Politics & Conscience
Incredible people in Nigeria
From the album: Nigeria Experience
Incredible People in Nigeria: Check If You Are One of Them
Think am well, shine your eye, open your eye.
Nigeria is a country of resilience. A place where people survive things that would make stronger economies cry for counseling. A nation where generators sing louder than birds, potholes become landmarks, and citizens somehow still laugh through hardship.
But sometimes, beyond survival, there is a deeper question Nigerians rarely ask themselves: Are we sometimes helping the very systems that hurt us?
This is not an article about blame. It is about reflection. It is about conduct. It is about the strange ways suffering and loyalty sometimes dance together in the Nigerian story.
The Jobless Defender
Imagine being unemployed for years, CV in hand, dreams on hold, yet passionately defending the very system that created the unemployment.
It sounds unbelievable, but Nigeria has mastered the art of political endurance.
Young graduates roam the streets of Lagos, Abuja, Uyo, Kano, and Port Harcourt searching for opportunities. Applications pile up. Hope grows tired. Yet somehow, political loyalty often remains stronger than personal reality.
The question is simple: If the rain keeps leaking through your roof, why are you praising the carpenter?
The Student Waiting for Tomorrow
In many countries, university is measured by years. In Nigeria, it is measured by strikes, delays, uncertainty, and patience.
Students lose time. Dreams pause halfway. Parents spend money without knowing when graduation will arrive.
Yet many still wave political banners proudly without asking difficult questions about education, policy, and accountability.
A generation waiting too long eventually begins to normalize delay.
The Burdened Father
There is something painful about watching a father struggle under the hot sun, working endlessly, unable to feed his family properly, yet still defending policies that deepened hardship.
This is not mockery. This is heartbreak.
Because survival has a way of silencing frustration. Sometimes people become so used to struggle that suffering begins to feel permanent.
When Pain Becomes Tradition
A nation should protect its youth. Yet there are moments when young people mourn their own while political arguments continue like football rivalry.
Pain should never become tradition. Loss should never become routine.
Citizens must ask difficult questions when insecurity becomes normal life.
Survival in an Expensive Country
Prices rise. Food rises. Rent rises. Transport rises. Everything seems expensive except hope.
Homelessness grows. Jobs disappear. Yet people continue adapting because Nigerians are experts at survival.
Still, one question remains: At what point do citizens stop surviving and start demanding solutions?
Life in Darkness
For many Nigerians, electricity feels like an unexpected visitor. You celebrate when it comes. You mourn when it disappears.
Generators have become unofficial family members. Businesses spend fortunes keeping lights on, while homes sit in darkness.
Yet somehow, many people continue acting as though power failure is destiny instead of something leadership should address.
Roads That Test Faith
Some roads in Nigeria do not merely challenge vehicles — they challenge belief. Traveling home becomes a prayer point. Journeys become survival missions.
Road projects appear every election season like annual festivals, yet many communities still remain disconnected. Still, campaigns continue. As if nothing happened.
Fear and Sleepless Nights
When insecurity becomes normal conversation, society changes. People travel less. Families worry more. Fear quietly enters daily life.
Kidnapping, violence, and uncertainty reshape how people move, think, and dream.
And citizens ask themselves: How long will people sleep with one eye open?
Water, Fuel, and Everyday Struggle
Clean water remains a luxury in some places. Fuel prices stretch family budgets. Transportation becomes harder. Pocket don dry.
And still, promises fly through the air like harmattan dust. Citizens wait. Hope waits. Tomorrow waits.
Tribe or Competence?
One of Nigeria's oldest political habits is voting based on tribe, ethnicity, or emotional attachment.
But tribe alone cannot build roads. Emotion alone cannot create jobs. Loyalty alone cannot solve national problems.
Competence matters. Character matters. Track record matters.
Rice Today, Regret Tomorrow
Nigeria also understands what many call 'stomach infrastructure.' A small favor today. A forgotten future tomorrow.
Short-term gain often overshadows long-term thinking. But every nation grows when citizens think beyond today's meal and consider tomorrow's possibilities.
So, Check Yourself
This article is not calling anyone foolish. It is asking a difficult but necessary question: Are we sometimes part of the problem we complain about?
Before pointing fingers at leaders, systems, or institutions, perhaps citizens must also reflect on choices, loyalty, silence, and accountability.
As the streets might say: Think am well. Shine your eye. Open your eye.