I was born in the 70s when Nigeria, a popular West African State was still flourishing. I was raised in a middle-class home where an average child would have at least a three square meal per day.Not knowing the difference that exists in terms of caste system, I happily attended a public elementary school in Lagos state where we were well dressed, given free education, free supplies of books, and adequate writing materials. All and sundry knew the honour and dignity of being Nigerian. We were led by leaders whose influence, leadership acumen commanded respect from foreigners. Our coat of arms was a symbol of pride, honour and dignity.We had food crops and cash crops. We exported cocoa, cashew, rubber, oil crops, to mention few.
Frankly speaking, everything was not perfect in Nigeria as at that time. At least, youths had jobs waiting for them once they graduated from high school. They did not have to sell their family house or landed properties to process foreign Visas just to travel out! I am talking about the 80s when Nigerians had immigrant neighbours. We hosted citizens of Ghana, Benin, Chad, Cameroun, and other African nations. Our title was: the giants of Africa! That was the good old days. How did Nigeria got murdered?
I loved going to school then. I would dream of Monday mornings when i would meet my friends and classmates in white socks. Everyone would be well dressed on the assembly ground. Until the late 90s, i did not understand anything called strike. That word never had a meaning in my realities. Until my school fees started hurting my middle-class parents, education was a fun. Until teachers, lecturers started demanding stipends from their students both directly and indirectly, we never had problems. Things became tough as we got into the tertiary institutions. Many parents were stressed because of their family-size. I was not the only child in my family.
Many of us had to stay back at home with the full house-wives. We became errand kids for newly-delivered moms. Since, we had nowhere to go because our lecturers were not paid and they were on strike.The strike would extend for several months.Some of us grew older in those days. Some kids got into trouble of teenage pregnancies. Some parents had to send their teenage daughters off into early marriages in order to lessen the burden of raising a large family. More babies were born in those days that died out of diseases or insufficient medical treatments. Malaria was a common illness in the country. There were no adequate drugs or some people could not afford them. There was rampant self-medication administration because of unaffordable medical treatments. Parents would administer de-worming drugs to their kids without visiting the medical doctors at all.
As we grew older, the big house we shared as a family gradually became smaller. I remember wondering whatever happened to our formerly big play-grounds. I later realized that it was because we were no longer those little kids who played football on the white-sands. It was a huge thing to gain admission into the university. The entrance examination was too tough! Once, in the school system, we tend to forget so soon. Some parents had to fund their kids malpractices just to scale through the entrance exams. Having being through so much in the school system, many who graduated would not get employed. Yet, we had to go through that system to be respected at all. So, the young graduates only gained the respects that comes with education for a while. Then, they lose such respect once they could not get employed after school. Many of them had to visit uncles and aunts throughout the year. They would made visitations round their extended families. They would do this till the year runs out! Sometimes, baby-sitting, sometimes just sleeping on the couch of their newly wedded cousins. Thankfully, the African culture allowed crowded homes!
As we got into the new millenium, the shout of: up NEPA! had already seized. Although, the power sector of the nation gradually grew worst. Electric meters were seized for failure to pay outstanding electricity bills. Those who had constant electricity supply were the envy of their neighbors. Many Nigerians can remember chanting: Up NEPA! Maybe some people still chant that slogan impulsively till date. I should quickly add that: up NEPA! was an impulsive national chant that most Nigerians shout on impulse at the sight of electricity supply. It was a buzz-word that the nation unaniumously adopted on the ground that any restoration of electricity to any neighbourhood is worth rejoicing over. So, it was a symbol of happiness to hear up NEPA! Any neighbourhood whose electricity got restored after long hours of power-failure would be filled with that overwhelming noise.
Over the years, the case of electricity went from hours of power-failure to months and even years of power failures in some communities. So, you can understand why all and sundry would praise the energy sector of the economy for bringing us what is inherently our right. We would sing their praise for doing their job! Even though they always did their job shabbily. Nevertheless, we praise them and we are always glad that they remembered us enough to restore our electricity! Usually, we all knew that the electricity would not stay for too long before it would be disconnected, and the neighbourhood would grow as silent as grave again.
