The Nigerian singer, TY Bello, sang a hit song asserting that “the land is green!” Interestingly, not a few Nigerians would argue otherwise because as it is commonly said, “the land appears greener on the other side”. Maybe we can say that all parties are both right and wrong, or as some cool Nigerians would say, “1:0; goalless draw!”
Is the land “green”? Whereas any response would be quite subjective, depending on a person’s aspirations, exposure, etc., it is arguable that many Nigerians currently struggle to see a bright future for their nation. There seems to be a sense of gloom that drives plans and actions, such as the mass wave of japa – Nigerians switching their geographical location to somewhere where the leaders are not blessed to be inspired by amala.
While an average Nigerian might not see the green light, a foreigner may have a different view. But again, this is as subjective as the case for Nigerians. I was surprised to see a news report of some Cameroonians selling their properties to pay scammers who promised them a better life in Nigeria—the same Nigeria where Nigerians are selling their properties to pay scammers who promise them a better life elsewhere. Should we talk about the mass inflow of African compatriots trooping into Nigeria to handle “menial jobs”, while Nigerians check-out to handle equivalent jobs abroad?
It is easy to think that only colour-blind poorer Africans see the green in Nigeria, but the number of cash-backed Turks, Chinese, Lebanese, Indians, etc., who are rapidly establishing businesses here suggests that there is some perception that a pot of gold might be present within the borders of Nigeria. On another level, we see foreign airlines scrambling to effect a price war against Nigeria’s Air Peace to control market share on international trips. For airlines hitherto complaining about having lots of funds trapped in Nigeria to still commit to fighting for market share suggests that they may be seeing something that we might not see. Even institutional investors with lots of slush funds seem to have one eye on Nigeria, possibly hoping our governance and regulatory issues somehow get sorted.
If we use foreigners as a benchmark, we may quickly join Sister Bello to assert the undisputed greenness of our land, and we may even go to the length of deriding our brethren seeking to japa. But can we calm down a bit?
The thing about subjectivity is that there is no empirical way of drawing a line in the sand. Let’s see it this way as an example. Nigerians are running to the United Kingdom where not a few Brits are complaining about the economy, cost of living, and dwindling opportunities. To a Nigerian raised in Nigeria, he or she would struggle to see why a Brit is complaining because the Nigerian is used to “worse” conditions. Similarly, the Cameroonian wonders why a Nigerian is leaving Lagos to run to Luton, or why anyone in Nigeria is complaining about rigged elections because he is comparing it to his own reality.
At the end, everyone gets to decide what it means to be green. For me, I think Nigeria has a lot of potential and is not as bad as many of us would assume. For every shameful flaw in Nigeria, someone somewhere is managing to thrive through worse conditions. I think of the brutal effect of inflation in Nigeria and wonder how people are surviving in Turkey, Argentina, or even Zimbabwe—countries that might argue that Nigerians have no clue what inflation is.
Regardless, whether we think that the land is green today or not, we can all agree that the land has all it takes to be the deepest green in future. But we would need to put in a lot of hard work to deliver this future potential, including holding our leaders and ourselves accountable. If we don’t, the green future might still somehow arrive, but it is likely foreigners who have played the long game that would be the biggest beneficiaries. The choice is ours to make.
Image Credit: myplantin.com
Jilomes 