemust reap.Every act rewards itself, or integrates itself. Ralph Waldo Emerson says,“Everyvirtueisrewarded,everywrongredressed,everycrimepunished.”

Justasthelabourerisworthyofhiswages,soiseverymanworthyofreapingthe fruits of all that he has sown in life. This law is perfect. Every action ofyoursnowisasowing.Thislawassuresyouthatnopowerintheuniversecandenyyouthegloriousbenefitsofthefruitsofyourgoodworks.Youmustalsobe ready to accept the effects of all your wrong actions. We need to learn,understand and use to our advantage, the operations of this perfect law, inordertoreapitsgloriousbenefits.

OperationsoftheLawofCompensation

Man isconstantly involved indoing things.For anyaction tobecomplete, itmusthaveareaction.Whenyouspeaktosomebody,younaturallyexpecthimtoreacttowhatyousaid.WhenyoupraytoGod,youexpectGodtoreacttoyour prayer or to grant your request. The law of compensation is the lawwhichensures thateveryaction ismadecompletewith its reaction. It is thelawofcauseandeffect,orthelawofsowingandreaping,whichisalsocalled“thelawofKarma.”

Compensationisthereforetheeffectofactions.Thelawofcauseandeffectisthenaturallawthatensuresthatyoureceiveyourrightrewardforeverythingyoudo.Therewardforeveryactionmustfollowthatactionasthedaymustfollowthenight.Since every action isaresultof thoughts, itmeans that therewardsforouractionsarereallytherewardforourthoughts.

We arewhatwe are today in Nigeria simply becausewe have done, or leftundonecertain things.Wehavehadcertainpersonaldesiresandhaveacteduponthemandtheresultismanifestingtoday.Whatwehavedoneinthepastmay not necessarily be bad for we always act according to our level ofunderstanding.Butwehavetoassessourselveswithopen-mindedhonesty,toknowiftheresultsofouractionsarereallywhatwedesiredandexpected.

Thecompensationswereceivemaybepleasantorunpleasantdependingonthe causes we have set into operation. They can also be made pleasant orunpleasant depending on our mental attitude towards them. Nothing hasmeaning except themeaning you give to it. Yourmental attitude about anysituationismoreimportantthanallthefactsofthesituation.Anyunpleasantsituationinlifecanbeturnedintoastepping-stonetoourhighestgoodifourmentalattitudeispositive.

The law of compensation can be seen as an equalizing or deterring factor.Whenyouarepossessedwithadesireforpowerorwealthfor instance,and

you feed this desire with selfish thoughts and feelings, you will becomeinvolved in a sequence of causes and effects which may cause you greatsuffering,physicallyormentally.But ifyour thoughtsareverypositive, theywillbringyouverypleasantresults.

Inotherwords,ifyouinsistonfeedingyourdesireswithselfishthoughtsandfeelings, youmay achieve your aim if your desire is sufficiently strong andpersistent.But theresultmaynotbring the innersatisfaction thatoriginallygaverisetothedesire.Ontheotherhand,youmaynotattainyourgoal,andthis may cause you the greatest mental and physical suffering. People getdrawnintothingsandoftensufferasaresult.Thedictatormaysufferuntoldmentalagonies,whilethemulti-millionairemaybeunhappierthanthebeggarathisgates.Anyactionmotivatedbyselfishnessandgreedmay temporarilyassist you to take advantageof others, to achieveyour aim.Buton the longrun, disappointment must set in to cancel out that brief moment ofsatisfaction. You can never get inner satisfaction unless your actions bringaboutthehighestgoodtoeveryonethatmaybeaffectedbyit.Allyouractionsaffect other people in one way or another. We are always involved inreciprocalactions.Beforeyoudoanything,askyourselfthequestion,“ifIwereintheotherperson’sstead,wouldIhavebeengladifhehaddonesoandsotome?WhatwouldthepureloveofGodhavedoneinthatcase?

Alwaysbereadytoaskyourselfwhatyoucandoforthegoodofthiscountry.Inthisway,youwillbeapositiveagentofchangeinNigeria.

TakingResponsibilityforyourActions

Your every thought starts the processof creating somethingnew. Sinceyouarealwaysthinking,youarealwayscreating.Eachcreationisacause,whichmusthaveaneffect.Theeffectsofthecausesweputintocreationarewhatweseeastheconditionsofourlife.Wearebigcreationmachines,whichcontinuetoturnoutnewmanifestationsasfastaswecanthink.Inessence,yourstateorlevelofconsciousnessdeterminesthewayyouthink.Circumstancesareallcreated out of consciousness. Your individual consciousness powerfullyshapes yourworld. Group consciousness also determines the circumstancesforthegroup.Massconsciousnessissopowerfulthatitcreatescircumstancesofworldwideimport.Wehaveusedourcollectiveconsciousnesstocreateforourselves the conditions that we see as not very good in Nigeria. We areindividually and collectively responsible for this. The mass yearning for

change means that we now realise that we also have to individually andcollectivelychangeourwayofthinking.

Whenyourealizeandacceptresponsibilityfortheeffectsofyouractions,youempower yourself to change unpleasant effects by changing your thoughts.Butifyoupassthebuckoftheblameforyourconditiontoanoutsidepersonor force,youdisempoweredyourself fromdoinganythingabout it. It isonlywhenyouknowandcansay,Ididit,thatyoufindthepowertochangeit.Itisfareasiertochangewhatyouaredoingthantochangewhatanotherisdoing.“Thegreatestdayinyourlifeandmineiswhenwetaketotalresponsibilityforourattitudes.That’sthedaywetrulygrowup”saidJohnC.Maxwell.Inordertochangeunpleasantconditionsinyourlife,youmustfirstfindoutthecausesyouhaveputintocreation.Thenlearntoconsciouslychooseonlythethoughtsthatwillbringtoyoupleasanteffects.

Your conscious choice of thoughts and actionswillmake you themaster ofyour own life and no more a victim of circumstances. ”if you takeresponsibility for yourself you will develop a hunger to accomplish yourdreams”.(LesBrown).Youwillstartanewprocessofcreatingyourselfinthehighestvisionofwhoyoudesiretobe.Youwilldemonstratethis“newyou”tothe world. With your new way of life, your actions will make the desiredannouncementtotheworldofyourimprovedcharacter.

GroupConsciousnessinNigeria

Thequestionsmaybeasked:whyisNigeria,whichisastupendouslyendowedcountry, in the shape that it is today?What had gonewrong?What can bedone to jumpstart the process of re-creating Nigeria? How dowe start andsustainthisprocessoftotalpositivechange?

NigeriaisintheshapethatitistodaybecauseofgroupormassconsciousnessofNigerians.Groupconsciousnessdeterminesthepeople’svaluesystemwhilethe value system determines their thoughts and actions. The condition ofthingsinNigeriaistheout-picturedequivalenceofthethoughtsandactionsofNigerians.Nigeria’sgroupconsciousnessportraysusasgrosslymaterialistic.Weseewealthasthehighestidealorstatussymbol.Asaresultwhensomeonesuddenlybecomeswealthybydintofhardworkorbysomefoulmeansinoursociety,honourisimmediatelybestoweduponhim,notmindingthesourceofthewealth.

Relations of highly placed public officers continually pester them intobecoming corrupt by reminding them that their positions are rareopportunities which they ought to utilize to corruptly enrich themselves. Ajuniorofficer inthecivilserviceforexample,whocorruptlyenricheshimselfand deploys his unfairly acquired wealth to develop his community wouldpossiblyearnmorerespect thanaseniorofficerwhodiligentlydoeshis job,earnshisduewagesandmaintainshisintegrity.Whichofthetwoofficerswillyousaywouldbemoreproductiveforthegrowthofournation?Woulditbethe junior officer who siphons public funds into his private pocket or theseniorofficerwhoworksdiligentlytobuildhiscountry?

Why do we Nigerians prefer the drain-pipes to the builders? Why do wecontinuetoglamorisedrain-pipesthatsiphonwhatbelongstousallintotheirprivatepockets?Caniteverbepossibleforsomeonetodestroyhisownhouseandstillliveinit?Canwewasteourresourcesandstillhavethem?Whydowehonour the destroyers amongst us? Corruption is self-destruction and wemuststopitfromdestroyingournationandourfutureasamatterofurgency.

The time has come when we must critically examine our value system asNigerians, to find out what we have achieved as it were. Does our valuesystem provide the enabling environment for the genius to develop theirtalentsordoesitpromotemediocrity?Howoftendowehonourourgeniusfortheiruniqueachievements?Weurgentlyneedtotransformourvaluesystem,ifanythingmeaningfulhastohappentothenation.

Nigeria’sBasicProblems

Nigeria’s basic problems are self-imposed because our prevailing valuesystemplaces thegreatest emphasisonmaterial acquisition.MostNigerianshavegivenuptheirexceptionaltalentsforthepursuitofwealthandinfluence.Nobody seems to recognize the genius as the greatest asset that will makeNigeriagreat.

The emphasis is on sharing thenational cakeand notbaking it.This iswhyanygovernmentofficialwhocorruptlycutsalargechunkofthiscakeishailedas ahero inhishomecommunity and is greatlyhonoured.Untilwe start tohonour and support talent and genius over and above mediocrity, ourdownwardslideintocorruptionmightlinger.Thefightagainstcorruptionwillnot yield the desired results without a complete re-orientation andtransformationof the entire citizenry.Therehas tobe a complete change in

ourwayofthinkingandourvaluesystem.Thetimehascome,whenNigerianswho are talented in any field of human endeavour, must be challenged tobring out the best in them. The more we encourage the geniuses in oursociety,thebetteritwouldbeforNigeria.

AsituationwheretheyouthsofNigeriaarebeingdeludedbythewaycheatinghasbeeninstitutionalizedinourschoolsystemmakesagreatmockeryofthefightagainstcorruption.NelsonMandelasaid“Educationisthemostpowerfulweapon which you can use to change the world”. Why do our Ministry ofEducation officials turn the other way when they see bold sign posts ofExamination Special Centres, and the promise to students that such centreswould assist them to score very high grades? What takes place in thosecentres that automatically ‘distinguishes’ them as educational centres ofexcellence?Wemuststopdeludingouryouths. WemustnotallowNigeria’seducationalsystemtobebastardized.Butwhatdoweexpectfromthemwhenemphasis is onpaperqualification?Weneed to de-emphasiseour emphasison paper qualification, but onwhat somebody can producewith his talents.WemuststartatalenthuntinNigeria,sothateverytalentedNigerianwouldcontributetheirquotatothedevelopmentofournation,becauseeverytalentmustcount.

TurningNigeria’sProblemsintoBlessings

The situation in Nigeria and the many problems that Nigeria is passingthrough can also provide the greatest sources of blessings if we chose toharnessthem.Thewisemanturnshisproblemsintohissourcesofstrength.Hemakesthemthestepping-stonestohissuccesswhilethefoolishmanturnshis blessings into his greatest undoing. What we call problems are naturalwake-up calls for us to critically re-examine our lives and the way we dothingsinordertofindoutifweareheadingtowardstherightdirection.Nowthatwehavediscoveredthatweareheadinginthewrongdirection,wemustchange direction. “Hewho rejects change is the architectofdecay. Theonlyhumaninstitutionwhichrejectsprogressisthecemetery“saidHaroldWlson.Thegreatestgoodyoucandoforasleepwalkeristowakehimupsothathedoesnotwalkalongtoself-destruction.Theon-goingchangemovementmustwakeupNigeriansfromtheirslumber,sothattheydonotsleep-walktoselfdestruction.

