CAGE-FREE CITIZENS

 

I was thinking this morning..... I was served breakfast on-board a Delta Airlines flight recently. The breakfast pack read 'Mediterranean Breakfast Calzone (Egg & Cheese).' I turned the pack over to read the food labelling information. The major components were wheat flour, water and cage-free eggs. What exactly does cage-free eggs mean? I wondered.

How do you cage an egg? I decided to ask a friend, named Google. 'What does it mean if eggs are labeled cage-free?' I asked. Google responded 'Cage-free' refers to farm environments where chickens that produce eggs (layers) live in open indoor spaces. Overall, cage-free represents an increased quality of life for hens as compared with those held in cages.'

Wow! If cage-free represents high quality, then one can infer that poor quality is synonymous with caging. My mind drifted to a recent interview I conducted for a graduate position. The shortlisted candidates were taken through written and oral tests. While some were okay, many were just below par making one wonder if they were caged within the four walls of the university. The majority of our graduates are definitely not cage-free because their quality is so poor.

Consider the recent set of political leaders across the nation. Regime after regime, it seems things are getting worse because the quality of our politicians is dropping. Why so? I do not know, but one thing I know is that they are definitely not cage-free politicians. They must have been caged by political godfathers.

According to the World Poverty Clock, at least 71 million Nigerians are currently living in extreme poverty while another 62 million are living below the poverty line. With 63% of Nigerians having such terrible quality of life, one can conclude that most Nigerians are not cage-free citizens. The question is who caged us?

Many have been caged by fear or negative mindset, while some others are caged by marriage, religion or avarice. Nigerians have been caged by bad leadership. A sure key out of any cage is knowledge. No wonder Proverbs 4:7 says 'with all thy getting, get understanding.' What better day than today to free ourselves from all forms of cage. Be a cage-free citizen.

Happy Independence Day!

Stay hopeful. God's got our back.

......Just the thoughts of a certain Wey Mey