Photo credit: Business Day
If there’s another entry into this world, I’ll not only come back as a Nigerian, I’ll come back as a Yoruba. Indeed, I’ll come back as a Nigerian because within it is the largest concentration of the Yoruba.
The Yoruba is ever wise!
That could be a story for another day. The Yoruba have a saying which translates into, if care is not taken, the temporary will become permanent.
I’m just curious about what happened to our own Nigeria that has since become a laughing stock in the committee of nations.
Was it not in this Nigeria that one naira was equal to the pound sterling? I can remember there was a time during the Shagari period when one American dollar exchanged for less than fifty kobo. In fact, it was forty six kobo.
Before then, as a boarder, our lockers were a sight to behold. That was because each locker was like a mini supermarket.
Before then again, the local governments were given allocations and we, the people felt their impacts.
The libraries were places to go to.
We had departmental stores and our parents were buying brand new cars. We, the children, used to convert old vehicles into play areas.
We ate, ‘Uncle Ben’s’ rice from the U.S. and not Thailand rice. I understand there’s even fake rice in town.
When I got into a higher institution, our meal was fifty kobo per plate. And if you’re looking for a balanced diet, you could always count on cooks in the higher institutions. Our predecessors were even laughing at us. They said in their own time, they spent fifty kobo for the whole day.
Then governments even paid some bursary. And woe betide that governor who did not pay bursary on time. Students would go to the state and create a scene by demonstrating.
Even with this, workers’ salaries were increased. The increment made them amass electronic gadgets of various brands or even cars.
By the way, the herders we were used to were those carrying harmless wooden staffs. Maybe the bulls were much more obedient then.
I served in Kaduna state. I would normally go and board a night vehicle at Kawo in Kaduna. The vehicle was usually a brand new Peugeot from Peugeot Assembly of Nigeria.
It would depart around midnight. And believe it or not, we would be in Lagos around six in the morning.
Although, employment situation had started getting difficult then, it can never be compared to what’s happening now.
Degrees that were not from universities in the UK were mocked at. American degrees were looked at derisively.
The purpose of this post is to inquire where we got it wrong as a nation. Things must not be allowed to be going on like this.
There’s another Yoruba saying that,
Ko to pon
Ko to pon
Fila Imale
Ku pereki!
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