Since our thoughts and actions are the causeswe put into creation and ourexperiencesaretheeffects,weoughttounderstandthatnooutsideforcehas

thepower to imposeonyouanexperience that isnotofyourowncreation.With your thoughts and actions, you attract to yourself the people andconditions that constitute your experience and reality. Thus, the realizationand acceptance of the truth that we all are individually and collectivelyresponsible for what we see as unfavourable conditions in this greatlyendowedcountry,istheveryfirstandsignificantstepinsolvingourproblems.The prodigal son’s problems were half solved the moment he realized hismistakes, andmade up hismind to stopmaking any furthermistakes.Withdeterminationhesaid,“IwillariseandgobacktomyFather.”GeorgeBernardShawsaid “wearemadewisenotby therecollectionofourpast,butby theresponsibility forour future”Therefore,now is the time forNigerians tore-examine our priorities and values. Now is the appropriate time for us toclarifyinourmindwhatwedesireforourselves,andforourcountryNigeria.We have the power to direct the great creative intelligence of the universewith the same authority that engineers use in directing the power ofelectricity. With this power, we can consciously re-create and realign theconditions inNigeria forgoodofall. Letusnotseek to fix theblame for thepast letusacceptourresponsibilityfor thefuture”saidJohnF.Kennedy.So,weshoulddecidetochoosenewandpositiveprioritiesandvalues.Inmakingthis choice, we have to ensure that they give every Nigerian the greatestopportunity for the development of his unique potentials, self expansion,innerpeace,joy,freedomandtheloveandrespectofself.

HowtoCreatetheNigeriaweDesire

You are who you are because of the way you think. Nigeria is what she isbecauseofthewayNigeriansthink.ThingswillchangeforthebestinNigeriawhen most Nigerians stop conforming to their old ways of thinking andtransformtheirvalues.Theremustbearadicalpositivechangeinourwayoflife.Old thingsmustpassaway tomakeroomfor the inflowofgloriousnewideas.TheremustbearenewingofthemindofallNigerians.

Wedonotneedtobroodoverorcondemnourselvesoranybodyforouroldways of doing things. Our behaviours were a result of our levels ofconsciousness, which we are now outgrowing. Before now, we were veryselfishandregardedourselvesascompletelydetachedfromothers,ashavingno connection with them whatsoever. Considering ourselves as quitedifferent,wethoughtthatlifepresenteduswithabattlefieldwherewefoughtfor the survival of the fittest, where the winner took all. This must have

accountedforthegreatfightforthenationalcake.Thisfightwillsoonbeover,because of our emerging, transformed value system and national priorities.Encompassing this would be the fact that Nigerians would henceforth bereadytobaketheirNationalCakefromtheirgreattalentsandpotentials.Wearegraduallycomingtotherealizationthatoneman’sgainattheexpenseofanother man’s pain is not only anomalous, but immoral, regardless ofappearancestothecontrary.

With the emerging national consciousness, we are realizing that as uniquecreationsofGodweshouldfullydevelopourpotentialsforthehighestgoodofall. We must now have a large heart that is filled with love: one that canaccommodateallmankind.Wewillderivejoyfromourworkasusefulcitizensofourgreatcountryandtheworld.

Forthesuccessofthepositivechange process,whateverwenolongerwantinourlife,weshouldstoptalkingaboutit.Wehavetostopgivingunnecessaryattentiontothingsthatdonotrepresentourvisionaboutwhowedesiretobe.Nigeria has all the potential that will place her citizens among the world’sbest. All that we need do as Nigerian citizens is finding and applying thewinningformulaethatwouldtakeustotheenviableheights.

Nigeria’sWinningCombination

Nigerianshave toappreciate the truth thateachofus is importantandhavesomethingtocontributetomakeasuccessofthepositivechangeprocess.Aseachpersonhasadefinite identify inthemindofGod,samewayyouhaveaspecial gift to give toNigeria and to the entireworld.Yourbodyevenbearswitness to your uniqueness, your face, every organ of your body and yourfinger-tipsbearwitnesstothisuniqueness.Youhavetofacelifewithaninnerconviction that you are unique. The multitudinous opinions about you byothershavenopowerorcontroloveryou,unlessyouallowthemto.Donotallow people to squeeze you into their mould. Let God remould you fromwithin.When you look critically at life and all living things, you notice thatthere is inbuilt growthpotential in all living things.You aremeant to growandbecomefargreaterthanwhatyoucouldeverimagine.Thereissomethingin you that is never content with who you are now. That same depositcontinues to urge you to take greater aims at life. You aremeant formore.Yourspecialtalentiswhatyoumustdevelopinordertobecomegreaterthanyoueverdreamtof.

The time has comewhen everyNigerianmust overcome the fear of failure.What really does fear mean? Fear means False Evidence Appearing Real.There are lots of false evidences that appear real in Nigeria which preventmost Nigerians from making the needed effort to use their talents. Thesedefeatistattitudes, fears,phobias,and false ideasarewhatarereferred to inthebibleasprincipalitiesandpowers.Theseopponentsofsuccessexistintheconsciousnessofourpeople.

We also need awinning strategy to overcome these defeatist attitudes. Thegreatteamthatwillalwaysovercomeisalsoinourconsciousness.Weneedtorecognizeit,activateit,andallowittosweepthroughourconsciousness,andridusofthosewrongattitudinaltraitsthatareresponsibleforourfears.

ThewinningteamismadeupofTruth,Talent,andFaith.

Truth:

YouhavetoknowwithgreatconvictionthatyouarecreatedintheimageandlikenessofGod.Godisallknowing,andyouasanemanationofGod;youarepartofallknowingmindofGod.Youareagreatstar,createdtofulfilauniquepurpose in life. False ideas of inadequacy or inferiority can have no poweroveryou.Youarebornawinner,andyoucanneverfailtosucceed.ThisisthetruthaboutyouandeveryotherNigerian.

Talent:

Youarecreatedaveryspecialbeing,withwonderfultalents,whichyoumustidentifyandputtouseforyourowngoodandforthegoodofall.Youruniquetalentisyourstouseandtoenjoy,andnoonecantakeitawayfromyou.Themomentyoudiligentlyputyourtalenttowork,andifyourelywhollyonGodasyoursourceofpower,wisdom,andlove,thefear(falseevidenceappearingreal) of insecurity, failure and rejection all fade away. You are born towin.Youaremeantformore.

Faith:

ThegreatestwinningattitudesarefaithinGodandself-confidence.Youmustbelieveinyourself.Yourselfconfidencedrawstoyoutherightkindofpeopleand circumstances that will facilitate your success. You must have anunshakable faith that with God, all things are possible. When your entireconsciousness is filledwithyourcomplete faith inGod,nodefeatistattitude,noprincipalitiesorpowercanstandonyourwaytosuccess.

With this winning combination, Nigerians will progressively engage thiscrucial process of national transformation. Nigeria is meant for more; thesamegoesforhercitizens.

IndividualResponsibilityfortheGoodofAll

Imaginefivemenclimbingaprecipitousmountainslope,boundtogetherbyarope.Toaccomplish thisuphill task, theywillhave tounderstand thateveryoneofthemmustacceptindividualresponsibilityforthesurvivalofall.Rightaction of one is right action of all, and the group’s right action is for eachindividual’s good. No matter the difficulties they may encounter along theway, each must avoid the temptation of isolated action. There should be aunity of purpose. Each must understand that one wrong step will signaldangerforall.Rightactionofallshouldbeintensified,witheachoneknowingthatnotonlytheirgoalofgettingtothepickofthemountain,buttheir livesdependontheircompleteandabsolutedevotiontothelawofharmony.Whateachisdoingforthegroup,heisdoingforhimself.Thesuccessandsurvivalofthegroupisthesuccessofeachofthem.

Nigerians can be likened to these mountain climbers. The in-built growthpotentialineachindividualiscontinuallyurgingandpushinghimontomovehigherupinconsciousness.Inthisclimbtowardsamorepurposefulandmorecreative way of life, the ties that link us to our fellow climbers, thoughinvisible,areasrealastheropelinkingthemountainclimbers.Becausethesetiesare invisible,whatconstitutesrightactionmaybedifficulttodetermine.Butwemust know just like the mountain climbers that right action is thatactionwhichfacilitatessurvivalandgrowthofNigerians.

Everyoneofus isboundtogetherwith thelivesofeveryother.Throughourindividualactionswecancontributetothedevelopment,greatnessandgloryofourdearfatherlandontheonehand,ortoherunderdevelopment,squalorandshame.Thefoodthatweeat,thedressthatwewear,thegoodthingsthatweenjoy,havegotsomeconnectionwithotherpeople’seffortsorhardwork.If other people’s lives and ours are intricately interwoven in the humanecosystem,thenwemustreachoutandtouchthelivesofpeopleatnecessarypoints. We must learn to work with the law of harmony in all ourrelationships.

Nigerian leaders have to be selfless leaders who are dedicated toworking for the growth and greatness of Nigeria. If you are at the helm ofaffairs in Nigeria, Lee Kuan Yew, the man who engineered Singapore’seconomicmiracle advicesyou “Trainuppeoplewhowill take your place sothattherewillbecontinuousgrowth.Todothat,youwillneedpeopleatthetop, decisionmakers who have got foresight, goodminds who are open toideas,whocanceaseopportunities.......Myjobreallywastofindmysuccessor.I found them, they are there, their job is to find their successor. So theremust be this continuous renewal of talented, dedicated, honest able peoplewho will do things not for themselves, but for their people and for theircountry.Iftheycandothat,theywillcarryonforanotheronegenerationandsoitgoeson.Themomentthatbreaks,it’sgone”.

Thetimehascome,wheneveryNigerianmusttakepersonalresponsibilityforthe good of all other Nigerians. We must develop the heart that is largeenoughtoaccommodateeveryotherNigerian.Ourpersonaldestinyis inourown hands. Nigeria’s destiny is in our own hands as Nigerians. The proudparent is one who has taken personal responsibility for the training andupbringing of one’s children. When the children grow up to becomeresponsible and respected citizensof society, theparent feels veryproudofwhathehasachieved.

A situation where a few people live in affluence, while a teeming majorityaround them live in abject poverty, has given rise to the emergence andgrowthofcrimeinthesociety.Theaffluentcannotundersuchasituationhavea sense of joy and fulfilment. If God has blessed you, take personalresponsibility for the uplift of the people around you.Help them to becomeresponsibleandrespectedcitizensofthesociety.

“Giveamanfishandyoufeedhimforaday,butshowhimhowtofishandyoufeedhimforalifetime”saysaChineseadage.Whenyouteachpeoplearoundyouhow to fish, themultiplier effect on the livesof their familieswill be sogreat that when you stand aside and watch, you will have such a sense offulfilmentandpridetosay:“IamatrueNigerian.”Iamatrueagentofpositivechange.

7

INGENUITY

Iamthesixtheagle.Irepresentthesecondletter“I”intheseven-letternameN-I-G-E-R-I-A.

IamINGENUITY.BeingaNigerian,IusemyIngenuitytotransformNigeriaintoaparadise.

Iflyhigherinmygoodnesseveryday.

INGENUITY

TheNatureofGod

God is the totality of all thingsmanifest or un-manifest. God is the absoluteand comprises all that exists and all that ever has been. There is nothingoutsideofGod,andwhateveris,mustbeinandpartofGod.

GodispresenteverywhereandthereisnoexistenceorpresenceoutsideGod.God being all includes everything in itself. Therefore, space, time, matter,mind, energy, life, light, etc., are relative manifestations of God. God isOmnipotent;that isallpowerful.Godisallthepowerthatthereis,unlimitedpowertoaccomplishallthings.AllpowerisamanifestationofGod,andthereisnopowerpossiblefromanyothersourceoutsideofGod.PowerisarelativemanifestationofGod.ThereforeallpowerisofGodandbelongstoGod.

GodisOmniscient;thatisallknowing,allwise,possessesinfiniteknowledge.God knows everything about the past, present and future of all of creation.This knowledge is complete, down to the last details, and to the final point.God can never make mistakes or change his mind, because of improvedknowledge.Godalreadyknowsallthatyouwilleverneedtoknow,tothefinaldetail.Godisthereforeinfinite.ThismeansthatGodisboundless,unlimitedintime,space,power,capacity,intensityorexcellence.

