BY AJIBOLA M. SALAMI
We are taught in Economics that “Human wants are insatiable”. It’s the way we Homo Sapiens are wired. Contentment is just an idea … It’s NOT practiced by anyone. Even Queen Elizabeth just requested for nearly 400 million pound sterling to renovate the already immaculate Buckingham Palace … Donald Trump, who appears to have everything, still wants to be a bigger bully than that potato-shaped boy in North Korea who killed his own uncle and blood brother just because they criticized him … Abubakar Atiku still wants to be president of Nigeria, and if he eventually succeeds, that means “A Ti Ku” (we are dead).
Even my boss here complains about the bureaucratic inadequacies of the British Government; which I find rather strange because my own complaint is restricted to institutional racism. In my view, it’s like my own father has a patched-up bicycle that doesn’t function properly and here’s someone complaining that he doesn’t like the colour of his father’s Rolls Royce. When prompted, my boss said it’s not because he doesn’t love the UK … but because that’s the only way to hold the government accountable … you know, for the sake of positive development/improvement. Even I can NOT argue with that.
But when you, as a Nigerian, continue to insist that Nigeria in it’s current state is the BEST Country in the world … I begin to doubt your conscience and motive. Are you referring to the same Nigeria that can not boast of uninterrupted power supply for one quarter of a day (that’s 6 hours for those of you who struggle with Maths) …that can not pay worker’s salary regularly … that is owing OAP/Pensioners backlog of payments … that has more government owned private jets than income-generating commercial airlines … that the budget of just 109 Senators is more than the one of the entire Police Force … that murder investigations don’t use forensics/CSI and the dead are buried without official autopsy … that Students spend X number of years in government-funded institutions of higher learning (X being a variable function of the regularity of salary paid to ASUU members) … that government hospitals can not give you free paracetamol … that the balance of your savings account reduces without making withdrawals … that a State Governor empowers the youths with Wheel Barrows … that still imports toothpick, matchstick and pencil …that nearly reversed the destiny of Anthony Joshua … you can add yours in the comment section (bcos the list is endless).
Like I surmised in a post I put up 2 days ago, you can only love Nigeria as it is now if you are a beneficiary of her disabilities … NOT bcos you are patriotic. Have you ever wondered why our Politicians and top govt officials profess their love for the country, yet they travel abroad for holidays and medical tourism … to have properties and investments …to develop and train their kids?! Examples abound … Our President budgets billions of Naira annually for the Aso Rock Hospital, but travels abroad to treat an Ear Infection (A former President even died abroad while still in Office!!!) … Our Minister for Health travels abroad for medical check-up … His Education counterpart sends his kids to be educated abroad. Governor Rochas Okorocha and Senate President Bukola Saraki recently attended their kids’ graduation here in the UK. Our Leaders are a conscienceless lot; plain and simple.
Now here’s a twist in the tale…
A valued and respected friend of mine criticized my aforementioned post, insisting that Nigeria is the BEST Country in the world (I’m sure he’s reading this so its not as if I’m gossiping about him). When I got tired of arguing with him, I left him to his conscience … if he still has one! Let me explain from the beginning: When I and this guy were still struggling to make headway in life at the turn of the New Millennium, we were always planning and strategically looking for ways to travel out of Nigeria. We tried everywhere, even Turkey! Then he got a job with the Civil Service. Every morning, he would buy me Agege Bread and Ewa Agonyin before he went to work. And in the evenings he would buy me Mende Suya with which to drink ‘Garrium Sulphate’. Things continued like that for a while, until I finally ‘escaped’ from Nigeria. He rose quickly through the ranks in the Civil Service which is not a surprise … he is very competent and astute, an excellent architect. During our last banter, this is what he said and I quote:”In Nigeria I was born.In Nigeria I got educated.In Nigeria I work.In Nigeria I live.In Nigeria I surviveIn Nigeria I believeIn Nigeria I hustle and make my money.In Nigeria I wanna die and be buried.In Nigeria, In Nigeria, In Nigeria…I love and cherish”.***End of Quote***
But (this is a very big ‘BUT’) …
One of the institutions he attended was named after Chief MKO Abiola. Being an avid football fan you’d expect him to go watch matches at MKO Abiola stadium … BUT he travels to Europe for that (in fact he is an official card-carrying member of Juventus FC of Turin, Italy). When going on holidays you’d expect him to take his family to Obudu Cattle Ranch, or Yankari Games Reserve or the almost empty Ibadan Zoo or somewhere in Ghana or South Africa… BUT they go to Europe, America and Asia. His Facebook profile photo years ago was taken in London, the year after that was Italy, then Saudi Arabia, then United Arab Emirates (that’s the FEW I can remember offhand).
So it is clearly evident that my friend is NOT practicing what he preaches…which is why I said I left him to his CONSCIENCE.
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