Painful lesson of Ebola pandemic

By Imoh David

Ebola has come and gone to his grave. A Liberian brought it and Nigerians suffered it, secure your borders! There was no politics and religious bickering, Ebola made us work together. Our doctors made us proud and contained Ebola, increase their salary. Nigerian politicians and priests did nothing to stop Ebola, reduce their salary. I understand that the U.S. government is sending medical experts to Nigeria to LEARN how the Nigerian government fought the Ebola virus. Here is the important lesson to Nigerians and Blacks in general:

To be successful as a race, nation and an individual, you must learn from the other person who did it right. Unknown to many, this is the secret of great world powers and individuals. That is why the espionage is a serious apparatus of the government. No one individual, nation, or entity possesses all the knowledge in the world. You must learn how to learn from others.

There is nothing wrong with learning; everyone can be learned from. There is great humility in learning and its reward is your pride. The U.S. did not say “What can be learned from Nigeria(ns)?” Sitting behind the desk, lab, table is not weakness, it is an ultimate strength. Because after you’re done behind the desk and come outside for the public, you’ll intimidate them with your muscles which you acquired while behind the desk. A studious man is a glorious man.

The world only identifies with winners and champions. Winners are not made by attending Winners Chapel or quoting primitive books. They are made through hard work and the application of knowledge. Not one country has ever sent emissaries to Nigeria to learn how to pray or cast out evil spirits. They sent their emissaries to a learn substantial thing which Nigeria has accomplished in the Ebola fight.

Once you have something tangible to offer, the Western powers will come to you and not reject you. Isn’t it awesome that our Captain of Churchdustry and Alpha-Priest was banned from Europe? Not once did the Europeans seize him or beg to learn from him how to pray prayers and sow seeds to become rich and powerful. But here there are knocking on our door to learn from us; they came to learn from our doctors. Doctors not priests!

Problems are solved through pragmatism and the application of knowledge and not through spineless prayers. Vaccines are developed in the labs and not prayer houses or religious centres.

Once a country is starved of scientists and researchers, it will suffer greatly when problems that are science-based come knocking on their doors. The price a nation pays for illiteracy and under-education is very catastrophic. As such Nigeria should get their educational sector working.

The poor nations are often plagued by diseases and epidemics. Tell your politicians in the government to stop sustaining poverty by looting the treasury.

Finally, science is the way. You solve your problems through the application of knowledge. Once you excel in science, you are a beautiful bride-think Japan, think China, think South Korea. But when you excel in religion? Think Nigeria, think Ghana, think Liberia.

If you have some senses on you, the comparative disparity is as wide as the distance between the sky and the earth’s crust.

Imoh David via Twitter @ImohDavid.