Once the electricity got restored, what an average Nigeria would do was to rush to their wardrobe and iron their important clothes. The list of important clothes includes: work-clothes, school uniforms, Sunday-service clothes, party-wears, and more. Some people would rush to fetch pipe-borne water because the price changes with absence of electricity. You have to pay more for water that was pumped with a generator. As kids, we would run straight into the sitting room to switch on the television tube and watch cartoon programs on the air. The civil servants would tune into the radio stations to hear the News. I remember watching a TV series called: VOLTRON-the defender of the universe. We hated adverts on our cartoon shows. One of the most popular adverts in those days was a funny adverts created for a detergent called Elephant blue detergent. Other common adverts was Chocomilo, a chocolate candy, OMO blue detergent, another soap oriented advert.
Relatively, Nigerians are quite resilient. They are quite inventive and creative under hardships. You will meet poor Nigerians making fuel out of sawdust packed from Sawmill. Some would create television antennae from common aluminium foils; from kitchen utensils such as plates. There are those who would easily convert used things and recycle materials.You will meet people who can build local Game-boards and make a business out of that. There are viewing centers made out of cheap materials. People would flood the place.They would build a community around European soccer leagues. Viewers would meet every week to discuss and review last winners and losers from the football games they watched. Upcoming matches would be predicted with passion. Usually, you dont have to know anyone to have friends in Nigeria. They are friendly people. All you need to connect with Nigerians is to claim to be a fan of any winning European football club. You will suddenly have friends in multitudes. Some would even buy you a free Beer for that!
Due to the culture around soccer, the world cup is a big deal in Nigeria. Employers would declare an unofficial public holiday to their employees especially where Nigeria qualified for such competition. Some staffs would leave work early just to get home on time to watch the Nigerian soccer team play. I remember how whenever Nigeria win any of such matches, celebrations went on all night. People would have hangover at work on the next day. There would be celebrations throughout the Nation. The Government would declare a public holiday to celebrate the players. Everything would be shut down. Businesses wont open until everything dies down.We were patriotic and passionate people. As we got into the 90s, our soccer fell from glory. Some penalties were lost in defining moments of crucial games. Free kicks that could have ended up as a way of sealing a winning in sensitive matches were carelessly played. Our soccer plummeted and lost credibility.The Western world no longer bet on our teams. FIFA would not even bother seeding Nigeria within a tougher group of countries as we appear in international competitions.
When i was quite younger,teachers were like gods and godesses in Nigeria. Parents would threaten their rebellious kids that they would be reported to their teachers. Gross misconduct would suddenly seize at home. No kid wants to be reported to the school teacher then. Everyone straightened up. At the mention of alphabet T, you quickly take caution. You dont want to be beaten with the rod by your school teacher. I remember how late-coming was a very serious offence in my high school days. On Monday mornings, there would be a line up of teachers with cane in hand, waiting at the school-gates to deal with late-comers severely. Then, the parents-teachers association had glory. The meeting was a big deal. The principal and all the teachers were accountable to the parents over the stewardship of the children they were training. In all schools, you will notice a long queue of cars on the streets leading to the school on the day when parents and teachers are meeting.
Today, teaching profession has become so downtrodden. It got so terrible that even university graduates do not feel like teaching. Whoever pick up a teaching job are seen as losers. Sadly, best students who graduated with good grades would claim having to stoop to teaching. Graduates are even afraid and ashamed of telling their fellow graduates that what they do is teach. This is what many silently and quietly do for living.Sadly,this is one of the professions that pays more in salary in oversea countries like Canada and US, where teachers are well respected and well paid.
How did Nigerian state got here? What happened to the pride of African continent? How did we become a country that many no longer wish to visit? Having lived outside Nigeria, i have been privileged to see from outside the box. I have been able to analyse what we are missing with respect to what we are not, as a nation. Although, living outside the coast of Nigeria is enviable; many times Nigerians get homesick outside their own country. We develop that nostalgic feelings of what we are missing concerning our nation. There was that strong connectivity, that strong bonding that exists among us despite our differences. There is that rich community that is absent in the Western world. There is that rich culture of sharing as Nigerians. We had that strong sense of believing in Someone beyond the natural realm. We trust anything called religion. We had faith in something. Sadly, the same strength undermines us. There is this politics of religion so huge among us.
