Until we eschew our love for material things Nigeria will never get off her knees

Ayo Akinfe

[1] In this picture are four of England's greatest men to have ever lived. From top left to right they are: William Shakespeare, Michael Faraday, Robert Boyle and Isaac Newton

[2] These are the men who enabled one small island to become the major and dominant power in the world, colonising about two thirds of it and dominating the world's seas. Thanks to numerous men and women like them, England went from being an ordinary English kingdom to a global power

[3] I have been reading a lot about this quartet lately and others like them and what struck me more than anything is that none of them died millionaires despite their huge reputations. They were more interested in bettering humanity than in accumulating personal wealth

[4] I was particularly interested in Faraday because he received little formal education, yet he is one of the most influential scientists in history. Faraday established the basis for the concept of the electromagnetic field in physics that we all know about today

[5] Do you know that Faraday was offered a knighthood in recognition for his services to science, which he turned down on religious grounds? He said he believed it was against the word of the Bible to accumulate riches and pursue worldly reward, stating he preferred to remain plain Mr Faraday to the end

[6] Isaac Newton for his part died a bachelor. He had divested much of his estate to relatives during his last years, and died intestate. Clearly, the man was not interested in worldly possessions

[7] Robert Boyle for his part, endowed a series of lectures in his will which came to be known as the Boyle Lectures. He felt that whatever he had was better spent promoting his work than in enriching anyone

[8] As you can see, for society to enjoy accelerated progress, it needs a class of men and women prepared to dedicate their lives to the betterment of humanity. Basically, they have to sacrifice their personal comforts for the greater good. They must be prepared to be guinea pigs and die in penury if necessary

[9] As a people, Nigerians simply do not fit this bill, which is why greed reigns supreme across the land. Too many Nigerians want to become millionaires, what to amass titles and see the greater good of society as something you do in your spare time "after you don chop belleful."

[10] Over the years, there have been a few notable exceptions like Tai Solarin, Gani Fawehinmi, the Ransome-Kuti brothers, etc but they are too far and few between. Fela for instance never owned a motor car and had no interest in clothes whatsoever. He was always dressed in his underpants, so even if you gave him clothes, he would give them away.

My people, the problem lies with you! Change your attitude and you will see your society progress!