PARADIGM WITH RYGLES: A COUNTRY OF MY DREAMS SERIES; A NIGHTMARE OF REALITY

A COUNTRY OF MY DREAMS SERIES; A NIGHTMARE OF REALITY

If we had the ability to make our future and the environment we live in, the basis of everything would be unlimited supply of various things. 

The Nigeria of my dreams is a Nigeria where people actually practice free and fair election, where honesty is a virtue and something to aspire to. A place where dreams come alive, where we don’t just endure each day but actually enjoy the day as it goes. Where we don’t have to choose between passion and money because our passion can actually give us money. A place where greed is scarce and people are kind, fierce and loyal. 

The Nigeria of my dreams is a place where the Government actually serves, where Justice prevails and where people are employed based on abilities and not on connection. Where the class divide between the rich and the poor is breached, where you can do more than survive, but a place where you can thrive.

My dream is basically a fantasy or something out of a fairy tale, the Nigeria we live in now is the opposite of the dream. I personally think the root of our problems is greed, it's everywhere down to the everyday lives. We always want more, that’s why not even the rich are satisfied, there’s always more to acquire, so people would do basically anything to get it. More money, more power, more fame, more value and so on, it’s always more, no one is satisfied. That’s okay usually; ambition is great, confidence is the sexiest look on anybody, but the thing is too much of everything is bad. Sometimes, we change and we don’t even recognize it, we become the people we criticize. I can’t even trust the news because I don’t trust the government or the media; anything can be manipulated to suit a particular purpose. {Call me paranoid but it’s just what it is.}

Corona Virus crumpled the world's system and it's economy, yet there are some people in this country who think Corona Virus is a farce, that’s exactly what mistrust has done. It’s ridiculous that despite the number of deaths reported, people still think it doesn't exist. That shows how much trust people have. Even the government -instead of providing some sort of relief to us as a nation- is a tool to fulfill political agendas, acquire more money and make sure people they care about are safe. What about us? The common, the masses without the money or the power to protect ourselves. Surely, the entire politicians holding public offices can’t all be bad, there has to be a few good eggs. If you break about five eggs in a bowl and four of them are bad with just one of them good, I highly doubt anyone would be able to enjoy it. It goes the other way, four good eggs and one bad egg, no one can enjoy it. That’s the effect terrible people have in the society. {What do I know? I just live here}.

I stay in Lokoja, Kogi State, and I’ve not heard a single case of anyone tested for the virus. It’s amazing to think our Governor doesn’t deem it necessary, {last last, na God get us}. State workers were paid 80% of their salary, the state didn’t bother with the lockdown {as per say, na we strong pass}. Each day here looks more like a ghost town, {not that it was that much better before} but there were businesses thriving, now people are just basically looking to survive. I am saying this as a lay man because that’s what I am, I have no power, just words. I alone can’t change this nation, {I can’t even change tires}.

I am trying to live, to survive, sometimes I wonder how people survive adulthood. Like everyone else, I am greedy, I want more for myself. I don’t want to wake up without being excited, I am tired of going through the day like a train on a route each day, I don’t just want to exist, I want to truly live. I want to see the world, travel, have money so I don’t have to think about my finances, I want to breathe, I want to be happy. I want to be proud of my homeland, but right now, this is all a dream. We have dreams, we have hopes, we have nightmares and we have sorrows, it’s what makes us human. Desires are good, greed isn’t. Be kind, be good, it doesn’t make you a fool, it just makes you a breath of fresh air.

Nigeria can be great, Nigerians can be more than just memes and people who joke with just about everything although this has been our saving grace. Without humor, a lot of us won’t be here today, but at what point is it enough? At what point do we fight back the status quo? At what point are we ready to fight to live? We are so afraid of death that so many of us don’t live. Before I die, I would love to see a Nigeria of my dreams and stop living a nightmare. It gets worse, I heard a saying once, “bad people thrive when good people do nothing,” and that is the truth. We have good people here, people who have refused to let this world we live in taint their lenses, and they still see the beauty in the world, the wonders of imperfection and the gift of giving. It would take all of us, {no one is inconsequential} to achieve change. 

What kind of person are you? 

Rygles