The Hard work that is being a Nigerian
I know a lot of you have given up on this country and all that concerns her, this is not a motivation. This is just me talking.
Every single day, something will hit you in this country. Hit you in the face, in the chest or down in the lower limbs & nether regions, to knock you out or take you down. You have to be a Nigerian to take it standing, in good faith, and with excellent humour. Being Nigerian is more than having a nationality or being from a region in west Africa; it is a state of mind and this one cannot be handed down to you, you must cultivate it on your own. You may inherit the DNA and genetic make-up that points your origin to Naija, but after that, it's all up to you.
It could be a segment on radio ticking you off as you commute to/from work or school, a tweet or post on Instagram/Facebook putting you out of sorts. It could be the unsolicited information shared, by the person near you who just read the papers you so carefully avoid, it could be the bike man, or the woman selling bole by the corner telling you about the most recent kidnapping or abduction. Any and Everything can be a trigger, and presume everyone is angry. I repeat, everyone is angry. How can we not be though? Staying alive in the place is quite tasking.
Now, even if you are not part of the greater population that lives below the poverty line, if hunger is not your greatest problem, other things will frustrate you my dear. Education? Work? Business? Healthcare? Transport? Breathing? It is everything and the stress is everywhere. There is nothing convenient about being a Nigerian (If you know of any, please enlighten me.) But there’s something you would never see a Nigerian without, Spirit.
It is lovely how much Nigerians achieve when they unite, but ridiculous are the things that divide them. It is like some sort of carefully worked out chemical equation that has a fixed point of reaction, or an electrical connection that permits only partial contact. It is amazing to see the tiny elements we permit to scatter us from a uniform goal. It frightens me so, the power we have but do not put to use. Our blindness to this secret weapon. When will we then learn that a house divided against itself cannot stand? We are so torn apart we have lost the collective vision of our country (that is if we ever had a genuine one to begin with) and are without a unified target.
I believe that life is spiritual. There is a reason why there is a Nigerian spirit. I know life is too deliberate and so precise for it to have been an accident. It is as though God built us with an extra layer of resilience and fire, a dash of sarcasm and a splash of humour. Because e ghetto for these streets. Every single thing fights you, you don’t even know who to fight. It is a crazy thing. Like being blindfolded and poked by many people at once.
Where do you turn to attack? This is the hard work of staying alive, of surviving, of attempting to thrive. The system is so rigged it spews everyone except its creators out. What hope is there then, but to abandon ship and live? No judgement, but that is the way out for so many. But there remain watchmen who still believe a nation can be reborn, to you I say: stay strong my brethren. The coming days will be full of so much you might want to throw in the towel. Remember that bridge builders are at more risk than bridge users. Keep the faith. But more than that, do not snuff out the fire of the Nigerian spirit in you. These are mere words, but I hope they hug you and strengthen you. I hope they light up your heart in despair, I pray they keep you.
Stay hard at work being a Nigerian, home and abroad. Stay Alive my kinsmen.
Love, Ballie💖
