THE DECADENCE OF OUR NATION

THE PAST: “I know a lot about my country, I know a lot because I care. Nigeria, my beloved country, working together is the key”. Who remembers the days when we used to sing this song and mean it, maybe we really did not know what it meant but we sang it anyways. Who remembers observing or hearing about the ODD number and EVEN number system? This was supposedly implemented to reduce traffic on the road. When this country actually had paper boys that used to deliver news papers door to door. I remember my siblings and I taxing all our relations during Christmas just to save up about N 300 in our socks, we considered ourselves rich if we made up to N 500. This would buy us so much candy and other things we thought important. I remember the Leventis, Wallis ice cream, banana ice cream, dominoes, planta and so many other things.  We used to play in the sand, play “ten ten”, go down the streets on our own and play in our neighbors’ houses without fear of anything but getting hurt. The standard of living was good.

THE PRESENT:  You let a child out of your sight for one second and he/she could get kidnapped for either ransom or rituals. All they can do is play with video games. People are holed up in their houses living in bondage and prisons without realizing it. There is hardly ever light, N 500 doesn't buy you anything, there are so many fake products out there, people die every day plying our awful roads, buildings collapse because contractors use sub-standard products, we celebrate our annual ASUU strike. The country suffers from poor standards of everything. There is no maintenance culture, you drink something today and it’s divine, the next time you try it, it’s saccharine and water. Corruption looms and booms at every corner. Things are getting harder every day. I complain about N 500 not being enough, even though I know it is true, some people don’t even have up to half of that in a week. We complain about our government, about corruption about them rubbing us of our future but the truth is are we any better? We, the purported leaders of tomorrow. Who is going to lead us? The young boy that thinks it is okay to go to the club and blow N 500, 000 in 1 night on popping champagne because he feels it will uplift his social status? The single guy that shamelessly says “I want to marry a girl whose father is rich so I can get connections”, the girl who would not give any guy a chance just because “he does not drive a range rover, I cannot suffer” forgetting that that guy may one day be great. He may have potentials that she can’t see because she’s blinded. A girl would put on the internet a picture of herself lying beside a celebrity who she just finished having relations with just to gain popularity? Everything we do and stand for these days is materialistic. Are these the future president and first lady? I am not judging because honestly, we all do what we have to do in this country to survive. There is so much enmity amongst tribes and within tribes. The Yoruba man can’t stand the ibo man, the Anambara man would not let his child marry from Imo state. You dare call a Benue man a northerner and you will get the tongue lashing of your life. How then can this country move forward, how do we claim that we are one, how can we grow? “Working together is the key” seems so far-fetched now because everyone is from OYO state. They say Nigerians are the happiest people on earth but trust me; it is a curse and not a gift. We take everything as a huge joke, we are never serious about anything that would better the nation. That is why a boss at an office would come on international television and say “My oga at the top” and doesn't know that world wide web has 3 w’s and the best thing we can do is to laugh about it, make a t-shirt, make mugs and I even heard a video game was made. Some people do not even believe in God anymore. Truth is, we don’t care whatever happens to our beloved country. Other nations would revolt if certain things we ignore in this country were to happen in theirs. Look at Egypt, look at Liberia, and look at Ghana. They would fight for what is right. The deputy communications minister of Ghana was recently fired just for saying that she will stay in politics till she makes $1 million. She hasn't even made it yet. It was word of mouth, not something she had done. Look at Nigeria, billions of naira from the police pension fund was taken and the culprits were released on mere bail. Does that not scream evil!!! We would never progress until we get a UNIFIED VOICE. We sit and laugh while our brothers and sisters are being slaughtered like sacrificial lambs in the North. Doing nothing because we “no fit shout” has become our slogan.

THE FUTURE: I honestly do not have the answers but I know this, we need more than a Jerry Rawlings of Nigeria as our population is more than Ghana.  People who would take the bull by the horns and do what no Nigerian ever dared to do. Unfortunately my beloved friends most of the youth (maybe even you and I) have to die to purge this nation of all evil because from what I see today, we are no better than our Ogas at the top.

Please it is not enough for us to criticise our leaders. If you have any suggestions as to how to improve the nation in our own little way as citizens, kindle share.

Have a good day guys.