Why GEJ Is Not A Hero

25 years ago, a certain woman traveled to Zimbabwe on a research trip to investigate why girls' school enrollment in rural areas was very low. She discovered that poverty was the road block as opposed to cultural reasons. Families could not afford to buy books or pay school fees for all their children. Instead they sent their male children to school because they stood a better chance of getting a paid job after graduation.

This woman understood how this poverty and exclusion theory affects these girls psychologically and economically, and if girls could be educated, supported by their communities and empowered to shape their own destinies, they could change their communities and nations forever.

She really wanted to help and change the status-quo but she had no money. She struggled and launched grassroots fund-raising campaigns single-handedly, such as selling baked foods and was able to send 32 girls to school successfully. And in the space of 20 years she was able to send over 400,000 children to school.

This woman's name is Ann Cotton and I'm sure you are inspired by her story. Yes, that is the effect heroes or someone that did something heroic has on us.

Heroes are people that go the extra length to create something that matters even when they are not obliged to. Most times they don't get paid for it. They see it as a service to humanity.

We have many other heroes too like Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther king Jr, Mary Slessor e.t.c

And it will only be demeaning and unfair to what heroes stands for if we call every Dick and Harry a Hero.

President Jonathan (A.K.A GEJ) lost the presidential elections to the opposition party and he conceded defeat in a reasonable and calm manner. The elections was free and fair (to some extent) and the country was not in any sort of chaos as many pastors prophesied. Nigerians feared.

But all of that doesn't make him a hero and there was nothing heroic about what he did. That was just a normal thing to do. Many even went ahead to say he deserves a Nobel Prize... In what I ask? Some even said he should be immortalized.

I actually thought people were just trying to play pranks or crack crazy jokes as that is synonymous with Nigerians - We tend to create humor around everything, no matter how terrible.

But no, People were darn serious about this hero and super-hero talk. They even went as far as creating hashtags such as #GEJourHero... I think they're are plainly sentimental. Calling GEJ a Hero because he conceded defeat in a calm way is crazy. Is that not the normal and sensible thing to do?

This is just sad and this explains we scream "UP NEPA" when NEPA supplies our houses electricity we are paying for.

If GEJ is a hero for calling Buhari... Then I guess I am a hero too because I just called my pastor and I think I deserve a Nobel prize too.

Sadiq Daniel is a certified Hero that deserves a Nobel Prize for his articles on business, Self- development, Life lessons and Ideas that challenges the status quo... You can pursue him on Twitter: @sadiqspeaks LinkedIn: Sadiq Daniel and Email:Sadiqdaniel@gmail.com