Nigeria of Today vs Nigeria of my Dreams

• Introduction 

• Multiculturalism in Nigeria

• Lack of Social amenities in Nigeria

• The issue of corruption in Nigeria

• The Nigeria of my dreams 

The Nigeria of today VS The Nigeria of my dreams

Introduction

In this article, I will be writing on the flaws of Nigeria and my reflection on how to get rid of these flaws.

While walking the streets of Lagos, I get entranced in my little world of fantasy as my mind is filled with imaginations of what I desire my country Nigeria to become. Suddenly, it struck me and I begin to wonder how exactly my country Nigeria will become the country of my dreams if it's only one man for himself. No man is an island they say, but in my country, this is exactly what it seems, everyone just wants what’s best for them and then nothing else matters.  

Multiculturalism in Nigeria

I  wake up in the morning to a novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, titled Half of a yellow sun. While reminiscing on the mishap that occurred in Nigeria during the late 1960s, I realise that the only difference between the period of the civil war from the year 1967 and 21st century Nigeria is the absence of war. Nigeria being a multicultural country has only brought disunity amongst the people, the anger of the people towards the different tribes is beyond explanation. 

Multiculturalism is the coexistence of multiple cultures, traditions, religion etc Nigeria’s strength should lie in its diversity as this can enable the citizens to obtain a high standard of living, as they have the opportunity of becoming multilingual, learning to cook different delicacies from one another, learning to wear different attires, sharing ideas for achieving a specific goal, and working together for the financial stability of the country Nigeria. etc  

Unfortunately, the opposite is the case. Competition amongst ourselves, jealously, anger over one’s prosperity, and nepotism is the devil that roams the country.

Lack of social amenities in Nigeria

Tunde is a Yoruba man in his late 20’s, who has been out of work for a few months. He wakes up one morning sweating profusely as it is a really hot day, he gets up to increase his electric fan when suddenly the electricity goes off. This makes him displeased, frustration begins to swell up in him and he becomes restless due to the hot weather.  Hastily, he takes off his clothes and goes into the bathroom to have a cold bath, when he turns on the shower knob all he could hear is a squeaking noise coming out of the shower. THERE’S NO WATER. 

People who live in the rural area of Nigeria, suffer from a lack of social amenities and since this is an important source of livelihood it can result in living a destabilized life and inability to focus on what is important. 

Lack of social amenities has been an issue in Nigeria for years, children are being given birth into such a society and people have died in such a society but still, there has not been any change. 

People who live in the Urban area of the country crave a suiting livelihood, as such, they do everything in their power to live a comfortable life, regardless of the situation in the country. On the other hand, with the people in the rural areas still struggling to have three square meal in a day, what power do they have over such issues than to cope with the situation.

The issue of corruption in Nigeria

Aisha is an 18 years old undergraduate with a high zeal towards education. On her way to class, she is so determined to gain as much knowledge as she can from the day’s lecture as the examination is fast approaching. She gets to the lecture hall at exactly 9:35 am and the class is at 10 am. 

The lecturer strolls into the lecture hall at 11:00 am, with no form of remorse for his lateness. 40 minute into his teaching, he ends the lecture with an excuse that he has a meeting in a few minutes. A 2hours lecture ends up being a 40mins lecture. 

This leaves Aisha unhappy, how is she to prepare for the examination without taking proper lectures and all that the lecturer is concerned about is ensuring his textbooks are bought from him, as whoever does not buy the textbooks would fail the examination. 

In Nigeria, Corruption crowns the day, it takes on many forms, penetrates all sectors and spreads in the country like a wildfire. 

The Nigeria of my dreams

I could go on and on about the underlying problems in Nigeria but to what end?

I fantasize every day about the future that I want for my country. I fantasize about the Nigeria of my dreams. Being a Nigerian is like a burden that I have to bear, a burden that can become a blessing if we decide that it’s time for a change. Until this decision has been made, new-borns will be given birth to, and old ones will die but Nigeria will remain the same.

The Nigeria of my dreams, I won’t say is a Nigeria that consists of only rich and wealthy citizens, with expensive cars, designer wears, bungalows and skyscrapers, but rather a country with unity because together we can work wonders and accommodate whatever situation we find ourselves in until we create that better Nigeria.