The recent happenings in Nigeria have made even the most disinterested of us interested. Every corner of the social media universe is crammed with conversations on politics and other social issues bothering us all. It is safe to say that Nigeria, today, is mostly conscious, politically.

In my assessment, although we are deeply invested in the politics of it all, there is very little of nation-building in all these. To build a nation, we must look beyond the politics. But how can we, when we are immersed in all the noise? Politics is noisy; politicians are noisy. The noise is actually part of the game. It is like the circus, the noisiest act attracts the largest crowd. But this is not nation building.

While politics involves the few members of the political parties and sundry, building a nation involves everyone. In Nigeria, nation building has since been lost in the quagmire of elections; every cycle comes with a unique taste and hype, and just when the dust settles, the dream for a nation is further buried.

In the long list of ingredients of nation building, one thing stand out: it takes all of us. It will take all Nigerians to make Nigeria great; from the diaspora to the homeland, every hand has to be on deck.

Three things we must do together to build a better nation:

We must Believe Together

If as a people we do not believe it is possible to build a great nation, then it won’t be built. There are few things that can withstand the strength of our collective faith. We need to believe.

We must trust in work

No society has ever been built by lottery and gambling. People must restore faith in real, hard work. Every time a society celebrates thieves and crooks, they lower the standard two steps. Young people must believe and see that hard work is the only and surest way to succeed. That way, they will begin to work hard.

We must be accountable

I have observed a weird direct correlation between an efficient tax system and an accountable society. When it comes to resource management, we need to be accountable. As a people, we must expect and demand accountability from everyone. This is how we are going to build an upright and true nation. Parents must expect it from their children, and children their parents.

This is by no means exhaustive; however, it is a great way to start, and it will take everyone to make it a success.

Cheers.