Could I be wrong? A million dollar question (2), By Sunday Adelaja

No matter what feelings or opinions we may have about something, it will always benefit others and ourselves. This is one quality that is not very popular with us Nigerians. We do not give ourselves or others the benefit of the doubt

Let us examine this principle further.

Benefit of the doubt: That is when we assume people are innocent until proven guilty. Or leaning towards a favorable view of people. Meaning: if you are not sure about something, or there is no evidence, facts, figures or statistics to support your argument, it is better not to blame, accuse or judge. In such cases, you should be more inclined towards a more favorable judgment, in favor of the opposite side.

I believe that if Nigeria is to become great, we must apply this principle, not only in our judicial system, but also in our daily actions. In the absence of this basic value of human relations, we are often suspicious. For example, many people think that I am supporting Tinubu’s ticket just because he is a Yoruba like me. And, I wonder: a bold move, how can you consider it? Is there any other possibility why I support his ticket? Remember, this is despite me writing about the reasons for supporting the ticket. I don’t care where they come from, I only support the quality of the candidate and not the ethnicity.

I can only imagine how Nigeria would change for the better if this principle could be taught in our schools, from primary to tertiary institutions. This single principle, if it becomes our society’s value system and mindset, can prevent the ills of our society like violence, Boko Haram, militancy, armed robbery, kidnapping, etc.

It is the same reason behind the suspicion of us Northerners, Igbos, Yorubas. We do not want to give them the benefit of the doubt, that they may have good intentions in their actions and actions. Sometimes we are not even willing to consider the possibility that other Nigerians from other countries are as good or sincere as us.

I have heard Southerners say Northerners want to rule Nigeria by force, and as a birthright. That’s prejudice! If it was true, they would not have elected President Obasanjo for two terms. If that is true, they would not have voted for President Jonathan in 2011. We are not giving people any doubt. It will really be helpful for the general progress of Nigeria if we can ask ourselves the question, can I be wrong in my questions and assumptions about other Nigerians?

A clear example is: growing up in western Nigeria, I always heard that Northerners speak bad English (in reference to accent) until I traveled abroad and discovered that we all speak bad English (in terms of accent). . A typical Nigerian would never consider that such an assumption could be wrong. A similar example that comes to mind today is a popular phrase also in the south of Nigeria, which people often say: “The North is Nigeria’s problem”, “They have taken all our wealth”.

I had no way of proving or disproving this until I traveled to the North for the first time and discovered that the standard of living there was much lower than in the South. The Northerners are less privileged in many things than I have witnessed in the South. The sight of the devastation I saw in the North made me almost cry. Most of the people in the South who have never been to the North, always think that they are happy, while we are suffering in the South.

“If we could look into each other’s hearts and understand the unique challenges each person faces, I think we would treat each other with more love, patience, tolerance and caring.” – Marvin J Ashton.

Yes I know all about the fact that Northerners have ruled the nation more than Southerners, etc. But Nigeria’s problem is more complicated than that. We would do a lot of good if we would be less ashamed of our assumptions about each other. CAN THIS ATTITUDE BE WRONG? can save us from a lot of that.

EI INCUMBIT PROBATIO QUI DICIT, NON QUI NEGAT is a Latin expression that means a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty. It is commonly known and used by the courts. However, the principle of presumption of innocence is very strong, so people who want to build a prosperous and civilized nation must embrace it. We need to apply it not only in judicial and legal practice, we need to go further. We must consciously spread this value of “presumption of innocence” in our daily actions.

“Moral excellence arises as a result of habit. We become just by acting justly, temperate by acting politely, brave by acting bravely.” – Aristotle

The downside of this principle that we see in some developed countries is that it can often lead to political correctness. While it is now taboo to condemn anything or criticize anyone for their actions, all in the name of being nice to anyone.

So where is the balance? Balance in my own opinion is when we correct, criticize or criticize only based on truth or reality. We need to make sure we have the facts right before we make any claims. Even if we have faith in our hearts, we must refrain from doing anything until we can prove our faith in reality.

The beautiful from the concept of Innocent to proven guilty. There is always room for correction, rebuke and criticism after the facts have been proven, not before.

Not Guilty Until Proven Total: it is one of the most sacred principles of the American criminal justice system, holding the accused innocent until proven guilty. In other words, the prosecution must prove beyond any reasonable doubt every essential element of the criminal charge.

When explaining how this principle can help us build a better nation, we must understand that we can speak the truth only when the truth is established or there are facts to support our argument. Otherwise, we must deliberately distance ourselves from any form of condemnation, judgmentalism and castigation. *

“Half the time, the Holy Spirit tries to remind us of certain people who come into our lives. The other half of the time he tries to tell us that the pain we feel in those situations is not the fault of others, but only our own hang-ups. A life filled with bias, hatred, judgment, insecurity, fear, delusion and self-righteousness can cloud the soul of anyone we meet. Our job is never to judge, but to listen, communicate, and ask, and then ask more, until we truly understand the soul of another. .” — Shannon L. Alder

AM I WRONG? A simple question that can help build a better nation. A nation of peace and unity.

Sunday Adelaja is a Nigerian born leader, transformational strategist, pastor and innovator. He is based in Kiev, Ukraine.