Man’sRelationshipwithGod

Godcreatedmaninhisownimageandafterhislikenessandbreathedintohisnostrils, thebreathof life, andmanbecamea livingsoul. InGodwe liveandmove, and have our being, and we are also his offspring. So man is the

springing-forthofGodinphysicalmanifestation.ThelifeweliveistheactionofGod in all thecellsofourbody.God iscloser toyou thanyouare toyourclosestbrother.Your life isGodAlmighty inHisunendingaction inyou.Youareonewithall creation.Youalsohaveaccess totheuniversalmindofGod,whichisthestorehouseofallknowledgeandwisdom.

Intheinnermostrecessesofyourmindarehiddenglorioustruthsaboutyourtruerelationshipwiththesourceofallwisdom.Thereiswithineachofus,aperpetual longing and an unquenchable desire for perfect understanding ofour true identity.Weallknowthatwearemeant for farmore thanwehavebeenabletoachieveinlife,andwedesiretoopenupthegoldmineofwisdomthat is within us. The potentials for growth within us constantly seekexpression. It is only when these potentials are developed that our uniqueidentitiesasindividualscanstandout.Becauseofourverycloserelationshipand identifiablenesswithGodwho isallwisdom, there isaspringof infinitewisdomwithinus thatwe can constantly access anduse.Butbeforewe canaccess it,wemustdesire forknowledge. It is onlybymeansof thatburningdesirethatwecanearnestlyknockonthedoorofourmind,andthatdoorwillbe flung open. The great promise says: “knock, it shall be opened unto you,seek,youshall find,ask,youshallreceive.”Youcannotgetsomethingunlessyouhavedesireforit.

Ingenuityistheabilitytofindnewandsimplesolutionstocomplexproblems.Itcanbeachievedwhenyouaretruetoyourrealuniqueself.Youmustask,seekandknockdiligentlyonthedoorofyourmindinordertoopenthestorehouseofallknowledgewithinyou.

ThreeStepstoIngenuity

Ingenuitydoesnotjusthappen.Itmustbeexhibitedbysomeoneandthereareindeedpre-requisitestotheemergenceofingenuity.Therearethreestepstoingenuityandweshalltakeacloserlookatthem.

TheLoveofOneself

Youmustloveandappreciatewhoyouare.Youareaspiritualbeing,livinginaphysicalworld,governedbyspirituallaw.Allofmankindisoftheonespirit,onemindandonesubstance.Yeteachofus isauniquecreation.Everythingaboutyoubearswitnesstothisuniqueness.Youruniquenessmakesitcleartoyou thatyouarespeciallydesignedbyGod foraspecialpurpose in life. You

must love and appreciate the special unique person that you are. Loveyourselfwithanunconditionallove.

TheLoveofOne’sWork

You must love your work. Now that you know that you are original andspecial,youmustbeinspiredfromwithin.Youarecreatedtogivetotheworldaspecialgiftwhichnootherpersoncangiveinitsoriginalstateasbestasyoucan.Whenyoudonotunderstandandappreciateyouroriginality,youdoalotof things aimed at pleasing others, and you always meet with failure anddisappointment. This results in conflicts, frustration and unhappiness. Toenjoyandlovewhatyoudo,WilliamJamesadvised,“seekoutthatparticularmental and moral attitude which makes you feel most deeply and vitalityalive,alongwithwhichcomestheinnervoicewhichsays,thisistherealme;andwhenyouhavefoundit,followit.”

Do not start doing something simply because you see others doing it andsucceeding. Do not start doing something in order to please another. Youcannotbeproductiveatyourworkifyouseeyourworkasforcedlabouronyou,whichyoureluctantlydotoearnaliving.Thebestthatisinyoucanonlyshineforthintoyourwork,whenwhatyoudomakesyoufeelthat“thisistherealme.”Alwaysbetruetoyourself,andyouwillnoticehowwonderfulyouare,andyouwilllovewhatyoudo.

TheLoveofOne’sEnvironment

Youmustloveyourenvironment.Whateveryoubelieveaboutyourworldandenvironment isestablished foryou. Ifyoubelieve thatyou live inaworldofugliness,chaosanddistortion,thenforyoutheworldwillbeaterribleplacetolivein,butifyouchooseinsteadtolookforbeautyandorderintheworld,youwillfindtheminabundance.WinifredWilkinsoninhis“FocusonLiving”said, “Theworldcanbeyours tomouldaccording to ahigherpatternwhen,insteadofagreeingwitherrorsorfightingit,youbringintoyourworldyourhighest ideas and ideals, and look straight through its pretensions to thedesignforabetterlifethathasbeenshownyouwithin.”

Whenyou lovewhatyoudo,youwillbeatpeacewithyourenvironment. Inyour own unique way, you will continuously create your own world. Yourattitudetolifemustchangeforthebest,sothatyoucanchoosethepatterninwhichtoseeyourself.TheentireuniversehasbeencreatedaccordingtoGod’sperfect idea.Nomattertheappearances,all things,allcircumstancesarestill

workingaccording to theperfect idea, theperfectorderofGod.God is inallthings,inallenvironmentsandinallcircumstancesandGod’sperfectpatternisworkingoutaperfectorderintheuniverse.

YourloveforyourenvironmentincreasesyourloveforGod,theomnipresentperfect pattern of the universe. This love draws to you divine ideas for thesolutionofcomplexproblems.Inthiswayyoubecomein-genius.Thisiswhythosewhoneither fightnorresist theso-calledevilare alwaysover-comers,because theyworkwithGod’s perfect plan. Love your environment, love allthings,andyouwillseegreatbeautyinGod’screation.

SeekingBeauty

Thereisahigherpatternbehindallthings.ThisisGod’sunderlyinggoodnessandbeauty,which is ever active in theworld.No circumstance,no situationcan ever reduce the activity of God’s goodness and beauty in the world.Changeyourattitudetolife.Maketheworldacuriosityshop,wherenomatterwhat,youwillalwayslookforthosewonderfulandlovelythingsinlife.Letallthings in your life takeonnewmeaning.Fromtheplainestpieceofstone tothemostbeautifulroseflower,givethemyourattentioninordertobeholdthegloriousbeautyinherentinthem.ThisisthebestwaytoloveandappreciateGod.Onepersonmaylookatastoneandonlyseeapieceofgravelandthrowit away. Anothermay look at the same stone and see a piece of natural artworkandadmirethebeautifulrockformationswithinit.Theonewhothrewaway the stone hadmissed the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of thecolour design of the rock. He missed an opportunity to appreciate theuniquenessofGod’screation.

Anything you do not appreciate or give your attention to cannot reveal itssecretstoyou.Youarenottoseekadreamworld,butabetterunderstanding,a closer communion with the real world. Everything created has its ownsecrets. All circumstances and situations of life have their secrets. They arealwaysveryreadyandwillingtorevealthesesecretstothosewhoseekclosercommunionandbetterunderstandingoftherealworld.

Toseekbeautyinallthingsandinallsituationsisonegreatkeyforunlockinglife’s secrets. When you see the beauty in a seeming chaotic situation, thesecret for turning the situation into a source of good is quickly revealed toyou.Whenyouseekforthebeautyintheworkyoudo,thesecretsformaking

yourworkplaceaparadiseandtransformingitintoagoldmineisrevealedtoyou.Whenyouseekforthebeautyinaplant,theinherentusefulnessofthatplant is revealed. This applies to everything in life. Whatever you lovepassionatelywillrevealitssecretstoyou.Youringenuitywillcomealivewhenyoualwaysseekbeautyinyourlifeandinyourenvironment.

Nigeria,aGloriousNation

Nigerians should start looking forbeauty inourdear fatherland.We shoulddesist from finding faultswithNigeria so thatwemay begin towitness thegloryof ournation in all situations andall hergoodness thatwehaveover-looked. You always find what you want to see. Let us consciously look forgoodnessandbeautyinNigeriaanditwillsurpriseustoseethatNigeriaisaparadiseonearth.The ideaofparadise isnotmerelyadreambecause it isthetruthaboutNigeria.Cometothinkofit,thereisnothinglackinginNigeria.We have everything, whichwere provided in the Garden of Eden.Whatwehave is enough foreveryNigerian to livean ideal life.Theonly thing that islacking is that allNigeriansdonot appreciate themselves asNigerians. Loveand appreciate everything within this paradise called Nigeria; love andappreciateGodfortheabundantblessingsbestowedonNigeria;thenloveandappreciateGodforcreatingyouasaNigerian.

Whenyou learn to thinkandseebeyondappearances,youwillbesurprisedthatthis isanexpansionofthoughtthatwillserveyouadualpurpose.First,youwillexperienceatemporarysuspensionofyourpre-occupationwithwhatyouseeastheillsoftheNigeriansociety.Then,youwillbeginmoreandmoreto perceive that there is an underlying pattern of changeless good all overNigeria. In thiswayyouroutlook forNigeriawill changeandbroaden.Thenyouwill become transformed by the renewing of yourmind about Nigeria;thusbecominganagentofpositivechangeinNigeria.ThethingshappeninginNigeria will offer you a great opportunity to use your ingenuity to solveproblems in a special way. Remember that God is everywhere present inNigeria. God is all good, and the goodness of God is present in all seemingnegativeconditionsinNigeria.God’sthoughtforNigeriaisperfectlygood,andeverythinginNigeriaismeantforthehighestgoodofallNigerians.

UTILIZINGYOURINGENUITY

InNigeria,youcanfindlotsofbeautyandgoodnesseverywhere.TheSouthisblessedwithveryfertilesoil,beautifulweatherandrainforests.TheNorthis

alsoendowedwithfargreaterexpanseofveryfertilesavannahregion,withaterrain that is a beauty to behold. The fertility of Nigeria’s soil is such thatalmost all known food crops, and all economic trees needed forman’swellbeing can be cultivated in large commercial quantities. Almost all knownminerals are found in abundance inNigeria. There isnothing thatmanmayneed to live in paradise that is not found in great abundance in Nigeria.NigeriaistheGardenofEden.

Inspiteofthefactthatwearesolavishlyblessedwithnaturalresources,yetwearenotusingsuchrareblessingstothefullest.WhyareNigerians,whosecountryisaparadise,runningawaytocountriesthatarefarlessblessed?Howcan we start loving, valuing and appreciating the beauty of all our naturalendowments?Howcanwestart lovingandappreciatingourselves?Howcanwe start appreciating our great country Nigeria? How do we start the realprocess of positive change in order to build this country into a globaleconomicpower?

InordertostartutilizingtothefullestallthenaturalresourcesthatwehavebeenblessedwithinNigeria,Changeisinevitable.Changestartswiththewaywethink.“Thoughtisthefirethatcreatesthesteam,thatturnsthewheelof fortune uponwhich your experiences depend” says Charles Hannels.Wemustchangeourvaluesystem,forthegoodofNigeria.Wemuststartarobustreorientationcampaign toeducateNigerianson the importanceof their loveforanddevelopmentoftheirgenius, latentpowers.TherecognitionoftalentandgeniuswillnaturallybringoutthepatriotisminNigerians.Letusloveandappreciateourselvesandourcountry

Your loving appreciation of yourself and others is reflected in your positiveattitudetowardsall.Youshouldbecomethesourceofjoythatshinesthelightofgladnesson thepeoplearoundyouand theworldyou live in.Youshouldbecomeveryusefultotheworld,strivingalwaystodosomethingthatwilladdvaluetoyourlifeandthelivesofothers.Workhardtomakeyourlifecount.Useyouringenuitytoaddvaluetoyourworld,sothatyouwillleavetheworldfarbetterthanyoumetit.“Ingenuity,pluscourage,plusworkequalsmiracles”saidBobRichards.

Nigeria’s natural resources are waiting and begging for your love andappreciation.Theherbs,thefruits,therootcrops,themineralsandeverythinginNigeria, are all begging for your loveandappreciation.Theyhold a lot ofgreatvalue,whichtheyareeverreadytoreleasetous,touseandenjoy.But

wemust recognize and showkeen interest and desire for all the good theyholdinstoreforus.

