You probably didn’t realize it, but the numerous indecent acts that pop up in metropolitan centers and rural areas are merely a reflection of how low we’ve fallen as a society.
We had an August guest in our office last week. He was Indian, and he spoke fluent English, implying that he had been in Nigeria for at least a decade. He was well-versed in the area.
He addressed us all as “My Ogas.”
“I should have arrived two hours ago, but the Niger Bridge traffic was horrendous.”
“Ah, you are fortunate,” my boss answered.
“Anyway,” he concluded, “you made it here.”
Our visitor, on the other hand, wasn’t finished yet.
“Look here, my buddy, I see the government is working feverishly to construct a second Niger Bridge.”
“Oh absolutely, I’m almost positive it’ll be ready by 2023”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, it will be utilized by the All Progressives Congress political party to score a cheap political campaign.”
“Well, I believe you are correct,” said our visitor.
“Take a look! My Oga, we have a lot of traffic in Bangalore since more people are starting to appreciate driving fancy cars. However, when we only had horses and carriages, there was less traffic.”
He asked for coffee this time. The Secretary hurriedly delivered it.
He opened fire once again. “Those vehicles, as you can see, take up a lot of space, use a lot of gasoline, and use a lot of energy only to transport one wealthy person. However, this is not the situation in Nigeria. Security officers and touts intent on extorting unlawful payments from motorists are to blame for the bottleneck. Road users are frequently left stranded and extorted. There is no need for a second Niger Bridge if the government will stand up to the indiscriminate abuse perpetrated by these shady security agents.”
“Hmmm, my friend, I agree with you. Unfortunately, there is no distinction between the government and the touts…”
“But you’re unique, aren’t you?”
“Course, I was in government for one term, and I learned that trying to help people can lead to drowning.”
“Simply put, the lovely ones have yet to be born.”
There are saboteurs in every sphere of Nigerian society. You’d find them to be vexing giant strides. In our banks, they expect you to leave a tip before they provide any concrete service. In our hospitals, they make it a point to kill patients with unnecessary bureaucratic tendencies and bills… The list goes on and on.
The Indian discussed a variety of topics, including the numerous business opportunities available in Nigeria and how much of a competitive advantage we have. It was eye-opening. You see, two films titled Squid Game and Money Heist vividly depict our country’s challenges and responses. Nigeria is a wonderful country, but a few drops do not make an ocean. A few drops of water will never reach the ocean.
An ocean is formed by many tributaries. Societies are first built by healthy thinking made available by the family, religion, friends, government, environment…
– Olayinka Kayode Kingsley
olayinkakayodekingsley@gmail.com
