History in the Making

1st October 1960, 4th July 1876, February 1990, 11th September 2001…what makes each of these dates distinct? In fact, what makes certain dates stick more to memory than some others? None other than the events and people involved. What else or who else wroth such remarkable events if not individuals? Certain life events can never be forgotten in all history because of the profoundness and immensity of it, because such events and the people in it have left such an indelible impression on the course of history, creating a tipping point in the way our lives are shaped.

As I write my mind casts back to various events in my country Nigeria, as a case study, and the people that made such events happen. I remember the Amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates in 1914 by the colonial regent, Lord Luggard. I also remember our independence from the British in 1960, 1st of October of that year, facilitated by Tafawa Balewa, Obafemi Awolowo and Nnamdi Azikwe, our founding fathers. I also cannot but recollect the bloodshed that accompanied the Civil war of 1967, during the Nigeria and Biafra war, with Maj. Gen. Yakubu Gowon and Maj. Gen. Chukwuemeka Ojukwu at the forefront. Each event at it happened in Bible times, in the United States, Great Britain, ancient Rome and ancient Egypt have all significantly defined our existence. Behind every great historical event lie the great men and women that made them happen. Jesus Christ, Abraham Lincoln, Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Obafemi Awolowo, John F. Kennedy, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Bill Gates, Wole Soyinka, Mark Zukerberg, Nelson Mandela, Adolf Hitler, Martin Luther King Jnr. all did something cogent, unforgettable, and obvious that we cannot but continue to commemorate what they did and stood for in the short course of their lives.

The beam now then returns to you. Will you also attempt to write your name in the sands of time, making yourself immortal, or would you rather live a simple but ridiculous life, against the desire of your Maker? Therein, inside of you, lie great things: ideas, thoughts, beliefs, values, philosophies and desires that need to be shared with the world. Stand up now and decide to be counted among the heroes of our time.

Oluwatobi Gbemisola
@TobiGbemisola