UnlockingSecrets:TheThree-prongedKey

When you look at an object, and see beyond it to the source of the perfectpatternbehind itsexistence,youhold thekey tounlocking itssecrets.Everycreation of God is awindow throughwhich you can see the face of God. Inorder to unlock the secret storehouse of knowledge of God’s creation, youneed three important steps.Thus,whenyou acquire the deep knowledgeofanyofGod’screation,youhaveautomaticallyacquiredthedeepknowledgeofGod. To do this, you need the three-pronged key: love, humility andexpectancy. The absenceof anyof theseprongsmeans that thekeywill notwork.

LOVE

Pick up any of God’s gifts to Nigeria and look at it very closely: observingcarefullyitscolour,form,shapeandalldetails,includinghowthelightstrikesit.LearntowitnesswhatyoufeelasyouwatchtoappreciateGodforbeingsodowntoearthincreatingthisparticularobject.Seehowpowerfullyloveflowsfromyoutothisobject.Thiskindofloveisnotameresentimentalattachment,butaforcethatholdsthestarsintheircourses.Itisamagnetanditdrawsallthingsuntoit,eventhesecrettruthshiddenintherocksandstones.Theworstcriminalsbreakdownandconfesswhenconfrontedbyonewhodeeplylovesthem.Theobjectyouhaveinyourhandcannotbedifferent.Loveitdeeplyanditwillrevealitselftoyou.

Humility

Asyouobservethisobject,youmustbesohumblethatyoupositivelyforgetallattachmentstoselfandgiveallyourattentiontotheperfectpatternoftheobject.Therehastobeacompleterelaxingofallself-imposedemotions,bothphysicallyandspiritually.LearntodetachyourselfasmuchaspossiblefromthestringsoflifeinordertousethisobjectasamirrorthroughwhichyouseeGod face to face. In thisway you can listen to God talk to you through theobject.

Expectancy

Asyoucontinuetoobservethisobject,youwillnoticethatyouareexpectant.Thisexpectancyshouldbebornoffaith.Beexpectantofobservingsomething

intheobjectthatwillmakeyougaspinaweandwonderatGod’screativity.Beexpectant to observe the gloriousmagnificence of God in every creation, intrees, in flowers, in rivers, in birds in everything. You will hear clearly thevoice of God through all creation. You will see God in all things and in allpeople.

Everything you touchwill reveal to you its secrets andwith this revelation,youwill know how tomake use of it for your highest good. No genius canbecome a genius unless he can look beyond appearances to observe theunderlyingperfectpatternofGodinallthings.

ReachingouttoReceivetheGoodnessofGod

Thereisacentrewithinyouthatradiatespeaceandlove.Whenyoulearntolookforbeautyandgoodnessinyourenvironment,youwillfeelthelovefromwithinradiatingandshiningforthintoeveryareaofyourworldtobringforthbeauty and order. As you continue to look for beauty in everything aroundyou,youwillgreatlyappreciateallpeopleandallthings,andyourworldwillbecomeaparadise.Youwillknowhow to useyourcreative imagination tocreatetheworldofyourhighestvision.YouwilldevelopthehearingearandtheSeeingEye.Youwill beoneof thoseuntowhom it is given toknow themysteriesofthekingdomofheaven;thesecretsofGod’screation.

Inorder to appreciate somethingofbeautyyoumust give it yourundividedattention.Toappreciateagoodspeakeryoumustlistentohim.Toappreciateagoodbook,youmustopen itandread.Youcanonlyappreciateabeautifulroseflowerwhenyouobserveitclosely.Youmustopenyoureyesandlookforbeauty.Youmustwatchit,listentoit,andreachouttoitwithyoursensesandyourmind.Althoughthereisbeautyeverywhere,youmustmaketheefforttosee it andexperience it.Beforeyou canbe ingenious, youmustdevelop thecapacitytolive.Ingenuitydemandsthatyoudevelopthecapacitytofeelmorepeaceful,tolivemoreharmoniously,morelovingly,andtoexperiencemoreoftheinherentgoodnessandbeautyoflifearoundyou.Inordertoreceivemoreoflife’sgoodness,youmustincreaseyourcapacitytothinkandsearchforthegoodnessandbeautyallaroundyou.

God reaches out to you in every single moment from every atom of hiscreation, giving to you the deepest truths, infinite goodness and infinitebeauty.WhenyoutakeasteptowardsGod,hetakesmanystepstowardsyou.

Butyouronestep isvery important.Yourdesire tosee thebeautyofGod isimportant.Beopenandreceptivealwaystothegoodnessandbeautyalloveryouand in every partofNigeria, and seehowwonderfully fulfilled youwillfeel,beingaNigerian.

Look out for and see all the good and beauty in your home, in yourenvironment,inyourworkplace,andinNigeria.Makeityourbusinesstolookfor and see the goodness and beauty in yourself, in all the people in yourfamily, inall thepeopleyoumeeteveryday,andinallNigerians.Rememberthatyourrealandonlymainbusinessinlifeistobearadiatingcentreoflove,life, beauty and goodness. As you search for these wonderful qualities allaroundyou,youwilldevelopthecapacitytogeneratethemtosolvecomplexproblems.Alwaysbe the light in themidstofdarkness andwatchhowyourlight will disperse the darkness all around you. The real you is a radiatingcentreofbeautyandgoodness.Betruetoyourrealself.

As the artist steps back to observe his subject, to get a complete idea of itscomposition, to see it in its entirety; you canalso takea stepback from theappearances of life in order to get a clearer picture. Detach yourself fromwhatever is happening around you and observe it all. Youwill be surprisedthat just as a painting has a background, life also has a background ofperfection:aperfectpattern.YoucanthenknowthatNigeriansincludingyouarerichexpressionsofanopulentuniverse.Thebeauty,goodnessandlavishabundanceofGodareyourstouseandenjoy.

DevelopingyourTalent

Observe yourself and find out thatmental andmoral attitudewhichmakesyoufeelmostdeeplyandvitallyalive.Findoutthethingsyoulovetodomost,especiallythethingsthatyoucannaturallydoverywell.Thereissomethingspecial about you,whichmakesyouunique,whichhas endowedyouwith aspecialtalent.Youmustloveyourspecialtalent,andfindallthegoodnessandbeauty inherent in your world which you can use your special talent todevelop.Thisisyourmainbusinesshereonearth.GeorgeWashingtonCarver,the Negro slave boy of America who became a world-renowned scientist,revolutionizedagricultureintheSouthoftheUnitedStatesofAmericaandthefarmers from that area became the wealthiest in America. He passionatelyloved his work as an agricultural scientist. The farmers of the south wereplantingsinglecropcotton,whichwaswearingouttherichAlabamasoilsandimpoverishingthem.Hediscoveredthatthesweetpotatoandthepeanutwere

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crops,whichcouldbegrownthereinrotationwiththecotton.Hethentaughtthe farmers to rotate the cotton cropswithpeanut and sweet potatoes. Thefarmersstartedproducingmorepeanutandsweetpotatoes than themarketcouldabsorb.Insolvingoneproblem,hehadcreatedanother,asthepotatoesandpeanutswererottingaway.Herewasarealproblem.

Hewentintohischemicallaboratoryandwiththethree-prongedkeyoflove,humility and expectancy; he was able to unlock the secrets of the sweetpotatoes and peanuts.He discovered 300 new uses of the peanuts and 150new uses of the sweet potatoes. Before hewas through, he had rebuilt theagricultureofthesouthofUSA.Theseproductsarefoundinsupermarketsallovertheworld.

I believe very strongly that we have in abundance here in Nigeria, suchmiracle workers as Dr. Carver. These great minds must now come out ofhiding, and put their God given talents to immediate use. You great mindsshouldwithyourlovingappreciationforthenaturalbeautyallaroundNigeria,digdeepintothesecretsofnatureforthehighestgoodofmankind.YouhavetorecognizetheperfectpatternofGod that isbehindallofcreation.Studyituntil you see how it works, and with your raised consciousness gaze withwonderatwhatis instoreinallthings formankind.GivethisgifttoNigeria.Let your burning desire to be of service propel you to find a great need inNigeriawhichyoucanfillwithyouruniquetalent.Itmaybethediscoveryofdifferentusesforagriculturalproducts.Itmaybeauniquewayofsolvingoneof the social problems in Nigeria, like corruption or cultism in tertiaryinstitutions or drug addiction. Youmay find away of assistingNigerians tofeelmorelovedandappreciatedandinthatwayyouassistthemtohavemorelovefortheircountryNigeria.

TheabundantnaturalresourcesinNigeriaarecryingforadequateutilizationforthehighestgoodofallNigerians.FindwhatappealstoyoumostandstartoffsomethingthatwillhelpalleviatethesufferingofNigerians.Yourlifecanbemadetocountonlybywhatyoudoforthegoodofall.Alwayslookforwhatyou can do tomake life easier andmoremeaningful for the greatmajority.Remember thatwhenyouareuseful totheworld,mankindwill rush togiveyoubreadwiththeirpatronage.ThetimewhenyoumustgiveyourselfwhollytoNigeriaisnow.

DoyourWorkwithFaith

When you decide on what you want to do, or when you have chosen thespecial talent you want to develop, you must move towards it with self-confidenceandcourage.Believeinyourselfinordertodevelopthe“Icandoitattitude.” Focus your attention one pointedly to your chosen course to theexclusion of all else. Do everything that needs to be done with determineddiligence,givingyourattentiontoeveryminutedetail.Beofonemindandofasinglepurpose, donot takeyourmind off it until youhave succeeded.Keepfocused and stay centred. Youwill be surprised that the great forces of theuniversewillcometoyouraidattractingtoyouthepeopleandconditionsthatwillassistyoutoachievesuccess.Developthefaiththatisalwaysexpectantofthehighestandthebest.Youwillalwaysreceivewhatyouexpect.Rememberthatwhenyouhavethefaiththat isexpectant,youallowyouruniquenesstounfold and thatwhich is attractedbyyouruniquenesswillmanifest in yourlife.Yourfaithwillassistyoutounfoldyourinnerpotential.

Have faith in God.Have faith in yourself.Always affirm to yourself: “I can, Ican.”LetyourbelievingattitudereleaseGod’senergywithinyousothatyourimprisoned splendour may flow forth. Your faith will release your success,powerandingenuity.

Youarearichandcreativespiritualbeing.MoveonwithfaithtodevelopyourgreatpotentialLettheimprisonedsplendourwithinyouflowforthArousethegreatmiracleworkingpowerwithinyouBethegeniusthatyouarecreatedtobe.YouringenuitycannolongerbesuppressedUseittobuildyourselfup.UseittochangeyourcountryNigeriaUseitforthehighestgoodofmankind.

8

AWARENESS

IamtheSeventheagle.Irepresenttheletter“A”intheseven-letternameN-I-G-E-R-I-A.

IamAWARENESS.BeingaNigerian,IamawarethatGodhasblessedmebeyondmeasure.

Iflyhigherinmygoodnesseveryday.

AWARENESS

YourMostImportantAsset

What is your most important asset or your most valuable possession? It isyour ability to consciously control your life. God createdman and gave himthe privilege and right to have control over his inner world: his mind andemotions.WaltWhitmansaid,“OhwhileIlive,toberuleroflife,notaslave,tomeetlifeasapowerfulconqueror,andnothingexteriortomenshallevertakecommand ofme.” This brings us back to the Scriptural truth, that “Hewhorules his spirit (mind) is greater than he who takes a city.” In order toconsciouslycontrol the innerworld,onehas tobe awareof theworkingsofthe law of mind action, which is the way creative intelligence works.“Whatever takesrootandbecomesa livingbelieforreality inconsciousnessflowsintoexperience.Mindsuppliestheintelligence,powerandsubstancefortheentireprocess”saysCarletonWhitehead.

Withyourthoughtyoucreateyourreality.Youarewhoyouthinkyouare.Youshape your world with your thoughts. Other people’s opinion about youcannotstopyoufrombeingwhoyouare.Yousowseed-ideasintotherichsoilof your mind with your thoughts. These seed-ideas germinate and grow tobecomethelivingrealityofthematureplant.Tounderstandhowthisworks,pickorselectaseed.Beginnowtoimaginetheprocessesatypicalseedgoesthrough - germination, growth andmaturity. As your mind ruminates overthiswonder,youcancompareallthattothewaythemindworks.Imaginetheseedyouholdinyourhandbeingabletogrowintoamaturetree.Theability

to create your world through the imaginative power of your mind, andbringingwhathasbeencreatedintomanifestrealityisyourgreatestassetandmostvaluablepossession.Tobringyourcreationintomanifestreality,thedueprocessoflawmustbefollowed.

