How many Nigerians would, like Indira Ghandhi, say from their hearts: “We would rather starve than sell our national honour?” Your guess is as good as mine. And how many Nigerians in politics or in positions of leadership would not put their parties or ethnic nationalities before the country and self before their parties or ethnic nationalities?

We learn from world history that patriotism remains the foundation stone for the solidarity, integration, survival, growth, and development of any nation. Patriotism is as simple as it is defined in the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of current English, sixth edition. It is: “Love of your country and willingness to defend it.”

History has it that on March 4, 1933, when Franklin Roosevelt assumed the Presidency of the United States of America, the nation’s plight was hopeless. The situation was despairing as a quarter of the nation’s workforce was without any job and sustenance, and over 1.2 million of the people were homeless. Many families had defaulted on their mortgage commitments, and a lot of banks holding the savings of millions of households had failed.

But on assumption of duty, President Roosevelt looked to new sources of talents. He brought to Washington a new breed of government functionaries made up of intellectuals and New York State Social Workers known as the “brain trust,”  thereby departing from the old tradition in which government administration was the preserve of political loyalists and cronies, wealthy patricians and businessmen.

With his formidable team, Roosevelt moved aggressively to attack the bank, farm, and unemployment crises. He did not stop there. He moved on to such other areas as industry, social welfare, mortgage financing, rural electrification, culture, and arts.

In a nutshell, within 100 days in office, Roosevelt pushed through the congress 15 major bills and turned the terribly depressed American economy around. This is what it means to serve ones fatherland with patriotic spirit. Propelled by patriotism, a leader takes a method and tries it and as he (Roosevelt) said: “If it fails admit it frankly and try another. But above all try something.”

Today, the wonders of the American economy are manifestations of the patriotic attitudes of the leaders. Never did the wonders fall from heaven like manna. They did not just happen like miracle. The leaders perspired to achieve them.

The truth is that patriotic leaders can change the temper and fortune of their fatherland. Here is another example. Between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Britain was known as a violent nation. Perhaps more violent than today’s developing countries of the world. According to Arthur Lewis in his book Some Aspects of Economic Development: “Anglicans, Puritans, and Catholics were at each others’ throats. One king was executed and another chased off the throne. An  observer writing say around the year 1715, after the abortive rebellion of that year, would have described Britain as a violent country where consensus was unthinkable.”

But with the emergence of Sir Robert Walpole, a patriot and compromiser, as its Prime Minister, Britain became a model of a politically stable society on the continent. Sir Walpole worked assiduously to bring peace and harmony to his distracted country by conciliating all the major groups who were fighting one another. His success which lifted Britain to greater heights still remains one of the wonders of patriotism.

As I sat down trying to remember more leaders with outstanding patriotic spirit to further develop this piece, my mind went straight to the living legend, and sage, the South Africa’s first post-apartheid president, Nelson Mandela of this world. Here is a man who underwent 27 years imprisonment and still remained strong in his beliefs in the emancipation of his people. And here is a man who left office voluntarily and peacefully in 1999 after serving one tenure as president. Mandela who is still working tirelessly to reduce poverty, illiteracy, and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), in Africa despite his ripe age will continue to be a hero and a jewel of inestimable value to the human race. His invaluable contributions to the progress of his country represent yet another wonder of patriotism.

As  Jonathan’s new ministers settle down to their duties and responsibilities, they should be guided by the good examples of these patriots who we all admire with respect and pride.

If they make their love for Nigeria evident, deep, strong, and true, their footprints will also stand out boldly for ages.

Today, many Nigerians remember Dr. Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala as an outstanding Minister of Finance and Foreign Minister, who served the country with patriotism. She led the Nigeria’s reform programme on transparency of government accounts and the quest for debt relief, helping the country to obtain an unprecedented $18 billion write off from the Paris Club. Her patriotism earned her an elevation to the rank of Managing Director of the World Bank where she served before her ministerial appointments in Nigeria.

The new ministers should embrace the challenge immediately. It was the British Labour politician, Arthur Henderson, who said: “The first forty-eight hours decide whether a minister is going to run his office or  his office is going to run  him.”

Whether the new ministers are men and women whose love for our country soar above their personal interest, time will soon tell.

But suffice it to say that the reward of the patriot is in the service of his fatherland.