Naija Inside - 4 min read about Nigeria (written partly in nigerian pidgin language)

Naija my country people, abeg where we dey go for this nation. At least Moses followers knew their destination. Inflation on all goods, even plantain chip no cheap. Corruption everywhere; Policemen pockets are filled with tips. We are told to keep the hope alive, but it’s already dead and cremated. Moral values are at all-time low, you need a crane to elevate it.

You only live once they say, but hey! This is no Mario. Sharp minds all around, everyone calculating like Casio. Everyday na fasting in a poor man’s home. Yet, the rich must strive to get richer or he also gets screwed. Man must wack, man must chop, right now, chop things are scarce. (Good news we ain’t cannibals). Lol :D

Truth be told, this country is a joke, and I’m not even joking. Wrong people claiming right, bending laws like a state with no king. Bad roads, slow trains, NEPA people no dey try. Inflation on the rise, basic things are hard to buy.

No good Samaritan anymore, you gotta help yourself. Piles of bills, lots of debts, who you wanna beg for help? Now we ignore the needy, some will even rob the poor. The increase of crimes is alarming, era of fraud galore. Police collecting bribes, louts (not touts) with fake parking tickets. “Omo onile” and “agbero” now a proud profession.

At 39, Sade’s still claiming babe. Oh! Sorry. 38 and 8months right? Changing men like flat tires both day and night. Kunle has 3 children, each with different mothers, yet he’s married to none. Everyday na bubble, large entropy. Bro, u better settle down. My guy on the keyboard, Mr. smart guy wey no dey dull. You gotta achieve something now or you’ll achieve nothing at all.

Make your Life, time worthy. Because time waits for nobody, even if you are a nobody. You gotta own your own. Friends will come and go and you’ll be left with no buddies. Plus…Time is money too. But it’s funny how the world’s richest man isn’t rich enough to buy it.

So choose to work smart over working hard. So you gotta stay sharp, carve your niche and mark it. Because in the end, all we trying to do is to make ends meet, but somehow… they really seem parallel.

The boys are tired of the class so opt for street school. Some girls get deceived and conceive to the womb. When these things begin to happen, tell me who is to blame? The parents? The teacher? Or the child? Well I say the three of them. Apparently, no one wants the slightest share of the fault.

Since I saw a real smile, omo mehn e don tey. See people cursing on a daily like it’s a must say. Red eyes, para mode, strong faces everywhere. If you see some people’s hussle, oh boy you go fear. No kidding, even the patient one has turned fierce. Then try to visit the sick in the clinic, your eyes will be filled with tears.

I think the real problem is…we try to avoid the problem. And that is a big problem. We neglect the main issues and expect a miracle to happen. You don’t just sit around, do nothing and be waiting for miracles. We need to drive this nation forward with lots of will, zeal, and passion. Unfortunately, all we do is stay idle, complain and take no action. When the leaders won’t lead right, and the masses deeds are not right either. If we don’t deal with this now, I’m afraid our problems will only get bigger.

True, we all got issues, busy dealing with one problem or the other. Question is; are we strong enough to push and strive further? For how long can our strength hold us? How far can our faith take us? Rhetorical questions yea? But still…they deserve answers.

These…have been on for so long now, can we go a day more? Do we continue like this? Until our last days? What do we leave for tomorrow? Okay…enough said. I leave y’all with these questions.

Molik, Hamed Oladeji