By Ata Ikiddeh
ISRAELIS RETURNING HOME TO FIGHT FOR ISRAEL; LAWYERS, DOCTORS, CHIEF EXECUTIVES – EVERYONE
These are Jews aboard a flight, they heard their nation was under siege by Hamas, rather than stay abroad they are returning home to defend her sovereignty. These are Lawyers, Medical Doctors Nurses, Chief Executives etc Young men, old men and women. They are flying in from America, England, Germany, South Africa from all over the world.

Once their feet touches the soil of Israel they will kiss the ground as they traditionally do in time of war – some will not go to see their families – they will head to the nearest military base put on a uniform handed an AK47 and told to report to a battalion waiting for them. Then they will send a text to their families that they have landed.
This is the final photograph before the plane touches down. In this photo the national anthem of their nation was playing they all stood up to sing and salute their bewildered nation. In Israel everyone is a soldier, old men who can’t run in the battlefield have brains that can run at their sensitive security command centres. Never have they witnessed such atrocities.

Hamas beheaded babies, handcuffed children in a Kibbutz and burnt them alive. What Israel is about to do to the Gaza Strip is so shocking that public opinion might turn against them.
But coming back to Nigeria 🇳🇬- when will we as a people be as Patriotic as this? And it’s not only in Israel I see Patriotism, I see it in England, America, I have seen it in Bulgaria. These English teams we support in Nigeria – at root and heart of every English fan is a tribal support for something English on their soil.
I have even seen Patriotism in the eyes of Ghanaians and one cannot say the economic situation in Ghana is better than that of Nigeria
but they still believe in Ghana – but Nigerians don’t believe in Nigeria. Why!? The lack of this flame of Patriotism in us has intrigued me for years. Our fathers – the first generation of Nigerians who witnessed Nigeria’s independence were Patriotic.
I still remember as a child my father telling me to stand up whenever the national anthem was played on WNTV. Why do we have an emotional detachment to Nigeria, except when the Super Eagles are playing or an Amosu is performing something extraordinary on the tracks? What has happened to this flag 🇳🇬 ? I have said it over and over again – the tap root of Nigeria’s challenges is our complete lack of Patriotism. Until we learn to live our nation again – we will all carry on – on this national merry go round.
Let’s love Nigeria 🇳🇬, regardless of who is in power. Nigeria our fatherland is all we’ve got.