Yes! You read that title correctly. Many negative realities in Nigeria often makes me wonder if all Nigerian leaders are truly Nigerians considering their handling of national affairs. They are crafty at protecting their own interest and welfares. Once the happenings don't affect them negatively, they don't give a damn.
Isn't prolonged ASSU strike, (incessant terrorism, prevalent kidnapping, poor healthcare, outrageous unemployment rate, inadequate and unevenly distributed infrastructures, poor manpower development, theft/burglary/robbery, incessant borrowing, misappropriation/mismanagement of public funds and alarming rate at which Nigerians are running out of Nigeria for their sanity, safety, security and prosperity in recent times just to mention a few) enough to conclude that handlers of this country don't mean well?
Aren't Nigerian leaders and stakeholders perturbed at the rate of 'outflock' of highly productive Nigerians to other nations considered better than Nigeria in terms of quality education, standard healthcare, peace, safety, security, infrastructural amenities, advanced technology/science, career success, economic/financial prosperity, political stability and leadership excellence? Nigerians are running away from their fatherland and the rulers/leaders of Nigeria are still cool, calm and comfortable as though everything is fine.
Can you imagine what some stakeholders/leaders turned Nigeria to! A place where the sons and daughters of the land don't want to stay anymore because of artificial hardship, insecurity, leadership failure and uncertainties. Even as a parent, you won't want your children to derive pleasure in going to other people's houses while they hate being in your own houses. Only a vagabond parent will do nothing to change the narrative and make his/her home precious to his/her children so much they will always feel at home.
How can young, strong, promising, professional and most enterprising/productive Nigerians detest living in Nigeria and be trooping out in millions to foreign nations in search of greener pastures under your watch as a leader at all levels and you don't see the need to change the narrative to do all it takes to ensure Nigerians are comfortable and satisfied in Nigeria than elsewhere around the world?
Population growth has a positive way of affecting economic growth of a society. The more people exit the shores of Nigeria, the more our national economy nosedive. There is no way we will have enough professionals in every field at the rate numerous experts in their fields are relocating from Nigeria to other countries because of in-house self inflicted woes in Nigeria by Nigerians especially, the leaders.
There is a saying in my Yoruba language that: "agba kii wa loja ki ori omo tuntun wo". Meaning: in as much there are elders in the market square, a new born baby's head cannot bend on his/her neck. Some things aren't supposed to happen wherever there are elders. Come to think of it, it seemed this is not applicable to vast majority of Nigerian leaders/elders/stakeholders. Series of events have proved that most leaders of our country are worse than the worst of colonial masters in the history of human existence.
The dream, pursuit and commitment of every well meaning leader anywhere is to ensure that everyone under his/her watch is safe, secured, productive, successful and prosperous but I doubt if all our leaders shared that noble mindset. It won't be wrong to say most of them are "arije nidi ibaje" (i.e. they feed fat on malpractices). Infact, how those in question sleep and wake up comfortably is incomprehensible.
Nigerian nurses, doctors, pharmacists, artists/entertainers, accountants, engineers, IT professionals, teachers/lecturals, technicians, articians, clergies, celebrities, students and the rest relocated to other nations in throngs and we still think this country is very fine.
Have we ever imagined why Americans, Arabians, Europeans and others aren't trooping to Nigeria on daily basis? It is impossible for that to happen now because the best life possible and achievable in their places aren't in Nigeria.
We cannot attract foreigners to relocate to Nigeria like the way Nigerians are attracted to their countries because we aren't doing what we are supposed to do to make Nigeria exactly like or better than their countries. Since Nigerians aren't comfortable living in Nigeria, foreigners cannot be inspired and motivated to relocate to Nigeria.
In a saner clime, relocation to other nations in search of greener pastures is never an option for consideration because nothing is chasing them out of their own countries. For citizens of those prosperous nations, to travel out is never a prayer point or a call for celebration eventually they have to travel out since their countries have no match in the company of nations. What a shame that the contrary is the case in Nigeria as traveling out has become a luxury and breakthrough. The only prayer point of some Nigerians living in Nigeria is to get their visa approved for them to "japa".
Wisdom demands that: "ibi ti eyan ti n ri nkan je, eyan gbodo ma tun ibe se ni" (i.e. you should ensure the prosperity of wherever you are benefiting from). Since Nigerians leaders are feeding fat on Nigeria and Nigerians, they should ensure their contributions to Nigeria is commensurate to what they are getting from Nigeria and Nigerians. Sugbon ti won ba ko ti won o se atunde, oju won to ma ja nigbati gbogbo ilu ba tun mo won lori tan (i.e. their eyes will soon be clear when there is no one left for them to govern anymore if they refused to timely make amends).
These people have travelled round the world, seen how well things are done and enjoyed the best of advanced nations yet, they didn't replicate the same in Nigeria. They preferred to always go for vacation, medical care, acquisition of properties, businesses, investments and send their wards to school in those nations at the expense of Nigeria and Nigerians. Their attitude is: "igi da, eye fo lo". They don't care whatever happens to Nigeria and should the worst befall Nigeria, they've already mapped out their escape for them not to be consumed.
©07/10/2022
_Stephen Olamilekan Jimoh
Advance Everyday
...living life at best