Under the above circumstance, two basic laws apply: the authoritarian lawandthenaturallaw.Authoritarianlawisconcernedwiththerulesofconductthat proceed from certain recognised authorities or institutions like agovernment, somesocialorreligious establishment, toexercisecontroloverindividualsandrestrainthemfromabsolutelyexercisingtheirlibertiesaswellasprotecting theirrights for thebenefitof the largersociety.This isnot thelawreferredtohere.

Butwhenwetalkaboutlawwemeannaturallaw,whichreferstothemannerin which power is exercised or the way power works or acts. The law ofelectricity is theway thepowerof electricity acts.This lawhas its essentialqualityasaction.Thislawhasnolimitapartfromtherestrictionimposedonitbyman’slimitedunderstandingofit.Thelawofmindisthewaythepowerofthe mind acts. Everybody is fully connected to the mind of God, whichcontinually pushes the powerof themind throughhim into expression.Thepowerofyourmindisdeterminedbythepowerandnatureofyourthoughtsandfeelings.

There is no restrictive element in theway the power of themind acts. Theaction of themind is only limited byman’s level of understanding. As yourunderstanding of the mind’s action increases, your use of the power of themind will continue to increase. The pattern of your use of this power isdetermined by the state of your consciousness throughwhich this action isfiltered. Changes in the state of your consciousness will naturally producecorrespondingchangesinyourexperience.

Recognitionandrespectoftheundeviatinglawofmindwillassistyouintheprocess of creating for yourself, only the right circumstances and enablingconditionsofyourdesire.Youhavetherightandpowertocreateforyourselfthebestconditions.Alwaysensurethatyoudeployyourknowledgeofthislawtocreateamostgloriousvisionforyourself.

SEEEVERYEXPERIENCEASANO+PPORTUNITY

Yourattitudeaboutwhatisoccurringinyourlifeismoreimportantthanthefactoftheoccurrence.Lifehasnomeaningexceptthemeaningyougivetoit.

Whateverinterpretationyougivetoyourlife’sexperiencesiswhattheywouldmean to you. What you feel about what is happening to you, is what ishappeningtoyou.Itishappeninginyourheart,inyoursoulandinyourmind.Therecordoftheseiswhatyoucallyourexperiences.

Twopeoplemovingtogethertowardsthesamedestinationmaybeconfrontedby the same experience at the same time. Each of them may give it aninterpretationthatiscompletelyatvariancewiththatofhiscompanion.Letusassume that they are confronted by an unruly youth who rains unmeritedabusesonthem.Oneofthemgetssoupsetthatherushesattheyouthtoteachhimthelessonofhislife.Theotheronerunsafterhimtostophimsothattheycouldmoveontotheirdestination.

Whydidthetwopeoplereactdifferentlytothesameexperience?Thereasonis simple: action of the youth had nomeaning except themeaning either ofthemgavetoit.Thetwopeopleweremovingtowardsadestinationwhentheyencountered this boy. Let us call that destination a goal they desired toachieve,ortheirpointoffocus.Thefirstperson,justifiablethough,hadalmostlost focusof the goal theyhad setout to achieve, becauseof thatunmeritedabuse.Butthesecondpersonrefusedtolosefocusandwasabletoremindhiscompanionoftheirgoal.

Howmanytimeshavetheabusesofeverydaylivingforcedyoutolosefocusofwhoyouwanted tobe,whereyouwanted to goorwhat youwanted todo?Areyousomeonewhoisveryeasily irritated?Areyouoneofthosewhofeelthat they have a duty to changewhat is happening out there? You have nobusinesschangingwhatishappeningoutthere–tochangethecourseofthosepetty, distracting occurrences. Your responsibility is: Change what ishappeningrightinsideyou.Pleaserememberthat“youwillneverreachyourdestination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks” WinstonChurchillhasadmonished.

You have to know that awareness is the key to consciousness andconsciousnessisthekeytocreation.Youshouldbeawareofwhoyoudesiretobe, where youwant to go, andwhat youwant to do.Make all the effort toachieve thisagainstallodds.Aswebecome fullyaware,wewilldeliberatelyovercomeeveryobstaclethatmightstandinourwaytoachievinggreatness.

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Such occurrences, now translated into experiences, would then help usovercomechallenges,aswellasidentifyandharnessouropportunities.

Whenyou are aware that everyexperienceof lifehas anunderlying perfectpatternof good for you, it becomesveryeasy for you tobenefit from them.You can easily see the good in seeming unfavourable situations and takeadvantage of them. But when you give attention to the negativity of anysituation, you stop yourself from moving to your goal. Take your time toobservethegoodinherentineverysituation,andseewhatprogressyouhavemade.Appreciateyourselfforwhatyouhavebeenabletoachieve.“Bytakingthe time to stop andappreciatewhoyouare andwhat you’ve achieved andperhaps learned througha fewmistakes, stumbles and losses– youactuallycan enhance everything about you. Self acknowledgement and appreciationare what give you insight and awareness to move forward towards highergoalsandaccomplishments”saysJackCanfield.

Alwaysviewthecircumstancesofyourlifeaspurveyorsofyourgreatnessnomatterwhatevertheyseemtosuggesttothecontrary.Whateverishappeningtoyouisnotreallywhat ishappening,butwhatyouthinkishappening.Youdon’t even have to know that something good is happening to you, for it tohappen. It is occurring whether you know it or not. But if you desire toexperience the good, youmust see it as good. That is what it means to beaware. “The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions ofconsciousnessintoourawareness”saidLaoTzu.

Thegood thingabout life is thatGod isnotbothered aboutwhetherwe seethingsasgoodorbad.Godonlyensuresthateverythinghappeninginourlifeisforourhighestgood.Thequestionisnotifwhatishappeninginourlifeisforourgood,buthowlongitwouldtakeustorecogniseandappreciatethatgraciousgoodness.Assoonasweseetheperfectpatternofcreationandseeevery circumstance of our life as another great opportunity for growth, wewillgrowtobecomewhowedesiretobe.Aristotlesaid“theultimatevalueoflife depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather thatuponmeresurvival.

Necessity is the mother of invention. When there is the appearance ofhardshipinyourlife,youmaylacka lotofgoodthingsnecessaryfor livingafulfilled life.These thingsyou lack serveasnaturalwakeup calls for you tomake use of your latent creative abilities to discover how to provide thoseneeds. “The tragedy of life is inwhat dies inside amanwhile he lives – the

deathof genuine feeling, thedeathof inspired response, the awareness thatmakes it possible to feel the pain or the glory of other men in yourself”(NormanCousins).Whenharshconditionsoflifeforceyoutobecomecreative,willyoucalltheharshconditionsgoodorbad?Shakespearesaid“Nothingisbad, lest your thinkingmakes it so”. The things thathappen toyouhave nomeaningapartfromthemeaningyougivetothem.

HowtoControlyourLife

Asfarasyouareconcerned,themostimportantmomentofyourlifeiswhenyoudiscoverforyourselfthatthingsmayhappenaroundyou,andthingsmayeven happen to you; but the things, which really matter, are the thingshappening inside you. Youmay have very little control of things happeningaroundyouor toyou.Butyoualways live inaworldofyourconsciousness,which is the sum total of all your thoughts.Youhavepower to control yourthoughts. It may not be very easy to control your thoughts because, yourthoughtsmayrunrampant,butitisverypossibleforyoutocontrolhowyouthink.Youwilldiscoverthatyouareagreatlivingmagnet:constantlydrawingtoyourselfthethings,peopleandcircumstancesthatareinaccordwithyourthoughts. You arewho you are, andwhere you are because of theway youthink. You have to accept full responsibility for the experiences of your life.Yourlevelofconsciousness,whichisthereasonwhyyouarewhereyouare,onlyneedstobechangedtoputyouwhereyoudesiretobe.

“Theworldaswehavecreateditisaprocessofourthinking.Itcannotbechangedwithoutchangingourthinking”saidAlbertEinstein.Itispossiblethat you might be tempted to discard this truth, especially as it concernsNigeria’s economy and its impact on you. But if you understand the law ofcause and effect, you will know that everything that happens is caused tohappen.Nothinghappensbychance.Yourlevelofconsciousnessisthereasonwhyyouthinkthewayyouthinkandactthewayyouact.Yourthoughtsandactions are the instruments you use to provoke and draw to yourself,experiencesasthemagnetdrawsironfilingsaroundit.

Oneperson’sstronglyheldbeliefscouldbetransmittedtocontactgroups,andsuchwouldspreadlikewildfireacrosstheplace.ExampleofthisiswhathasbeenhappeningwiththeNigerianTelevisionAuthority’sbreakfastshow,AMExpress which has metamorphosed into Good morning Nigeria. SomeNigerians have used their creativity to project the abounding goodness andbeautyinNigeriathroughthatprogramme.Theprogrammehasalsomadethe

world know about the great opportunities in Nigeria and how they couldharness them. ‘AMExpress’ startedas the ideaof one personbut its impactwaslaterfeltacrossNigeriaandbeyond.

Your life experiences are dependent completely on theway you think. Yourfortune, good or bad, beginswith you. Conditions inNigeria can only affectyoudependingonyourreactionbyfaithorfear.Manyofusarenotpersonallyresponsible for the economic problems in Nigeria, but we are collectivelyresponsible for the cumulative consciousness that caused it. If you conferrealityuponyournegative thoughtsabout thesituationaroundyou throughyour confessions, then you draw the negative effects of such confessions toyourself. Your personal welfare begins with you. It is not about what thegovernment is not doing right; it is not about how bad the economy isperforming;itisallaboutthestateofyourmind.Dependingonyourattitude,hard times can provide you great opportunities for unequalled success.Conversely, you can experience the worst hardship at a time when thecountry’seconomyisbooming.Youcreateyourgoodorbadfortunewithyourmind. “Change your thoughts and you Change your World” said NormanVincentPeale.

Ifatanytimeyouexperienceconfusioninyourlife,itmaysimplybethatyouhad strayed from thinking the right thoughts and doing the right things. Allyou will need to do is to renew your mind by choosing the thoughts andactions that will draw to you your desired good. You have the power tocontrolyourlife.Youcandosobythinkingaboutanddoingonlythosethingsthat will draw to you your highest good. Do not look back in anger norforward in fear but around in awareness. Charles Lindbergh said “Life is acombinationofthepast,anawarenessofthepresent,anindicationofafuturebeyondknowledge,thequalitythatgivesatouchofdivinitytomatter”.

WorkEthics

Foreverythingyoudo,youmustreceiveapayback.Everyactionyoutakeisareflectionofwho you are.You cannotmove towards the East and expect toarrive at the West. The Greek philosopher Zero noted that “The mostimportant part of learning is to unlearn our errors.” We cannot continuethinkingthesameoldthoughts,doingthesameoldthings,andmovinginthesameolddirectionandexpectanythingnewinourlives.Ifwedesirechange,wemustbedeterminedtochangeourattitudetowardsourworkandtowardsour values. We must unlearn our errors. We must disconnect from our

mistakes and start a new process of re-orientation and transformation. TheonlyproblemswehaveinNigeriaarecausedbyouracceptanceoferroneousbeliefs.Theseerroneousbeliefsadverselyaffect theproductivityofNigerianworkers.

The question may arise, why do Nigerians seek for employment? Theimmediate answerwill surely be that they seek for employment tomake aliving. Ifyouronlyreason forseekingemployment is tomakea living, it isagreaterrorthatyouasaNigerianmustunlearn.ThisisthereasonwhymostNigeriansarenotproductive intheirwork.It isalsothereasonwhytheydonotenjoytheirwork.

