I remember when my family moved to Abuja in 1999, one of the yardsticks my parents used to get the house we moved into was that the house already had a bore hole because there was no water in the area at the time.
Back in the university, I never experienced water run from the tap in my house and the houses of almost every other person except those who had a borehole in their various houses. Everyday until I graduated, I bought water from "mai ruwa" and at night I virtually always had a headache from the noise from the many generator sets of all my neighbours (mine inclusive). However I have no plans to reside anywhere else except my country Nigeria now or anytime in the future. On the other hand I wouldn't judge or condemn any Nigerian who has chosen to go and seek greener pastures outside Nigeria, or those who have gotten so used to the comforts of developed countries and have decided not to come back home.
Let's call a spade a spade and not an agricultural instrument, there is corruption in this country which has eaten deep into the fibre of our society and it has turned out to be the major cause of most of our problems. Corruption is inevitable in every society but then I believe that everybody is likely to be porous as long as the system permits it and apparently the Nigerian system has permitted it. There is no water, electricity is now a luxury, fuel scarcity despite the fact that we are an oil producing nation. There are glitches in the education and health sectors, securing a job no longer depends on your capabilities or credentials, but on who your father is or who you know. There are no consequences for disobeying the law: recently I read in one of the newspapers that the son of a serving minister hit a boy while driving under the influence and the victim died. The family of the boy who was hit said that they have left the case in the hands of God because they know that they will not win a case against a serving minister. The judicial system and law enforcement agencies are not making things any easier.
I had a lecturer who used to tell us of how good the country was when he was growing up and I remember that he once said we (the younger generation) should pray that we never have to tell our children that our days were better than their days. We know that Nigeria isn't what we want it to be yet, Rome wasn't built in a day. Developed countries didn't happen by magic, they worked real hard for many years. they fought wars, they toiled, they went through many revolutions and struggles to make their countries what they are today. If we all choose to run away, this country wouldn't move forward. Being the optimist that I am, I believe there is hope. There isn't much anyone can do single handedly as an individual and that is why I urge Nigerians not to run away, but to come together and collectively we can make a difference.
The just concluded 2011 elections have proven that Nigeria is about to experience a revolution. Nigeria is fast moving from the "dominant" party system it was practicing to the multi party system it was supposed to be practicing. In the past we had leaders imposed on us during the military regime, now we have the pleasure of selecting our leaders ourselves through a democratic process.
This may sound cliche, but Nigeria will eventually become what we wish for it to be. Definitely not today, tomorrow or even in 20years to come, but hopefully the future of our unborn children will be secure here in Nigeria and they wouldn't have to wish their country was like America, because their country will actually be like America and even better. Got to go now...peace out!
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