I DONT BELIEVE IN NIGERIA by Esan Teniola

I DONT BELIEVE IN NIGERIA by Esan Teniola

I don't believe in Nigeria. I don’t mean the future of Nigeria. I mean the present Nigeria I see.

 I don't believe in its leaders, I don't believe in anything they have to say. I don’t believe in their decisions, im not even convinced they have my interest at heart. I don’t believe they have the answers. I don’t think they are even asking the questions. I believe they are wasting our time. I don't believe that someone somewhere has the solutions to this country. I don't believe in Superman- that is fiction. I believe in myself. I believe in my 2 hands, not begging for someone somewhere to make things right, but with these 2 hands I will build the country want to live in. I believe in my friends. I believe in my family. I believe in everyone who not only tries to make the world a better place for themselves, but also for everyone around them.

                I don’t believe in my tribe- I don’t believe in Yorubas, Hausas, Ibos or whatever ethnic group one belongs to. I don’t believe in them. Let me tell you why. Common-sense tells me that one cannot be a Yoruba and a Nigerian at the same time. You must choose one over the other. I believe to be a true Nigerian you must leave your ethnicity behind and embrace the common ethnicity we share called Nigeria. Just the same way a Soldier must forget whatever tribe he is from and fight to protect his countryman no matter what tribe he is. It is a natural conflict of interest; If a policeman has not forsaken his family for the police force then he will not arrest his brother when he sees him committing a crime. To be a Nigerian, you can no longer be Ibo, or Hausa or Yoruba, or Urhobo or Calabar or whatever. You must be a Nigerian. Because if an Ibo person becomes president of Nigeria, he will use the resources of Nigeria primarily for his Ibo people and his kinsmen before others. Likewise Hausas and Yorubas and all the rest of them. are we sure we are ready to be Nigerians? I believe leadership is tribeless.

Today is independence day… but I don't believe in independence. I believe in inter-dependence, for no man is an island. Nigeria is getting older but not wiser. 53- I don’t believe it. I don’t believe we have a democracy. For God sakes I’v been hearing the same names over and over again since I was born. I don’t believe in a ruling class of the society. I believe in the potential of everyone I see on the streets. I believe in the laborers who work an honest days work and sweat for an honest days pay. I believe in business owners who provide quality good and services for the market place. I believe in farmers. I don’t believe in oil- there’s too much blood. Theres more blood spilled for the sake of oil, than oil for the sake of blood. It has caused more harm than good. It was our blessing but it has now become our curse. I believe we need to find something else doing. When someone mentions oil, I believe we should change the subject. So I will change the subject.

I believe in officer workers. I believe in industry. I believe in the old and the young. I believe in the children- the children in that public school I visited that had no toilets. Those little bright children who asked me "uncle, why dont our leaders care about the masses? Why do we always hear about corruption everyday?" I don't believe in leaders who send their children abroad to school while the nations universities are on strike. I dont believe in leaders who fly abroad for medical treatment when the nations hospitals are in need of better facilities. I do not believe in a cook who does not taste his own food. I will believe in the Minister of Education when I see his children attending public schools. I will believe in the Minister of Industry when I see him driving a Nigerian made car. I will believe in the Minister of Health when he undergoes heart surgery in Lagos General Hospital. I will believe in the Minister for Tourism when he goes to Yobe or Sokoto for vacation and not London or Dubai. I will believe in Governors when I see them enter public transport with their orderlies, to see how the people that they are governing live their day to day life. Till then, I don’t believe in Nigeria. I don’t mean Nigeria as a whole. I mean the Nigeria of today.

I believe in the Nigeria of tomorrow. The Nigeria that we will build- We the children. When all these black skinned colonial masters are gone. ~ Esan Teniola