a) Your child comes down with a
headache, maybe fever. You get worried, even scared. You rush to the nearest
chemist, could be a pharmacy. You buy some analgesic. You feed your child the
medication. And you kneel down to say a pray for him or her. A combination of
God and medication will heal your child in a few hours, you think. Your child
is now sleeping soundly. One, two, four, five, seven hours or more. He or she is
getting much desired rest, you assume. You go to check in on him or her,
regardless. In the room, you listen. You hear nothing. No snoring. You touch
your child. The skin now becomes pale white and stiff and loses its sense of
touch: your child is dead. The adulterated panadol or paracetamol
you fed your child has killed him or her. You cry! You ask God why.
b) Your car develops a mechanical fault. You rush to Idumota or Aba or Nkpo or Nnewi or wherever. A guy talks you into parting with your hard-earned money to purchase a brand new 'original' Japanese spare part. A day or two after, your car dies again. You also need to replace the very same part you had paid for just a couple of days or so ago. You ask God why.
is a Speaker, Commentator, and Writer. He is the author of the highly acclaimed memoir, "A Dream of Canada: An Incredible Story of Struggle and Overcoming."
b) Your car develops a mechanical fault. You rush to Idumota or Aba or Nkpo or Nnewi or wherever. A guy talks you into parting with your hard-earned money to purchase a brand new 'original' Japanese spare part. A day or two after, your car dies again. You also need to replace the very same part you had paid for just a couple of days or so ago. You ask God why.
c) You finish your university
education in Nigeria. Five, ten years and counting, you have got no job in your
own fatherland. You want to explore opportunities in other countries. You get
your green passport ready. You arrive at a Western country’s embassy in Lagos
or Abuja at midnight. You stand in line in front of their gate till 9 a.m. They
take your money and then deny you visa. You raise the palms of your hands to
heaven. You cry. You ask God why.
Do you really want to know why?
Okay, here’s why:
d) It is because Nigerians have come
to be known for lying and cheating. If we can't even trust ourselves, why
should anyone else? The drug that killed that innocent child was faked by one
of us. That spare part that got you stranded in the rain right in the middle of
nowhere was manufactured in Aba or Nnewi or Lagos and was deliberately sold to
you as ‘original’ Japanese part by a
fellow Nigerian. You were denied visa at that embassy because of the sundry
atrocities your fellow Nigerians commit in that country you want to journey
to.
e) We are all guilty of destroying
Nigeria's image -- both at home and abroad. Yet, we shout to high heavens and
complain about our leaders. For us to usher in that Nigeria of our collective
dream, we need to first be good followers. Opportunities abound everywhere,
Nigeria and beyond. But we can only tap into them when we turn a new leaf and
begin to give a hoot about what we want our people and the world to think of
us.
Kaanayo Nwachukwu
is a Speaker, Commentator, and Writer. He is the author of the highly acclaimed memoir, "A Dream of Canada: An Incredible Story of Struggle and Overcoming."
it couldnt have been said better i could add a long list of the things we do to ourselves that ends up bacfiring on us and killing our country-granted the government have failed us,but what are we as individuals doing in our little coners to ensure we wont be labeled part of the cause of our failed state?we can start with practicing common curtesy to one another and having a little respect for public amenities or even as little as not urinating on our streets or throwin stuff from our car windows,the list is endless but we can at least start from somewhere.
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