BETWEEN G20 AND PASTOR POJU OYEMADE – THISDAYLIVE

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Keir Starmer, and the leader of the opposition, Kemi Badenoch had a debate that never was, at least two decades ago. It has become one where courts had to pronounce a ruling, that is, whether transwomen are women. Most Nigerians cannot relate to why this, but they can relate to the fact that nothing, these days is straightforward. Everything is up for debate. Can we say snow is really white if red, blue and green have the capacity to combine in the colour’s formation on screen? Is white even a colour? If I give you money in anticipation of a certain action from you, should you not refund me if you later insist on not carrying out the action? Nothing is straightforward anymore.

Take the N300m matter between the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the Rivers State Government. You’d think, being an issue involving lawyers, that logic cannot be scarce. Hence, except the N300m was a personal gift from Governor Sim Fubara, the NBA has to refund if they are moving their conference away from Rivers. If the Rivers State Government gave you N300m in anticipation of hosting your conference, moving the conference from there suggests the context of that transfer has changed.

It ought to be that straightforward. I see no reason why any complications should arise. Anything short of reverting to status quo would read like advance fee fraud. And we all know the NBA isn’t a fraudulent organisation. N300m isn’t worth its prestige and essence. You don’t want your legacy defined by this. Reverse the transfer, or revert to the conditions that got you the sum in the first place. Or is the Rivers State Government sponsoring the NBA Annual Conference in Enugu? That’s such a paltry sum for an organisation that makes revenue in the billions via this same conference. Even if the money wasn’t this small, it is about the principle of it. Again, things are no longer straightforward because if they were, the money would have been refunded before an announcement about a change of location was made. Perhaps we are discussing this because, in Nigeria there is the assumption that, “it is government money after all” so it is okay to do whatever with it. But hey, this is the NBA. Its standards should be above this norm. Is it?

In the past, one could preach and go to bed knowing that their church members are aligned with their position on the subject matter. These days, that your members agree and align does not mean your message, no matter how simple, will not be deemed controversial. I believe Pastor Poju Oyemade of Covenant Christian Centre knows this already but even he would have been shocked to see that a message asking for one not to hate one’s country, it is self hate and should not be encouraged. I could go into the self-fulfulling prophecy effect of hating one’s country but that’d be me rehashing my position.

I wouldn’t be because I know them too well, but you could be shocked to learn that the people who came at him with insults and hatred are primarily those who often claim that, ‘a new Nigeria is possible’, whilst doing everything to show that they don’t believe in Nigeria, let alone the possibility of its evolution into some otherworldly newness.

Riddle me this, how can you want a country to change but you hate it in the same breath? Is it love for one’s country that inspires the quest for change or the hate for same? I refuse to believe that these people aren’t aware that you can hate a system, abhor its rulers and still love the country. There are many things I’d love to see change in Nigeria, because I love this country.

This new movie on Netflix, G20, starring Viola Davis is a classic American soft power product that reflects a few lessons. Hate them or love them, you can’t ignore them. It starts from the poster. “20 Nations. 19 Captives. 1 Hope”. Guess who the Hope is? I want to avoid spoilers. The bottom line is, they manage to continue to perpetuate this idea of America that saves the world. This time, by their President. That storyline is such a contrast from the contemporary reality of America’s place in the tangible world. I guess this is why, irrespective of who the current leader is, America as a system stays resilient and always manages to win or at least never ultimately loses.

The reverse is why some countries have never known wholesome and deepening success. A country stands no chance if a substantial part of its people cannot differentiate hate for government or its elements, from hate for country. Even in the world of fiction where imagination is free and limitless, some cultures insist on telling a reductive or unwholesome story of who they are, whilst others extend reality, not denying what is, but insisting on projecting what can be. That way, those committed to a better future have a guide, a template of what is possible. Their minds are stretched, their brains can see.

Here, even those who claim, without any proof, to want a new Nigeria, dwell on that possibility from their obsession with dancing on every negative thing about the country, whilst intentionally and desperately ignoring every good news. It’s a design. In countries like the U.S., the future emerges from the beliefs shaped by an identity formed out of ideas that stood in contrast to the reality they faced when such ideas found life.

This G20 movie looks at the future of the world and America’s place in it whilst preferring to look past America as it is today. It is not much different from the preacher who said, “people are being programmed to hate their country, which is self-hatred”. It is an understanding that love for one’s country is constant, irrespective of who or what changes with government. Is this too complex a position for the human brain?

 Omojuwa is chief strategist, Alpha Reach/BGX Publishing