DOES NIGERIA HAVE A FUTURE?

“We are all hypocrites. We cannot see ourselves or judge ourselves the way we see and judge others”…Jose Emilio Pacheco (1039 - 2014) was a Mexican poet, essayist, novelist and short story writer. He is regarded as one of the major Mexican poets of the first half of the 20^th century.

We are all hypocrites!

Have you ever looked yourself in the mirror but couldn’t hold still for long enough because of a certain guilt eating you up from within?

Yes! That’s your conscience, the good nature that God has placed inside us to help us keep a check on ourselves, without it, we are no different from actual beasts in the jungle that live by ending innocent lives and ripping loving families apart.

However, it is funny how we constantly feign how we truly feel and the way we do it quite well just like Hollywood stars. If there is one thing we must know about conscience, it is that you might be able to hide it, but you cannot hide from it.

Perhaps it is better to give in to it and accept reality and reprimand, than to fight it, letting it break your spirit while you sob alone in your innermost room.

Notwithstanding, we cannot remove the fact that we all pretend and retain our intentions at one point or another, perhaps not necessarily to deceive, but also to manage information wrapped up in systematic situations that third parties can hardly understand, even when confronted with or by it.

We make-up false images of ourselves to impress people that probably care less about us, allowing them to think we are better than who we indeed are, luring them to race faster than their legs can carry them, only to wear them out especially when they try to measure up to a perceived class we fake to attain, but that we were probably not destined to gain in such a way, if at all.

“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they never failed to imitate them”…James Baldwin (1924 – 1987) was an American writer and social critic.

Are there role models and mentors in sight?

The lies and pretenses have been around for as long as even our forefathers could remember. Nigeria for instance is full of people living phony lives, not because they want to, but because of peer pressure, fear of failure, insecurity and the imminent poverty that constantly lurks around, which of course is shameful as no one wants to be associated with poor people.

The poverty however is as artificial as can be, why or how? You may ask. Well, it still bores down to altering the eco-system, disturbance of the natural order of things.

Massive corruption, lack of genuine love and passion for one another and by extension the nation has brought Nigeria to her knees like a goat tied down helplessly waiting for the slaughter, but who is going to save us from this nasty predicament though?

I don’t have all the answers, nonetheless mentors and role models are definitely important for consideration, but look around you and count aloud how many you can find, yes you guessed it, as pertinent as they are, they are a scarce resource.

The wealthiest guys are usually corrupt or linked to shady deals, many even connive with government officials to defraud the administration and deprive the citizens of their rightful entitlements as simple as basic infrastructure, annihilating the middle class and impoverishing the citizenry without a conscience.

Does it not amaze you when our elders cherish and respect the laws, culture, education, living standard and the youths of western nations, but back home they do not care nor improve the quality of lives and the future of their own so called future leaders?

How can they be mentors and role models when they loot public funds and then waste them on material things that we can as well produce in our country at lower cost? It is either they are not financially intelligent, or they are outright nasty, just like actual terrorists.

“Youth is the gift of nature, but age is a work of art”…Stanislaw Jerzy Lec (1909 – 1966) was a Polish aphorist and poet.

Every kid deserves a shot at greatness!

Youths of course, are the leaders of tomorrow, the future frontrunners blazing the trail with the flaming torch, but do they stand a chance in this present Nigeria where the old folks want to rule and if possible, live forever even at our expense?

I was privileged to meet the acquaintance of a fairly old lad who has travelled the world and gained experience from a blissful career. Interestingly, he called my attention to an involvement of his when he had a meeting with a young CEO of a huge company, and surprisingly, he couldn’t have been more amazed and intimidated by such a young, bold and vibrant lady who apparently knew exactly what she wanted, especially from anyone she made contact with professionally and otherwise.

The meeting they had, according to him completely wore him out, primarily because he under-estimated her intelligence, and then she eventually blew him away.

My point?

If we do not empower and strategically position our youths and truly believe in them, then there is no future for our dear nation.

There is no magic nor any miracle about it, it is a principle, which the western world figured out a long time ago, which is why they look like super heroes and we simply succumb to them like buffoons.

“Next time you are faced with a choice, do the right thing. It hurts everyone less in the long run”…Wendelin Van Draanen (1965 - ) American writer of children’s and young adult fiction.

Perhaps we are not that bad after all…

Whoever came up with the Good people, Great nation caption for Nigeria sure did a good job I must say. We really are good people; it’s just that the prevailing circumstance of mass poverty is letting people become desperate and aggressive, tempting and luring them to do things they ordinarily wouldn’t. Not that I’m justifying the apparent lifestyle that has virtually come to stay, but on a lighter note, some even see it as a source of motivation for excellence.

Ordinarily, there is usually lesser crime and unrest in more civil societies where there is adequate infrastructure and where most of the population has education available and affordable to them.

“A place that gives wings to my dreams and hushes my fears, worries and screams.

Where I’d develop stronger wings to fly, rising so higher, touching the blue sky, that I dream and pray it ends not as a dream”…A poem by Tony Ajanah , a Nigerian poet.

The Nigeria of our dreams

The world has gotten better at technology than it was ten years ago, same thing applies to the medical aspect, pharmacy, education, strategy, sustainable development and lots more. Even family businesses try harder to pass wealth and knowledge to the next generation as precious legacies that get better like old wine.

At this point, Nigeria barely has a choice but to move at the same pace at which the world is currently evolving, else she will be left behind, and the exploding population may one day cause her to  self-destruct.

We all know that a substantial part of development is not rocket science, but rather, common sense and political will.

We have given in to deceit and loads of clandestine activities only because of material gain, which is money at most times. We are neither faithful nor loyal to ourselves, and this is why it is difficult for us to actually prosper.

We need to educate the up coming generation that Nigeria will not succeed if we do not grow home based sports, agriculture, education, manufacturing, technology and celebrate the good aspects of our culture, rather than looting the treasury of our citizens and wasting them on unworthy material possessions that fades away, impoverishes us and oppresses the already downtrodden.

So does Nigeria have a future? Well, I know one person that can make a difference and possibly answer the question, but first I’d say you might as well look into the mirror, as the answer is in our hands.

God bless Nigeria!

Thank you, and be awesome because you truly are.

Akin Abimbola.

Contact the author: (akinzogee@yahoo.com, akinzogee@gmail.com)

Twitter: @akinzogee

Facebook: Critical Lyric by Akin Abimbola

Instagram: Akinzogee

Did we make your day? Spread the word.

Tell them it happened here.

Become a fan, follow and share.                  

You can be a critical lyricist!

Talk to us.

What did we miss?

What do you think?

Be grateful for being alive and let your content flow…

Sources: Battles in the desert, Brainy Quote, Flippers, Google, Good reads, Wikipedia

This article is an original piece, reasonably researched and contains considerable opinion and a unique style of the author.

The names in actual stories are not real and the stories in this write-up are usually fictional, consequently, people’s names appearing are purely co-incidental, except for quotes and news that are typically referenced.