At the time we screamed “happy new year” in Nigeria, China was already 7 hours into 2022, Dubai had been 3 hours into the new year while America (Washington) has to wait another 6 hours to earn the privilege to yell happy year 2022.
The fact of the differentials in timings are so glaring but the implications have been seemingly elusive to must of us. One essential abstraction therefrom is that, we all have our various time and timing (also, referred to as time and chance) but unfortunately, most times we make the mistake of evaluating and estimating ourselves based on other people’s itineries, timelines, successes, failures, trajectories and speed.
As we continue our journies in 2022, it is instructive that we reckon that, to make headway, we must resuscitate the spirit of camaraderie, agree that our achievements are in-part a function of the achievements of other people and we must be deliberate with applying knowledge in a manner that leverages patience and eschews malevolence.
False witnessing, ambivalence, contorting truths and gerrymandering in a class-sense and negative energies must be sidestepped in favour of empathy, triaging and bonding. This should be because, no one part is greater or can be bigger than the whole.
As economies around the world, including Nigeria’s, begin the post-covid rebound, regardless of ‘Omicron’, it is hoped that the watersheds of 2020/1 will at best be the lowest ever in the history of Nigeria and that we shall see and take advantage of all accruing opportunities. I am super-optimistic that despite the additional irritations from banditry, kidnapping and terrorism, Nigeria shall be great again, beginning from 2022.
Happy New Year and may the world yield to us as a country and you as an individual. Amen!
DVAA