It is a western custom to ask somebody that they are just meeting for the first time about where he or she comes from. So, when people asks me where i am from, i usually answer Nigeria. I would answer truthfully with a heavy heart; even when there was bombing and political unrest going on in my country. I did not choose to be born in Nigeria. I had no control over such things. However, i understand that it was not a mistake on God's part for me to be born there. When a Nigerian was caught on an Airplane attempting to bomb the plane and innocent lives; I saw higher huddles for our glory to be restored. Nevertheless, i still answer Nigerian whenever i am asked. Although, i knew some who would lie about their nationality in order to save face. Rather than lie, I would walk away from such conversation with a sickening feeling inside. My sincere answer often shuts down some doors of opportunities in my face. At times, it shuts down the entire conversation with the stranger who i am just meeting. Such stranger may have heard some evil report about Nigeria. They may have had some bad experience with my fellow country men. At other times, answering Nigerian makes some people a target of scorn in social settings where internationally, friends are gathered in political discuss. Some are seen as the first suspect in case of any occurrence of crime.
We gradually became enlisted on the lists of terrorist countries. We are carefully and uniquely searched at all international airports when travelling. Personally, I love traveling. Sometimes, it becomes painful that my hobby cannot be explored fully at the pace i would have loved to because our liberty in travelling has been curtailed. If we are given Visa at all, we had to be searched thoroughly for traces of hard drugs, bombs, etc when passing through any airport. Despite, prejudice which some Nigerians encounter, we are one of the well-travelled nations of the world. Perhaps this is because, our country is not doing so well as we should.Maybe, because we just chose to escape depravity into Babylon. We settled in Babylon where we were enslaved, trapped within a caste system that restricts our uprising, such that we can only occupy the lowest rung of the food chain of the host countries?
I get that look from many Caucasians every time. You know the look that subtly communicates that you must be a crook for being a Nigerian? The loss of global respect is huge for any country. Once it is lost, it usually takes a lot of hardwork to earn it back. The trust only get restored over time through hardwork, productivity, increased standard of living, respect of the human rights of the people, ability to invent what the rest of the world would desperately need. It would take a deliberate turn around of our economy to be respected globally as in the past. Again, when i look back at what used to be, i feel sorry for the next generation. Will my children have the gut to answer Nigerian on international applications? Will they boldly say our ancestors hail from somewhere in the Western part of the black continent? Will they gladly travel to Africa and settle there just for the sake of belonging there? When they sit down at the table with the great and noble of their own time, will they square their shoulders and still sing the Lord's song in a strange land? Will they carry the green-white-green flag without a sense of shame? Will they wear the coats of arm without embarrassment? Will they be able to answer Nigerian without having to pause, hold some breathes while thinking twice?
I am not saying this in a derogatory way, but i wonder how being a Nigerian has gradually become embarrassing outside Nigeria. Our corrupt politicians, our crappy movie industry that would rather twist Hollywood into Nollywood rather than stand out in styles. Our religious-illiteracy that would promptly burn down churches and kill innocent people. Our dysfunctional ethnicity that always fuel tribalism even among ourselves. Our pseudo-spirituality in the name of God. Our millions of churches within and outside our country.A reputable foreign mentor of mine once asked me why all Nigerians who travel overseas becomes a Pastor. He wonder why everyone address every brother as a pastor. Another friend once asked me why we have so many titles in Nigeria. We have to face these issues. They are countless. Our notoriety for cybercrime, our boast in being the world's internet-crime headquarters among other nations of the world. Our terrible system of governance that would allow a president on a second term, attempt the twisting of the national constitution such that it would accommodate his proposition for a third term in office. All in the name of power. Our dysfunctional policies that would rather oppress the masses than confront cabals. Our Sports councils and regulatory body that would rather send ill-equipped teams to represent us at the world tournaments. Our nepotism that would prefer nominating relatives and friends for position they are not qualified for. Our apt to stoop to bribery and mess up crucial Union negotiations that the masses fought and die over.
What happened to the Nigerian state? Where are the heroes? What became of their labour?!I strongly believe that God did not make a mistake in creating the Nigerian State. Although, i was younger, my memory is clearly retentive. I can recollect great stories from the past. I can remember how our soccer team dazzled the world in international competitions. I can remember how our crude oil was a huge determinant of the market price. I can remember how one of us, who was a writer won the Noble Laureate. I can remember how numerous great songs were sang and great albums released in partnerships with Nigerian and great international artistes. I can remember big collaborations, duets with Nigerian artistes and world's famous stars. I can remember how our fame as Nigeria hit the continent of Africa like wildfire. I can remember how certain buzzwords originated from Nigeria. I am still confident of this: We (Nigerians) will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.(Psalm 27:13).
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