The question then, is: How can Nigerians derive deep satisfaction and thatsenseoffulfilmentfromtheirwork?Howcanyourjobbemadeacontinuousenjoyableexperience?Whatisthepurposeofwork?Whyallthisstruggleandpaintomakealiving?Isworkreallyacurseplacedonmankind?

Ourjobscannotgiveusthatsatisfactionifwehadsoughtforthemjusttoearna living. Ifouronlyreason forgetting a jobwas toearnan incomethenourworkwould not give us that satisfaction. Therefore alwaysmake yourself avaluable asset in your place ofwork. Do not attach as much importance toyour pay-packet as your contributions to better the organisation orestablishmentthatyouwork.

Themusician,whoseprimaryconcernforplayinghismusicisthemoneyfromit and not the joy thathismusic gives to thosewho listen to it, cannotbe agoodmusician.Theteacherwhodoesnotcarewhetherheisreallyimpartingthe right knowledge to his students, but only sees his teaching career as asourceof livelihoodwillnever enjoyhis teaching.Mostmedicaldoctors andotherhealthprofessionalssacrificetheirtimeandcomforttosavelives.Theyderivelotsofjoyfromdoingthat.

TheultimateNigerianworkershouldnotbe thatworkerwhomerelyworksforthepay,whoissoconsciousoftheclosingtime,whoseeyesfrequentlyrunthrough the clock to ensure that evena-minute-worthofovertime,doesnothappen.TheultimateNigerianworkeristhatworkerwhodoeshis/herworkwith so much passion, so much finesse, and not for the money that comesthrough it; thoughhe/sheunderstands that the job is ameansof livelihood.Suchworkersdonotjustworkforthesalary,butusetheiron-the-jobskillsas

vehiclesofservingGodandcountry.Becauseofthepassiontheyhavefortheirwork,theirworkbecomeforthemanavenueforgrowth.

Thepurposeofexistence isgrowth.Youcannotgrowspirituallyormentallywithout happiness. When you are passionate about your work, youraccomplishments at yourplaceofworkbecomea great sourceofhappinessfor you. By happiness, we are talking about the everyday enjoyment ofeveryday people at their place of work. It is love and laughter and honestenjoyment of the challenges of thework experience. You can have it if youdecide to loveyourwork.Youshouldnotwasteaway in joylessworkwhichattracts small pay and no future, nothing to look forward to. God neverplannedsuchanexistence foryou. It ismanmade,becauseofyournegativeattitudetoyourwork.Themomentyouchangeyourattitudetowork,youwillbegintoenjoyyourworkandgrowinit.Theworkerswhoareenjoyingandgrowing in their work are the workers that are spearheading Nigeria’spositivechangeinthepublicandprivatesectorsofthenation’seconomy.

The passion which makes the worker to give his job his everything alsoinspires the artist to paint a great art, and also inspires the musician tocomposethatunforgettable,melodioussong.Loveforyourworkfillsyouwithineffablestrengthandvitality. There isaninnerfountthatcontinuallygivesstrengthtotheworkerwhoseeshisworkasachannelforexpressinghisGodgiven potentials. The worker, whose interest in his work is his pay-packet,goes home at the end of the day’s work completely tired and exhausted. Itappears as if there is a suction pump within him which draws out all hisenergyfromwithinhim.

Alwaysdoyourworkwithzealandhappiness.Seeyourworkforwhatitis:avehicle to express your unique abilities. Edward Carpenter opined, “Slowlyand resolutely as a fly cleanses its legs of the honey in which it has beencaught.Soremovethou,ifitonlybeforatime,everyparticlewhichsulliesthebrightnessofthymind,returnintothyselfcontenttogive,butaskingnoone,askingnothing.Inthecalmlightofhissplendourwhofillsalltheuniverse,theimperishable indestructible of ages, Dwell thou as thou canst dwellcontented.” Love your work with unselfish love. True love always says toitself:give,giveandcontinuetogive,askingnothinginreturn.Butselfishlovesaysgivetome,givetomeandalwaysgivetome.Atwork,yourselflesslovewillradiatepeaceandharmonytopeoplearoundyou(yourco-workers,your

boss,visitors)andaroundyourworkenvironment.Youwilltransmitpositiveenergyandhappinesswhereveryougo.Nigeriagreatlyneedsyoutobeoneofsuchgreatworkerstoday.

TurningNigeriaAroundfortheBest

Attitudeismoreimportantthanfacts.Lifehasnomeaningexceptthemeaningyougive to it. Lifeproceedsoutof your intentions for it.What you see as aproblem is only a problem because of your attitude towards it. It will stopbeingaproblemwhenyou stopgiving thatmeaning to it. Youare given thepowertogivenamestoeverythinginyourlifeincludingyourcircumstances.Thenameyougive toanything is thename itwillbeknownby.Thatpowerwillalwaysbewithyou.

Mostdiscussions amongNigerians inpublicplaces likebars, eateries,motorpacks,sportsvenuesandofficescentreonthestateofournationaleconomy.Inmostcases,theconsensusisthatalotofthingsaregoingwrong.Wherevertwoorthreepeoplediscussapowerfulenergyisreleased.IfitisaconsensusonnegativityasissooftenthecaseinNigeria,thatconsciousnessisprojectedout as a beacon of darkness adding to the weakening of the economy.Whatever you say concerning the state of your economy is the shape youreconomywillcontinuetotake.

OnesurewayoutofNigeria’seconomicchallengesistheimmediatechangeofthe attitude of Nigerians towards our nation. We must reject excessivepessimismandembraceapositive,optimisticworldview.Letusimmediatelystart a massive transformation campaign for a positive change of attitude.ThiscampaignhastobeaimedatdispellingfearsfromthemindsofNigeriansinordertorestoreconfidenceinourabilitytoattainenviableheightsinlife.

EveryNigerianmustshowconvincingleadershipinhisaffairsandtheconductof his personal business. You should become a leader in any conversationalgrouping where you are involved. Anytime discussions start turning to thehighcostofthingsinNigeria,thedifficultiespeoplearegoingthrough,orthebad state of the economy, do not accept to be part of such discussions.PositionyourselfsquarelyonthepartofthegloriouspotentialsinNigeriaandwhatNigerians cando toharness the abundantblessings for thegoodof allNigerians.LetsomethinggoodaboutNigeriabesaid.

Aperson’sstateofconsciousnessdetermineswhatheattractstohimself.ThepresentstateofaffairsinNigeriareflectsthelevelofawarenessofherpeople.

Your level of awareness sets the tone for what happens to you.When youknowthatyourlevelofawarenessactsasamagnetthatdrawstoyouallyourcircumstances, youwill understand that a positive change in your thoughtswillchangethecircumstances.AchangeinthewayNigeriansthinkwillsurelychangethestateofaffairsofthenationaleconomy.Weshouldunderstandthedynamism of life. If most Nigerians are missing the marks, as it were, weshould grow and learn how to hit our targets. Failure is a vital part of theprocessofachievingsuccess.Itmakesyoutosuccessfullyunlearnyourerrors.Failure is not failure but it onlymeans you have not succeeded yet. It is animportantpartofourlearningprocess,whichpreparesustoachievesuccess.YoucanneverfailtosucceedandNigeriacanneverfailtosucceed.

The attitude of Nigerians must change from negative to positive. We mustdesist fromviewingourcircumstancesasproblemsandstartseeingthemasprojects.Whenyoulookatasituationasaproblem,youapproachitwithfearand trepidation,butwhenyouview it asaproject;youwill confront itwithcourage, faith and determination. Nigeria’s circumstances are wonderfulprojectswhich everyNigerianwill have to brutally confront and execute totheirlogicalconclusion.

Therefore,thereisgreatneedforspecialcontributionsfromyouandme.Yourpositivecontributionsaregreatlyneededeventhoughyoumightaswellhaveyour individual needs. If you lose sight of this awareness, you will denyNigeria theopportunityofbenefitting from that your important gift.Maybeyouareanapplicantrightnowsayingtoyourself,“ifonlyIcouldfinda job.”Knowthatsomeemployerisrightnowthinking,“IfonlyIcouldfindtherightperson for thisposition.”Youareneeded to fillan importantposition in theNigerianproject.

Rememberthateverydifficultlythatyoumayfaceinlifehasanexpirydate.Itcame to you for a very important purpose, to help you learn how to be anover-comer.Itcameintoyourlifetopassawayanditmustpassaway.Whenfaced with it, tell yourself that “this too must pass away.” The moment itpasses,itwillleaveyoustrongerandtougher.Thelearningprocesswhichthenation is right now grapplingwithmust run its course, and leaveNigerianswiser,strongerandmoreprepared.Wewillrecognizethisperiodforwhatitis:ablessingindisguise.

AcknowledgeGod,theUltimateSource

Awarenessmakes itpossible foryou tohaveaclearpicture inyourmindofwhoyoudesiretobe,whatyoudesiretodoandwhereyoudesiretogo.Withclarity,youovercomethegreatenemy,doubtand itscollaborators: fearandfailure.Awarenessenablesyoutobefocusedonwhatyouwanttoachieve.

Life is God in action. All activity is the action of God. Your ability to think,moveorevenraiseyourfingerisamanifestationoftheactionofGodinyou.There is nothing happening that is not a part of God’s omnipresent actionmanifestingeverywhere intheuniverse.Theenergyyouusetoachieveyourgoal is God’s energy. The intelligence you use to be creative is God’sintelligence. There is nothing that is outside God.When you are aware thatGodistheultimatesourceofeverything,youwillbecomeassuredofunlimitedsupplyofallthingsnecessarytofulfilyoureveryneed.

NigeriaasanationmustputGodfirst ineverything, ifwearetoachievethesuccess we desire. The United States of America, whose system ofgovernment,Nigeriahascopied,andwhoseeconomicsystemNigeriaistryingtorun,hasalongtraditionofwhollyrelyingonGod.Thisisevidentinwhatisboldlywrittenonthegreensideofallhercurrencynotes“INGODWETRUST.”

Moneyisthesymboloftheeconomiccurrentofanynation.Moneyisalsothesymbol of God’s limitless substance. This iswhymoney printed in paper iscalled currency notes. Currency is derived from current which means thecontinuousflowofGod’slimitlesssubstance.

For Nigeria to wholly acknowledge God as the ultimate source of all oursupply, Nigeria has to reprint all her Currency notes. God has to beacknowledged as the source of the continued flow of limitless substance,whichtheNairarepresentstoeveryNigerian.WehavetoprintononesideofalldenominationsoftheNairaCurrency,statementsthatacknowledgeGodastheultimatesource,suchas:WERELYONGOD,orWETRUSTINGOD,orGODISOURSOURCE,orTOGODBETHEGLORY,orOUREYESAREONGODetc.

Acknowledging God as the ultimate source does not change God. But itchangestheconsciousnessoftheindividualwhohandlesthesymbolofGod’slimitlesssubstance.ItchangestheattitudeoftheentirepopulationintobeingGodcentredeveninfinancialtransactions.AnybodywhoisGodcentredinhisfinancial transactions, will find it unnecessary to cheat others. Thismay beanothergreatmovetowardsfightingcorruption.

Another significant feature of theAmerican currency is the colour of green.Green represents spiritual substance, whose nature is infinite or limitlessexpansion.Thegreenherbsandplantsofthefieldwerecreatedwithin-builtpotentials for infinite expansion, as God had originally commanded them toincrease and multiply, and replenish the earth. They have continued toincreaseandmultiply,toensurethatmanusesandenjoysthemtothefullest.TheyrepresentGod’slavishabundance.

