Photo credit: Thisdaylive
The debate about greetings in Nigeria, like most other things in the country has generated some interesting proportions. This is even most common amongst my folks, the Yoruba.
They have greetings for virtually every occasion whether traditional or modern. It is believed that it’s because they are a very courteous people.
Yeah, on the first of this month, it’s like people were waiting around the corner for last month to end.
And, yippee!
The month did end!!
People then started the relatively new greetings of, Happy New Month!
As far as I’m concerned, we need to congratulate ourselves for surviving every mo in Nigeria. This is basically because life is far less safe than it used to be in what seems to be eons ago.
It’s not as if one is saying life is generally better in other parts of the world. But there are cases of deaths that could have been averted.
About thirteen Christmases ago, I had an opportunity to visit the Lagos Island Hospital morgue. Our purpose for visiting the place was disturbed by a gory sight.
A family of seven, including both parents, had been brought in dead. The means of transportation was even an open lorry.
The deceased parents were tailors. They had taken clothes to sew for many of their customers.
Unfortunately, there was no light, as usual. They then switched on an electricity supplying generator. But then, they were to do a vigil so that there customers would not be disappointed.
When it was night, they unfortunately, took the generator inside the shop. Meanwhile, they locked the doors of the shop. They were all killed by the monoxide emitted by the generator.
Apart from that, who is sure of anything in this country? As at the year 2015, life expectancy in Nigeria was put at 53.5 years.
I’m much more than that in age, so I need every prayer and good wish to live older than even Methuselah. Not just living old, but in good health.
So if you wish me a ‘happy New second’, I will respond by saying, “same to you’.
I would rather have prayers and good wishes than the other one!
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