A CALL TO VOLUNTEER

Many have failed to have a second thought on the word volunteer. A Volunteer as defined by the Oxford advanced learner's dictionary is a person who does a job without being paid for it. Society today has taken Volunteer as jobless and idle persons; most especially in Africa and Nigeria for example, people don't believe you should do anything for free. But let’s be realistic, is that really true, are we fair to our conscience. This idea of payment for every job carried out or assignment you do, is fast becoming part of life in this part of the world, children in neighbourhood can no longer get a bucket of water free for an elderly neighbour without expecting a cent in return. Being a volunteer is inevitable in life; is either you are a volunteer of progress or a volunteer for destruction. So the point is this, there is a need to be a volunteer for progress, because it is a life tonic to our conscience just try and give a helping hand to a friend or anybody you could help and see the satisfaction in your heart. It is not a form of conjuring, but a reality of life. Being a volunteer does not make you jobless or make you to leave your primary goal of life, voluntary services can either be directly or indirectly; your money can aid a project going on in your locality, your advice can help build good leaders, your change in character can help stop crime in your area, your activities can help save the life of somebody, your time used as peer educator in your environs can change peers in your area for good, so you can see doing all this does not make you jobless. But you have succeeded in doing a voluntary work; you see how simple it is thanks to organizations like the Red Cross, YMCA, Rotary and other NGOs who have made voluntary services as simple as a pleasure boat; over 200 millions of volunteers all over the world are giving their services to humanity through these organizations and we can all testify to the succor it has brought to thousands, from Somalia up to Lagos, Kaduna and even the Tsunami and Haiti crisis that is just slipping off our minds. All these have not made them jobless, but they are all professional in their areas of specialization. Most breakthroughs in Europe are championed by volunteers. Voluntary services are not meant for applause, so forget if people are not appreciating. Remember “Sacrifice is not made for applause”, it is the cheery air blown into our conscience that matters.
As we join the building team of a great and new Nigeria, we must be ready to make voluntary contribution in order to achieve our close reaching dream of a FREE NIGERIA. Remembering that America, Britain and other European countries we make as our reference point during argument were all built on selfless sacrifice of hero past and are still living through sacrifice of the present generation. So let us save the dream of our heroes past by joining the league of faithful Nigerians taking pain to restore back the dignity of the heart of Africa, its pride and future hope, a place of inspiration and strong hold, it is no other place but NIGERIA THE GIANT OF AFRICA.


Article written in 2004 for Vanguard Newspaper by Oni, I.G