Thegreen colour in theAmerican currency is anacknowledgementofGod’slavish abundance for the people of America. Americans have continued toenjoyGod’s lavish abundance. EveryAmerican proudly refers toAmerica as“God’sowncountry.”NigeriansmustnowproudlyandwithaheartfilledwithgratituderecognizeNigeriaasalandofabundance.Nigeriaislavishlyblessedbeyondmeasure. All that is required ofNigerians is to acknowledge God asour ultimate in everything. We must love who we are. Any Nigerian whoaspires to a leadership position must have as his ultimate aim, a desire toserveNigeria.Inwhateveryoudo,acknowledgeGod.YouserveGodwhenyouserveyourcountrywell.Inanyleadershippositionthatyoumayfindyourself,youmust know that a true leader is the chief servant of his people. Let thepeople you serve enjoy the wonderful love of God, with you as the humaninstrumentfortheout-pouringofGod’sloveonthem.Itisimportantforustounderstand the ultimate truth, as noted by Neale Donald Walsch in his“ConversationswithGod”that

Atruemasterisnottheonewiththemoststudents,butonewhocreates the mostmasters. A true leader is not the onewith themostfollowers,butonewhocreatesthemostleaders.A true King is not the onewith themost subjects, but onewholeadsthemosttoroyalty.A true teacher is not the onewith themost knowledge, but onewhocausesthemosttohaveknowledge.A true God is not the onewith the most servants, but onewhoservesthemosttherebymakingGodofallothers.ForthisisboththegoalandgloryofGodthathissubjectsshallbenomore,andthatallshallknowGodnotastheunattainable,butastheunavoidable.There isnowaywe canavoidGod inour life and succeed. So ineverythingwemust acknowledge God as our ultimate source ofall-good.

FlyEaglesFly

ItisnotbychancethatNigeria’s“CoatofArms”hasapowerfulEaglestandingmajestically at the top-centre of the shield, with two strong horses on bothsides of the shield. The two horses represent strength of character and thepower to succeed and overcome against all odds. It shows Nigeria as big,strongandreliable.Theeagle,which is thepowerful largebirdofpreywithverygoodeyesightthatcansoarintotheskywithease,showseveryNigerianashavingtheabilitytoriseupwitheaseintothehighestheights.

Nigeria’spastheroes,thegreatmindswhoadoptedthe“CoatofArms”lookedthrough theveil, and saw the reality that isNigeria.Nigeria isunlimited; assucheveryNigerianisofnoblebirth.AnyNigerianwhosebehaviourdoesnotindicate nobility has sold his birthright for a pot of porridge. TheNigerianswhosoldtheirbirthrightinthepastdidsobecauseofignorance.Theywerenot aware ofwho they reallywere. Now that they know, they only have toariseandcomebacktothemselves.

Nigeriansarepeopleofintegrity.GoanywhereintheworldandwhenyoufindNigeriansinDiasporawhoarelivingasthepeopleofnoblebirth,theyexhibitthehighestformofintegrity.ThisiswhylotsofNigeriansareoccupyingverysensitive key positions all over the world. Find any black man anywhereoutside Africa,who does hisworkwith dignity and confidence and you areseeingatrueNigerian.Thelifeofintegrityisinourculture.Itisinourblood.Integrityisourwayoflife.

MostNigerianshavepreoccupied theirmindswithsomuchnegativityaboutNigeriathattheyseemtorefusetolookfortheabundantinherentgoodnessinNigeria.Why dowe alwayswant to blowout of proportion an insignificantnegative occurrence in such a way that covers the abundant positivity andgoodness inus?Normalpositiveoccurrencespassunnoticed formanyyearsand no one is grateful for them. But if for one briefmoment, anything thatlooksabnormaloccurs,itmakestheheadlinesinournews.

Doyouseeyourselfassomeonewho issomuchendowedthatyoucansoarintothehighheavensasaneagleandachievewhatyouwanttoachieve?Stopperchingwiththechicksonthedirtoftheearth.Flyeaglefly!Weseeyouasyou see yourself and all the universe will be behind you, lending you theneeded support. You must know that no other person will give you the

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confidenceyouneedbutyourself.NoforeignersaremakingAmerica,Britain,Japan,andeventheAsiantigers,thegreatcountriestheyarenow.“Thewayyoumakeyourbedishowyoulieonit”saysanoldadage.

The time to criticize and condemn and expect the otherman to correct thesituation is over. If youhave the ability to see thewrong, youalsohave theabilitytoseetheright. Ifyouhavetheabilitytocondemn,youalsohavetheability tobless. Ifyouhave theability to identify theproblem,youalsohavetheability to identify thesolution. Ifyouhave theability tobenegative,youalsohavetheabilitytobepositive.“Letusall takeafirmdecisionto“bethechangeyouwanttoseeintheworld”(MahatmaGandhi).Wehavetoborrowaleaf fromtheAmericanexperience.EveryAmericanisveryproudtoidentifyhimselfasanAmerican.This issimplybecauseeveryAmerican isalwaysonthelook-outforwhathecandoforAmericatocontinuetomakehergreater.EveryAmericansearchesfortheneedofAmerica,whichhecouldfill.TheyseeAmericaasalandofopportunities.

Do you not see Nigeria as a land that has far more opportunities thanAmerica? Do you not see the great need, which Nigerians now have forpositive change and the raisingof their consciousness as anopportunity foryoutobeaprimemovertorestoreNigeria’sgreatness?Lookaroundyouandyouwilldiscoverwhattodotobecomeveryusefultoyourenvironment.Yourspecialtalentsaregreatlyneedednow.Beamotivator,andloveyourcountrywithgreatpassion.WorkwithenthusiasmtorestoreNigeria’sglory.

In order to be a prime mover of positive change in Nigeria and todemonstratebeing the changeyouwant to see, there arepriceless gifts youshouldgivetoeveryNigerianwhocomesintoyourorbit.Givekindness,givelove,givejoy,givepeace,givehope,giverespect,givecourage,giveahelpinghand, give time, give compassion, give empathy, give a listening ear, giveharmony, give integrity, give complements, give trust, give attention, givehonour,giveclarity,givepatience,giveprayer,giveyourholyself.Whateveryougivetoanotheryougivetoyourself.Whateveryouwithholdfromothersyouwithholdfromyourself.Sowonlygoodseedsandyouwillreapgoodfruitsin return.Be thegoodyoudesire to see inourbeloved countryNigeria andyourrewardwillexceedyourwildestimaginings.

9

NIGERIAINANEWDAWN

Youcanbethelightthroughyourshiningexample.Speakwordsoflove,peace,wisdomandencouragement

NIGERIAINANEWDAWN

TheNewBeginning

Inthecourseofthisbook,wehavebeenengagedinanintenseandextensivestudy of life changing principles from the seven words of the seven-letternameNigeria.Wehaverepeatedlystressedthetruththatthereisabundantinherent goodness in Nigeria and in all Nigerians. Nigeria is now at thecrossroadsofanewbeginning,thedawnofanewera.WeareallanewraceofNigerians, living in the most exciting and expansive era in our country’shistory. It is a time of growth for every individual, a time when we mustrealizethatwearemeantforfarmorethanwhatwearenow.Thisisthetimewhen we must see every adverse condition as offering us a marvellousopportunity for unending growth and expansion. This is the time for us topositively change our perspective about our country. “Life is a series ofnaturalandspontaneouschanges.Don’tresistthem.Thatonlycreatessorrow.Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward whatever way theylike”(LaoTzu)

Nigerians have come to a point where all must work hard enough for thedevelopment of their unique latent potentials. Have you consciously orunconsciously buried your talents? God gave you talents according to yourinnateabilities,andwhenyourefuse touse them, theyare takenaway fromyouandthisresultsinwhatyouseeasharshconditionsoflife.Youruseofthewonderful gifts of God,willwork for you, according to the strength of yourconviction.Youcanbecomeefficientinthedevelopmentofyourtalentswhenyou put them to active use. Intelligence increaseswith application and use.

I

Athletesdeveloptheirmusclesbyexercise.Anartistbecomesperfectthroughpractice. The baby learns to walk by practice. You develop your talents byconstant application. You will never reap any reward from your buriedtalents. When Nigerians start developing their talents, the benefits will bewonderful.ThebasicneedsofeveryNigerian,whichistolivealifeofdignityand to escape from the struggle for simple survival, will easily bemet. Theevolutionofthesoulisenhancedwhentheprincipaloccupationisnotfocusedon the struggle for simple survival. The assurance of the basic needs of lifeencouragespeople toengage inmoregainfulsoulenrichingpursuits.This iswhyall the endowmentsofNigeriamustbeutilized for thegreatestgoodofall.

TheNobilityofeveryNigerian

Lookstraightintoyoureyesatyourreflectioninamirrorandaskyourselfthesoul-searchingquestions:WhatamI?WhoamI?Istheresomethingaboutmethat is greater thanmyphysicalbody?Can I be completely identifiedbymyphysicalappearance,moods,qualifications,propertyornationality?Youhavefor too long identified yourself only with the physical body, and this hadimposedalotoflimitationsonyou.Youhavealwaysfeltbiggerthanwhatyouknowofyourself. In the innermostrecessesofyoursoul,youknowthatyouareindeedaspiritualroyalty.Youareofnoblebirth.Youarethetrue imageandlikenessofGod.“Everyonehasaspiritthatcanberefined,abodythatcanbe trained insomemanner,asuitablepart to follow.Youarehere torealiseyour inner divinity and manifest your innate enlightenment”. (MoriheUeshiba).Younowhavetostretchforthyourspiritualwingsliketheeagleandsoarintotheskyofgoodnesswhereyoutrulybelong.

In essence, now that you know you are of noble birth, your actions mustportraythisnobility.Bea light inthedarkness.Youcanbethelightthroughyour shining example. Speak words of love, peace, wisdom andencouragement to all those you relatewith. Feel a personal commitment toworking for the growth of everyNigerian. Seek to build and not to destroy.Speakonlyintruthfulnessandactonlyinlove.Useeverymomenttosaysomegraciouswordsaswellasdosomenobledeeds.Protectotherpeople’sright;preserve other people’s dignity. Find the need of Nigerians, and fill it. Be ablessing to everybodywhoenters your life and to everyonewhose life youenter. Be a light in Nigeria, and keep this light shinning. In this way, yournobilitywillshineforth.

IntegrityasaWayofLife

Foranycountrytobecomeahighlydestinedsociety,mostofitscitizensmustbe people of high moral standards. The Nigerian, who wishes to serve hiscountry in any capacity, must understand and appreciate the beauty ofreinforcing himself with the power of his character by being truthful, andmorallyuprightineverythingheisdoing.Hemustbeamanonwhompeoplecan rely.Hemust value his conscience and never break his vowbymakingsure that his word must be his bond. His speech, which he knows is anannouncement to theworld of his character,must come fromhis heart andnotfromhistongue.

The man of integrity does only what feels right without seeking popularopinion or approval. He follows the built in gauge, which tells him thedifferencebetweenwalkingthehighroadofintegrityandmoralrectitudeandjoiningthemassestodowhatevertheydo:whetherrightorwrong.Herefusesto join them, even if joining them to do what is morally wrong would notmatter to anybody. He knows that “He who does a good deed is instantlyennobledandhewhodoesameandeedisbytheactionitselfcontracted.Hewhoputsoffimpuritytherebyputsonpurity.”

HowtoBecomeaGreatNigerian

Thepower to createordestroyyourownworld is in yourhands.Whateveryougiveattentiontoisproducedinyourexperience.Youarewhoyouthinkyou are, and you will become who you believe you can become. God hasequippedyouwithall thatyouneed tocreatewhoyoudesire tobe.All thatyourequire is todevelop the“I-can-do-itattitude.”Youmust learn to followyour inner promptings instead of conforming to public opinions about youandtheworldaroundyou.Youcannotachievegreatnessifyouallowyourselfto be restricted by public opinions about you, or if you allow the public tosqueezeyouintotheirmould.

Youareworthyof thehighest ideals in life.Believeverystrongly inyourselfandeliminatealldoubtsaboutyourabilitytorisetoenviableheights.Refusetoentertainthoughtsoffearorinadequacy,fortheyhavenopoweroveryou,unless you allow them to. Have faith in God and implicit confidence inyourself. To achieve greatness, youmust have a life ambition or some focalpointofliving.Yourlifeambitionshouldbesuchthatyoucanuseyouruniquetalentstoachieve.Useyourpotentialstomakeyourlifecount.Chooseagoal

for yourself. Work towards achieving it. Never quit even in the face ofdifficulties. Always desire to do great things; believe very strongly that youcouldaccomplishgreatfeats;thegreatforcesoftheuniversewillsupportyou.Aim at the highest and the best, and your achievementswill be far greaterthanyourwildestimaginations.

