Everyone in life has a need or want. We all need something (according to my all-time favourite singer, Brymo). Need is a driving force, a motivator, a creativity inducer. Necessity they say is the mother of invention. A glance at all the booming economies around the world elucidates the effect of capitalizing on need. So why is it so different in my homeland?
We are in no way short of need. One publication even described the state of our citizens with the phrase multi-dimensional poverty. Why then are we sinking in spite of ginormous motivation (need)❓ The answer to this question will probably shock you but it what it is.😎
SO what’s the answer? Well, it’s the word…HOPE!!!
You probably already filed me in the locolist right now. I must be crazy to prescribe hope as the cause of our misfortune but chill, give me a chance to unfile myself. Lets first get to know what hope is using the current context.
So, what then is hope?
The normal definition will tell you that it is a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen. In as much as this statement is true, Nigerians have managed to add a totally new perspective and meaning to that definition. Every Nigerian, especially those going through difficult times (which seems to be almost all of us😒) believe that one day, all their suffering will miraculously seize to exist. Don't get me wrong, we are a hardworking, zealous, strong people that will do all it takes to succeed when given the opportunity.
However, life, as they say, has its twist and turns and time is ever-changing. The colossal nature of daily life challenges has made the average Nigerian vulnerable and susceptible to various scams. You are probably thinking, how can the originators of 419 be described as scam victims🙄 If you calm down and do a little digging, you’ll be surprised at the ginormous 😉gap between the Media Painted Reality and the Actual Reality”😎
So back to the topic, lets now use two case studies to define the Nigerian version of hope
Case Study 1: The Two-Odds Bandwagon
A young fellow is terribly hungry. For days, he has not eaten a decent meal. The scraps that keep him alive have run out. It's now turning into a do (eat) or die affair. Local man cannot can again🥴 Lucky for him, he manages to earn ₦100 after helping some strangers carry their heavy load. Any normal human being would expect this fellow to rush to the nearest eatery and save his own life but Nah fam, this fellow got other plans🤥. At the very moment he receives the cash, he has a eureka moment proudly sponsored by his village people. He saw vividly the fastest way to acquire his dream car
build the biggest house and still have more cash to burn. The best part of this wonderful idea is that it only costs him ₦100. Right there on his palm, lay the key to this amazing opportunity. All he had to do was bet🤠. Who wouldn’t jump at this idea🤷🏼♂🤷🏼♂(except you have a functioning brain) so off he goes temporarily fueled by HOPE. You can pretty much guess the rest of this story.
Betting companies sell one and only one commodity, Hope. The young fellow had it in abundance. Bet9ja, Nairabet, Merrybet and many more take this thing called hope, rebrand it, turn it into a product and keep on selling it to my countrymen especially the youth. These companies have been able to make it so appetizing that the average Nigerian youth now rate gambling the same as hard work, calling it hustling. Only a handful want to get their nails dirty these days. The picture of them cruising in luxurious cars, Dubai shopping etc are so vivid and the conviction that they can get it through betting/daydreaming is so strong that it is laughable.
These companies, in turn, keep their hope alive with numerous adverts and juicy offers. It's all part of the business they say.
Case study 2: Religion
A man once said “Nigeria would be so much richer if we exported our number one natural resource…Religion!!!
“No truer word has been said” flashed through my mind when I came across the above quote. Religion has indeed made a joke out of my countrymen. They have been subjected to different forms of stupidity all in the name of faith. The so-called men of God have also mercilessly dealt with them in so many forms. In exchange for HOPE.. my countrymen have
- offered their life savings to charlatans with the conviction that their reward is in “heaven”
- kept mute to the various atrocities committed by these men of God
- failed to defend their rights believing that all is hands of God and all foul event is God’s plan
- forsaken their life goals and surrendered all ambitions to God especially the overzealous youths
- kept on playing into the hands of corrupt leaders who keep on swaying their vote through their ‘spiritual leaders’, etc.
Daily, all sorts of religions spring up promising all sorts of miracles and breakthroughs amongst other forms of hope. Daily, people fall into traps often due to the trials and tribulations they face. The scent of supposed avenues through which they could be ‘free’ of it all leads them right into the hands of these cold fellas who in exchange for hope, takes all.
I always wonder how Nigeria would fare if the amount of devotion religion garners from its citizen is channelled to sectors like agriculture, healthcare, education, etc. Indeed, my countrymen would be better off. If only they could see…👀
There are so many other areas where HOPE is doing the entire opposite of what it is meant to do in my country. I chose the above case studies because they seem to be the most prominent and dominant in my society. Yes, it is that bad😞
So what is the solution to my countrymen’s current predicament? Well, the response will probably shock you… One Phrase! that's it, One freaking Phrase.
And what is this magical Phrase? (…drum roll🥁🥁🥁) COMMON SENSE!!!
This magical, wonderful, aesthetic phrase, common sense, is the answer. With it, most of our problems will be solved. The best part is that it's free and accessible. Common sense is so efficient that it is the answer to these,
- Are you about to gamble your life savings?… activate common sense
- Are you about to beat that red light?…activate common sense
- Is your religious leader trying to coerce you with silly doctrines?…activate common sense
- Is a politician trying to buy the next fours of your life with bags of rice, etc?…activate common sense
- Are you about to do anything, no matter what it is, that goes against the norms of the society?… activate the damn common sense!!!
If we can deactivate and uninstall the deformed hope mechanism that the current state of our society has fed us and activate/install this “always ready to use” product called “common sense”, Nigeria will surely take a turn for the best😊
Check for the file in your system and if it aint there…
Grab Your Copy Now!!!
Udo diri gi✌
Ps: this article was inspired by random discussions I had with Osita, one of my facilitators at Genesys Tech Hub, Enugu and my fellow interns👨💻
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Encourage is All You Need