When the legendary Bongos Ikwue—musical sage, lyrical philosopher, and master of mellow rebellion—sat for an interview with Channels TV, few expected a metaphysical bombshell. But there he was, with a voice as soft as velvet and words as sharp as divine chisels, declaring: “Zero is not nothing. Zero is only zero. And the power of zero is the ultimate power.”
By Prof. Chiwuike Uba, Ph.D.
Wait—what?
Most of us were told in school, with all the confidence of a chalkboard tyrant, that zero is nothing. But Bongos flipped the script like a master griot. He took that “nothing” and turned it into everything. With poetic insight, he showed us that zero is humble, powerful, infinite, ruthless—and divine. It was less of an interview, more of a spiritual awakening in a TV studio.
Zero: The Silent Thunder in a Noisy World
Let’s set this straight: zero is not unemployed. It’s not lounging on the mathematical unemployment line, sipping zobo. Zero works—silently, profoundly, and universally.
Try this: multiply anything by zero—money, ego, titles, your uncle’s six-car garage. What do you get? Zero. It flattens everything. No negotiation. No receipts.
Now try dividing something by zero. What do you get? Infinity. The kind that mathematicians fear, poets romanticize, and philosophers pretend to understand.
“He who is humble shall inherit the earth; he who is loud shall inherit tweets.” — Modern proverb with ancient roots. Zero doesn’t fight. It doesn’t boast. It just is. And that’s why it’s so dangerous—to the ego—and so powerful to the soul.
The Humble Mathematics of God
Now here’s where Bongos took us deeper—into the divine. He said he believes God Almighty assumed the humility of zero to be the Almighty. And honestly? It tracks.
God is not on Instagram. He’s not holding press conferences. He doesn’t issue press releases after every miracle. He just is. Infinite, yet invisible. Humble, yet omnipotent. Just like zero.
“ The higher the bamboo grows, the lower it bends.” — Filipino proverb, but Nigeria has cousins for it too. Want to be like God? Don’t chase applause. Don’t inflate yourself like puff-puff. Be zero. Be still. Be space.
When Leaders Become Zero: Governance Reimagined
Now let’s walk zero into Aso Rock, States’ Government Houses, the National Assembly, State Assemblies, and your village council hall.
Imagine a president or governor who thinks like zero—not self-seeking but nation-seeking. A governor who listens more than he speaks. A senator who multiplies silence into policies and divides power into opportunities. Wouldn’t that be a miracle greater than manna?
“A truly great man is he who makes others feel great.” — G.K. Chesterton, but ask your mother and she’ll say same. In politics, zero would kill godfatherism and replace it with servant leadership. In the economy, it would wipe out greed and multiply sustainability. In religion, zero would cancel out the circus and return us to stillness, service, and spirit. In business, it would reward ethical leadership over exploitation. In community development, zero would be the villager who fixes the borehole without demanding billboard recognition.
And in family life, zero is that one person—the quiet sibling, the sacrificial mother, the forgiving uncle—who holds the madness together.
A Story from the Village
My late father, Mark Uba, weathered with time and wisdom, would always eat last at every gathering. That’s whenever he agreed to eat because he found it very difficult to eat outside his house. I asked why. He smiled and said,
“When you’re full, you forget who’s hungry. I want to stay hungry—for my people.” At other times, he said, “Onyé na erigbughu onwe ya na ihé onye ozo ga aka nka”. Meaning “One who does not indulge excessively in taking from others is sure to enjoy a healthy old age.”
That’s zero. Wearing a cap, speaking Nkwerre dialect, and feeding a village. Such a man will never trend on social media—but in the arithmetic of heaven, he’s the one making the biggest calculations.
Man: Creator and Destroyer, All in One
Bongos reminded us of man’s contradictions: we invent antibiotics and atomic bombs. We donate in the morning and defraud by noon. We sing hymns and hoard hatred.
We are walking dualities. But don’t panic—it’s all part of the design. “Without rain, how will you appreciate sun? Without betrayal, how will you understand loyalty?”
Zero teaches us that positive and negative must coexist. Tall means nothing without short. Light is useless without dark. Even God and the devil coexist—for now—to teach us contrast, consequence, and character.
The Mirror, the Womb, and the Drum
Zero is not just a number. It’s a mirror—it reflects your true self, not your hype. It’s a womb—holding the potential for all life and purpose. It’s a drum—silent until struck, but when it speaks, the ancestors listen. Zero is not emptiness. It’s preparednes.
Today’s world rewards noise. The louder you are, the more followers you get. Even pastors now use private jets to preach humility. “Blessed are the meek,” they say… from 30,000 feet.
We clap, we sow seeds, we hustle for relevance. Meanwhile, zero is in the corner, sipping water and multiplying impact.
What’s Happening in Nigerian Schools: Zero, Absent but Present
If there’s anywhere zero needs to show up more—loudly, boldly, and reformatively—it’s in our educational system.
Our tertiary institutions, once temples of knowledge, have been turned into battlefields of survival. Lecturers are unpaid for months, students are either striking or being struck by the cost of existence, and the academic environment is rich only in potholes and bureaucracy.
Zero, if allowed in, would erase institutional arrogance and multiply intellectual humility. It would remind administrators that true leadership in education is not about embezzling funds but empowering minds.
It would whisper to lecturers that education is not a punishment to be endured, but a light to be lit. And students—if we infused them with the power of zero—would learn to see schooling not as a hustle, but as a holy encounter with knowledge.
“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world,” said Mandela. But in Nigeria, the weapon has jammed. Perhaps it needs to be cleaned—with zero.
Before you close this article, ask yourself:
- Where in my life can I be zero—so someone else can become something?
- What noise do I need to silence so I can listen better?
- When last did I serve without seeking applause?
- Am I chasing platforms or purpose?
Be the calm in the shouting crowd.
Be the breath before the scream.
Be the space between two notes—
Where silence becomes a dream.
Be the last to speak, the first to forgive.
Be the zero that makes others live.
Because in the end, the ones who did the most good were rarely the ones who shouted the loudest.
Be Zero, and Become Everything
Let them say you’re nothing. Smile—and say, “Exactly.” Because nothing is where everything begins. And zero, my friend, is the only number humble enough to hold infinity in its arms. God is with us!
Prof. Uba is a Development Economist