Yourunique talent isgreatlyneeded for thegrowthofyourcountryNigeria.Lovewhoyouare,youcanachievegreatnessbybeingyourrealoriginalselfandnot the imitationorduplicateofanotherperson.Gowithinand findoutthose things,whichgiveyou thegreatest joyand innersatisfaction.Findoutthatworkwhichmakesyou feelathome.Goaheadandstartdoing it to thebestofyourabilityandyouwillsurelygrowandbecomeverygreatinit.

True greatness depends more on inner overcoming than on outerachievements.Nomatterwhatdifficultiesyoumaymeetalongtheway,knowthat failure is nothing but success trying to be born in a bigger way. Mostseemingfailuresarejustinstalmentstowardsvictory.Missingthemarkisoneofthewaysinwhichwelearntohitthetarget.Failurethereforeisavitalpartofachievementandgreatness.

JamesAllenadvised:

Dreamloftydreams,andasyoudream,Youshallbecome.

Yourvisionisthepromise Ofwhatyoushallonedaybe.Yourideaistheprophecy Ofwhatyoushallatlastunveil.NigeriaisRichlyEndowed

Again,Godisathreefoldbeing:GodtheFather,GodtheSonandGodtheHolySpirit, making up the Holy Trinity. Man, like his heavenly father, is also athreefoldbeing,manthespirit,manthemind,andmanthebody,makinguptheHolyTrinity.Manisendowedwiththreegreatcreativeenergies:thought,word and action. With these creative energies, he creates his world andexperiences. The process of creation startswith the thought. Everythingwesee in our world is first a thought in someone’s mind. Every thought iscreative,andtothedegreethatitisheldferventlyastruth,tothatdegreeitisused to create your experience.Youare endowedwith the power to choose

thewayyouthink.Inordertouseyourmindtogreatadvantage,dailychoosetothinkhighaboutyourself.Imaginewhoyoucouldbeifyoulivedyourlifeatthehighest level of your true self. Consciously changeyour thoughts,wordsandactionstomatchyournewvisionaboutyourself.

Monitor your every thought,wordandaction toensure that theyare in linewithwho you now desire to be, and hold fast to them until they become alivingrealityinyourmind.Anythoughtthatisnotinharmonywithyournewvision,move away from it, and choose anew thought.Anything that youdonot desire in your life, desist from thinking about it and stop giving it yourattention.Nigeria isendowedwithoveronehundredandsixtymilliongreatmindsthatcaneffectivelyusetheircreativeabilitiestotransformNigeriaintoaHeavenonearth.

Nigeria has arrived at a point where Nigerians must consciously use theircreative abilities to harness all the natural resources in the country to turnNigeriaintoaheavenonearth.ThespecialtalentofeachindividualisagreatendowmenttobeusedtogiveNigeriaaspecialgift.YouareneededandyourgiftisimportantforthegrowthofNigeria.

TakePersonalResponsibilityforyourLife

Life is a process of creation; this we have noted before and nothing everhappensby chance.Thismeans that everything is caused tohappen.Man isresponsibleforeverythinghappening intheworldtoday.Heusesthepowerofhisthoughttocreateandrecreatehisworldonamoment-to-momentbasis.Withyourthoughtsoftoday,youbuildyourtomorrowandlifecontinueslikethat.Everycreationofmanbringshimitscommensuratecompensation.Everyactionis followedbyareaction.Asamansows,sohereaps.Therefore,yourconsciouschoiceofthoughtsandactionswillmakeyouthemasterofyourlifeand nomore a victim of circumstances. The condition of things in Nigeria,whichistheout-picturedthoughtsandactionsofNigerians,willchangewhenNigeriansconsciouslystartchoosingpositivethoughtsandactions.Nigeriansmust stop theworship ofmaterialism in order to encourage people to lookinwardsanddeveloptheirtalents.Geniusandtalenthavetobegiventheplaceofhonourinpreferencetomediocrityinallaspectsofourdailylife.Thisistheeasiestway to consciously expunge corruption fromourbodypolity. This istheonlywayfortruepositivechange.Nigeriansmustnowstartchoosingnewpriorities and values. These priorities and values must provide for all, the

greatest opportunities for self-expansion, inner peace, joy, freedom and theloveandrespectofself.Selfconfidenceisagreatassetforself-actualization.

ThetimehascomewheneveryNigerianmusttakepersonalresponsibilityforthe good of all other Nigerians. We must develop the heart that is largeenough to accommodate every Nigerian. Our destiny is in our own hands.Begintotakepersonalresponsibilityinordertoupliftthepeoplearoundyou;in this way, you will contribute to the growth and greatness of our dearfatherland.

EncouragingNigerianstobeIngenious

Ingenuity is theability tocleverly findnewandsimplesolutions tocomplexproblems.Thiscanonlybepossiblewhenone loveshimself, loveshiswork,andloveshisenvironment.LoveandappreciateyourselfasauniquecreationofGod,speciallydesignedwithtalentsforaveryimportantuniquepurposeinlife.Loveyourself inorder todevelopself-confidence,which isagreat assetfor self-actualization and unending expansion. You are original and specialandnottheduplicateofanother.Loveyourself,sothattheinherentgoodnessandwisdominyouwillshineforthtosolvecomplexproblems.

Youarecreatedtogivetotheworld,aspecialgiftwhichnootherpersoncangiveinitsoriginalstateasbestasyoucan.Whenyoudonotunderstandyouroriginalityyoumaydoalotofthingstopleaseothersortobelikethemonlytomeetwith failure and disappointments. This is good for it assists you towakeuptoyouroriginalself.Thebestthatisinyoucanonlyshineforthintoyourworkwhenwhatyoudomakesyoufeelthat“thisistherealme.”Donotidentifyyourselfwithanylimitingthoughts.Donotfeeldisappointedifyoudonot succeed in your first or even second attempt. Remember that mostseeming failuresareonly instalments towardssuccess.Youcannever fail tosucceed.Awholelotofpossibilitiesareawaitingyou.Lovewhatyouaredoingandall theforcesoftheuniversewillcometoyourassistancetoensurethatyousucceed.

ThinkandActwithClarity

Knowledgeispower.Youcannotactbeyondwhatyouknow.Goldismeantforonlythosewhoknowitsvalue.YoucansitontherichesttreasuresonEarthand still wallow in abject poverty because of ignorance. The gold you havewithinyourcompoundcannotsaveyoufrompenuryifyouneitherdiscoveritnorknowitsvalue.

Lifeisgovernedbylaw.Yourignoranceofthelawcannotstopitfromdoingitsperfectwork.Again, the lawofelectricity is theway thepowerofelectricityworks.Whenyouunderstandthislaw,youwilluseittoeffectivelyutilizethecurrent of electricity to solve a lot of your problems. Butwhen you do notunderstand it, and you go against it, the power of electricity becomes sodevastating that it can causeyourdeath.Theelectric currentknowsonly toflowwhereitisdirected.Itdoesnotknoworcarewhethertheworkitisdoingis constructive or destructive. Youmust ensure you understand this law inordertouseittoadvantage.

Thelawofmindactionisthewaythepowerofthemindworks.Mindpowerflowstoyourobjectofattentiontoproduceyourreality.Itiscontrolledbythepatternof your thoughts and feelings, conscious, or unconscious.We all areconnected to theuniversalmindofGod,which is thesourceofmindpower,and thispower is filtered throughourconsciousness intoourworld to formourexperiences.

Foralittleillustration,letusconsiderthelightinamovieprojector.Thepurewhitelightpassesthroughthefilmontothescreenaspeopleandeventsthatwewatch.Whatwewatch can be comedy or tragedy depending onwhat isstored in the film. Remember, neither the light from the projector nor thescreenisresponsibleforwhatappearsonthescreen.Whatappearsiswhatisstoredinthefilm.Tochangewhatappears,youdonottamperwiththelightfromtheprojector,northescreen,whichdisplaysit,youonlychangewhatisstored in the film, or the film itself. Universal mind can be likened to thesourceofthewhitelightandtheprojectoristhelaw,whichprojectsthelightthrough the filmof yourmind, onto the screenof your experiences. If thereareexperiencesinyourlifewhichyoudonotlikeyoucannottamperwiththelightfromuniversalmind,youcannottamperwiththepowerthatbeamsitatthefilmofyourmind,butyoucanchangethefilmsothatthescreenofyourexperienceswillchange.

Whenwelearnandunderstandhowthepowerofmindactionworks,wewilluseittoadvantage,tocreateforourselves,onlythedesiresofourheart.ThismustbeouraiminNigeria.EveryNigerianhastobehelpedtounderstandtheperfect workingsofthislawandthiswillassisthimtochangefrombeingavictimofcircumstancestoamasterofhislife.

As a Nigerian Positively changed into greatness with the requisite noblestattitudes, you are challenged to take hold of all the wonderful virtues that

Nigeria represents. Become a part of the great wind of positive changeblowingacrossNigeriarightnow,andsupportthatmovementtoincreaseinintensityasthedaysgoby.BelieveverystronglythatthelightofwisdomwillcompletelydispersethedarknessofignorancetoestablishthetruththatmustseteveryNigerianfree.“Weneedtohavecompletecertaintythatthingswillworkout,notbecausewearerighteousorwise,butbecauseofthetime,theeffort,theprayersandthetoolsweareusing.Fromthemomentwearegivenawareness about some bigger picture ormissionwe have to have completefocusonwhattodotogettothatplace”saidYehudaBerg.

Keepthehighwatchoftruthbyknowingthatwhereveryouare,andwhateveryourexperience,youareagreatlightandstarinNigeria.Thesegreatvirtuesareintendedtoincreasethevalueyouhaveforyourselfandforyourcountry.AsaNigerian,whereveryoumaybe,youareaseedaboundingwithunlimitedpossibilities, of limitless life, intelligence and expansion. You are of noblebirth,leadingalifeofintegrity,destinedtobegreat,endowedwithwonderfulpotentials, responsible for all the good now manifesting in your life andNigeria, using your ingenuity to solve complex problems and aware of youronenesswithGod.

Remember that the consciousness of society as a whole, which certainlyincludes your next door neighbourwill be influenced for good or ill by thekindof thoughts thatruleyourmindandmanifest inyourworld.So, for thesake of your own good and for the good of all Nigerians, think the highestthoughts,speakthehighestwordsanddothehighestdeeds.BewillingtogiveyouruniquegiftstoNigeriaandtoNigerians,andingiving,youincreaseyourwillingnesstoreceive.ThinkthebestforNigeriaandindoingsoyouwillthinkthebestofyourself.Speak lovingwordsaboutNigeriaand toNigerians,andbecauseyoudo, youwillbuildarelationship thatwillbless youmany timesover.

Nigeria issobig,and theproblemsmayappearsowidespread thatyoumayaskyourself“WhatcanIdoasanindividual?HowcanIhavesomeinfluenceonsuchagiganticproblem?”

Inthisconnection,CannonFarrarprovidestheanswerinthefollowingwords:

Iamonlyone,butIamone.Ican’tdoeverything,butIcandosomething.WhatIcando,Ioughttodo,

BythegraceofGodIwilldo.InthesameveinMotherTheresasaid,“Ialonecannotchangetheworldbut,Icancastastoneacrossthewaterstocreatemanyripples”.Study Nigeria’s virtues, understand and apply them. God will bless Nigeriathroughyou. Godwill bless youmany timesover andblessNigeria throughyou.

TheNewDawn

Like the sun that rises in sweet gentleness, but with great majesty andsplendour,todispersethedarknessandusherinabrightnewdawnwithitsglorious rays, so has truth risen in the hearts andminds of Nigerians. Thistruthwilldispersethedarknesscausedbycorruption,greedandselfishness,andusherinabrightnewdawn;inwhichNigeriansthroughtheconstructiveuseofallknowledgewillrebuildNigeriaintoaglobaleconomicpowerandaGardenofEden.