To live in Nigeria:

What does it mean to live in Nigeria?.. No, the question should be “What does it take to survive in Nigeria?”

The Nigerian leaders have led their uninvolved in politics nation into an unimaginable catastrophe, the complete opposite from what was promised and outlined in pre-election speeches.

When I think about it, in my mind is a clear image of those people been hoarded away from the light at the end of a tunnel.

The promises the rulers made during the election campaigns were just empty promises with no intention of fulfilling them. They were not concerned about it. Why would they? Holding true to their words was not the reason they rallied. The Power was all that mattered.

The leaders had since time immemorial sealed this country in abject poverty.

There’s a book by Chinua Achebe called The Trouble with Nigeria and this book is a prophetic writing. He points out the main cause of what’s happening in the country: bad leadership. He predicts, Nigeria will fail and never become a modern country as tribalism, indiscipline, lack of patriotism; social injustice, the cult of mediocrity and corruption can be eliminated or at least reduced with proper governance only.

It pains me; the leaders don’t challenge themselves to take responsibilities for the state Nigeria is in. And they do not wish to hear the voice of Nigerian people under their regime. The media, which are supposed to be that voice, are owned and financed by these political chauvinists. A story, a cry of ordinary folks will never make its way into the morning newspapers or any news line in the country. There’s nowhere to run seeking justice, there’s no channel for people’ voice to be heard, unless of course those people belong with elite.

DaShanne Stokes said "A president cannot defend a nation if he is not held accountable to its laws", but the case with Nigeria is totally different, the laws do not apply to them. The leaders in Nigeria and its own are not liable to even most gruesome acts, no matter the devastating effect it inflicts in all aspects of life in the country.

The elite of Nigeria will say, it’s not true about Nigeria, it’s a falsification of the facts, and they will be right to say it. They don’t experience what the rest of Nigerian population does.

I beseech them and their children and their entire suit to come down from their high well provisioned seats and live here for a moment for I know if they were a bee, they wouldn’t be able to build their hive here.

They don’t live in “my” Nigeria.

What is “my” Nigeria?

My Nigeria is the country of complete darkness, days without electricity but rich with natural oil.

My Nigeria leaves their workers with unpaid salaries for months.

My Nigeria is the country where youth has no future, no prospects of fulfilling their dreams.

My Nigeria is where people suffer in silence, unable to voice their protests in fear to be prosecuted or just to disappear without a trace.

My Nigeria is where the ruling elite siphon the country’s budget to safe deposit vaults in prosperous cities oversea for their future generations to enjoy. And explain the disappearance of funds sent by world humanitarian organizations with the most incredible stories: a monkey and a snake eating up millions of naira. My people just shake their heads in disbelief, how impudent the rulers are. They don’t even bother to come up with more plausible cover ups.

What do people dream about in my Nigeria?

Their dream is to survive the next minute not knowing when or where the Boko Haram insurgents will defuse a bomb and claim lives of the wailing Nigerians. Their dream is to be able to farm without fear of being robbed or killed or kidnapped and not have their crops mangled by herdsmen’ cattle.

Come, see “my” Nigeria.