2020 has turned out to be an unrelenting rollercoaster year. Yet, as it draws to a close and as Nigeria marks its 60th year as an independent nation, the quote above truly hits home. 

At 60, a person would be nearing the age of retirement; be at an age to look back on their life. As a country, however, we are a nascent colonial-free nation, still working out the admittedly tough kinks in our democracy. Regardless, every major milestone requires both celebration and reflection to truly see how far Nigeria has travelled on its journey to greatness.

Now, “reflection” is most commonly used in two ways: one—the production of an image by a mirror or shiny surface, and two—putting serious thought and consideration to a matter. At 60, we Nigerians must look at ourselves as individuals and as a nation in the mirror of time and experience, to contemplate where we are, as well as how and why we got here. Meaningful reflection done right is a three-step process that creates progress through continuous learning and improvement, done not just by identifying key events but learning from them, and then meticulously planning a new way forward based on the lessons learnt.

The three-step process is relatively simple but requires solid follow-through (expressed as execution-supported diligence accompanied by a willingness to own up to mistakes)—always tough in an environment where errors can be costly. So, what are these steps? 

First, we must learn from our mistakes. It is no surprise that we as humans are prone to errors, but what is important is how we deal with them moving forward. Identifying them and committing to changing to prevent those errors from reoccurring is important.

Second, no journey, no matter how fraught, is a complete waste. Celebrating our successes allows us to see our promise and gives us the energy to push forward through the many painful parts of our past and present. We must take the time to acknowledge and relish the bright spots and use them as fuel to do better. 

Last, we cannot afford to keep looking solely at the rear-view mirror. We must use our experience and insights from the first two steps to complete the third and final step. We must plan for the future. We must plan for a future we want to see and a future that we are willing to put the work in to create. 

As a country, we started the year knowing our 60th milestone and its impending retrospection were coming, but nobody could have foreseen just how chaotic 2020 would turn out. This year has tested both our understanding of what normal is and what success looks like. We saw global superpowers fumble in the face of a once-in-a-lifetime worldwide crisis and witnessed small governments fare better through both providence and visionary leadership. 

The generational shock of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought reflection and the ensuing change in behaviour across the world into sharp focus; but it has also shown that it is possible for systems to rapidly adapt to new circumstances. While systemic change is difficult, the right kind of crisis can force transformation. This period compelled us to transform how we live, how we work, how we relate. And now it has allowed us to slow down, look back, and plan for how we want to live as we move forward.

When 1st October 2080 comes around, what do we want our reflection to show us? What do we want to see in the mirror? What do we want to be planning towards? We have in our hands the tools we need to make our next 60 years greater—it starts by reflecting, learning, and taking action based on our realisations.

Søren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher and theologian, gifted us with the line quoted at the start of this piece. As we prepare for the next 60 years of Nigeria, let’s apply a three-step approach to our self-reflection, using both the sweet and the painful lessons learnt to shape our approach to our future.

LET US PRAY   

Dear God, we thank You for 60 years of our nation Nigeria. As we celebrate our diamond jubilee, we are grateful for the pressure that has forged us through the years. We pray that You continue to refine our nation to live up to its promise. May our best years be in front of us, as we continue to build—one nation bound in freedom, peace, and unity.