By: Shehu Bashir Esq.
Nigeria is the global “mystery” of the world. Nigerians are even more “mysterious”. You can never understand us unless you are one of us. We are not ordinary citizens. We are extraordinary. We are unique. We are special, very special.
No other citizens of the world can stand shoulder to shoulder with our determination. We are always undaunted in our resolve to be better than our limitations. We are the unlimited species of the homo sapien.
No matter how restrictive or uninspiring our system is, we just become an amphibian to sail through even in the swamp. We swim to breathe from the bottom of the “drowning” ocean. We swim to survive where others drown.
As a country, when the other parts of the world are thinking and prophesying about our potential “disintegration“, we just keep getting along more stronger. Our occasional struggle within ourselves always ends up being our “super glue” that binds us together even stronger.
We may not have such orthodox or strictly formulated crises management protocols, but when we are faced with one, we develop the best possible solutions to our challenges. We are rarely consumed by our challenges, we most times consume the challenges.
When there is a call for global cooperation among the citizens of the world, a Nigerian must be among the invited guests. It may not necessarily be openly acknowledged, but no occasion will be properly held without a Nigerian adding value to the experience.
An experience with a Nigerian is an experience that will make you a better person. You can never meet a Nigerian without learning about the uniqueness of what makes Nigeria a special country and Nigerians special people. Every Nigerian is a teacher to the world.
When they tell you that Nigerians are lazy and cannot achieve anything, we just come out to become the most innovative global citizens, creating the most innovative global economy. Our level of creativity is out of this world. From what seems to be impossible, we create the incredible.
When they try to lure us into “japanism”, with all those sweet words of high heaven, we do it with the hope of a return to base. When some of us take the flight to that an unknown “angel” land, we rush to return home to build our palaces here in Nigeria.
No true Nigerian has truly enjoyed the “stowaway” without thinking of returning home some day and building a true home. The economic baiting has never truly made the abroad a true home. It is rarely a home away from home abroad. Nigeria is the true home where your freedom is not traded on the altar of discrimination.
When they think all we know is the mastering of the alphabet of corruption, majority of credible Nigerians challenge the cynics to their stigmatization. The warriors of honour and the holders of integrity just raise their heads higher in glory. And unquestionably, we soar in that impeccable honour.
We stand up to prove to the world that the “leave that is wrapped around the soap has not turned to soap and can net turn to soap”. Nigerians are not so fantastically corrupt, we are only tainted by misadventure of unguided greed and crave of the few opportunists.
Open your curtain and take a good at the sky, what you see flying is the Nigerian Eagle with a drop of egg production in Information Technology, Science, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Agriculture and Arts. Our bird is everywhere laying the golden eggs of invaluable knowledge and wisdom.
Fintech guys are becoming global gurus already. The technology that we seem to have imported from foreign land is now being learnt from us. We have renewed the knowledge and the learner is becoming the teacher. We now teach the world what was not taught to us.
In the next few years, the cyber world will visit Nigeria to seek the intervention of the Nigerian cyber security experts to help secure the cyber space. We are becoming the most grounded professionals in cyber security management.
I take another particular joy in citing an example in the engineering sector. Nigerian architects, engineers and aesthetics interior decorators are giving the best in their job what is rarely available anywhere else in the world.
Our real estate business is booming with homely interior decorations, yet, relatively fairly affordable. That sector is captivating currently.
We are not even as expensive as the global market dictate. We create an haven of convenience and affordability for ourselves. What seems to be unaffordable to an average person abroad is buyable here in Nigeria in lower prices.
Sometimes, you wonder how businesses survive the “international market forces” when you compare our purchasing power to the ones obtainable abroad. The market is liberal and of course liberalized for everyone to have a bite of the fruit of survival. We are not necessarily as mean as it is painted. We are such a compassionate people.
No doubt Nigerians are some of the most intelligent, dogged, smartest, brilliant and yet, very resilient citizens of the world. You will find us doing anything and everything even with little or no motivation, yet, we do it well like we were innately gifted to do all things uniquely.
We survive like no other. We live like we are eternal. We die not in our spirit. We hope more our struggle. And we survive more in our resilience.
The energy, the dynamism, the striving, the flexibility, the innovations, the rebranding and the ability to stand on our feet inspite of the odds against us is unequal anywhere in the world. I so much love this country. I so much love the undying spirit of my fellow Nigerians. I am forever grateful to God for making me a Nigerian.
You just have to love this country and love the country men. Love Nigeria and Nigerians, it is not illegal to do so.
God bless my motherland. God bless my Nigerian compatriots. God bless Nigeria.