by
Patrick Ogungbola
MD/ CEO, BLUEHEDGE REALTORS
We wish you a Happy New Month of October.
This is also wishing Nigeria and all Nigerians a Happy and memorable 58th Independence anniversary.
Before going any further, we want to specially and sincerely appreciate our clients, readers and well-wishers who use part of their valuable time to read our monthly articles, we say a very big ‘Thank you!!!’ to you. Every write-up is useless until it is read, just like every movie will be worthless until it is watched. We’ve been receiving quite a lot of accolades and good comments from our clients and article readers, we appreciate you much more than you can ever imagine; this is a great motivation to us as it always propel us to keep doing what we are doing in better and more innovative ways. Thank you once again!!!
Now to the subject of discourse, our great country, Nigeria is 58 years old today. To many people, there’s nothing worth celebrating; according to these people ‘nothing is working in the country’. At this time, and even before now, our ears have been filled with so much bad news, that one would wonder if any good news can come out of Nigeria. If good thing can come out of Nazareth (John 1:46); then there is hope for our dear country.
The essence of this article is not to join those that sees and says only evil things about Nigeria, but for us to see ourselves and our country in a new and completely different light. Every country is neutral – she only takes after the behaviour and characters of the people therein, no wonder they say that a country is a reflection of the people that lives therein. If there’s a kind of swap such that all the people that currently live in Nigeria are taken to America, and all Americans are brought to live in Nigeria, can we imagine what will happen after one year? Apologies please, someone said one year is too long? Alright, can we imagine what will happen after one month? Your guess is as good as mine. This proves to us that there’s nothing wrong with the geographical location of Nigeria, the problem is with us – the people, and this has to do with our mind-set, ideology and orientation. We believe anything goes (that is, acceptable) in Nigeria. We believe laws can be made and broken and nothing will happen. We believe we can always eat our cake and still have it. The things you dare not try in other ‘civilised’ climes, you can do it here and still get away with it. How sad! That is why we are where we are. This is evident in the infamous cliché that has been associated to us, ‘The Nigerian Factor’ meaning that it may work elsewhere, but may not work in Nigeria because of some underlining factors, and this does not necessarily make us ‘special’ as a people, but shows how ‘peculiar’ we are as a race. One does not need to go to any formal school to learn these traits and ideologies, they seemed to be inborn or learnt along the way as we grow up. One thing psychology made us to understand is that whatever is learned can be unlearned through conscious and deliberate efforts. Indeed, bad habits and traits can be unlearned, by the renewing of the mind.
The rationale behind the above is very simple and practical; can we imagine a grown and fully bred Naija guy who has been used to the tough Lagos street life now ‘mistakenly’ finds himself in Canada? Obviously, in less than one year, he would have changed by unlearning the previous lifestyles he’s been used to because they won’t fit into his new environment, and therefore he will have to learn and adapt to the new system.
The irony however is that when this ‘now reformed’ Naija guy gets back to the country after few years, it is very likely that he may go back to his old nature. The Yorubas have a saying that, ‘Even if a mad man is cured of his madness, the traces of his madness will still be evident once in a while’. How true could this be? Is there something wrong with our system?
But all these will change very soon. I know many may have lost hope, but I am more than convinced that better days lie ahead for us as a nation. I am an advocate for a New Nigeria. No doubt, it will take Nigerians to change Nigeria for better, and this change must surely begin with you and me. Looking at the political leadership will be looking too far, although that is not to undermine its importance. Real change starts from the grassroots, from the bottom of the ladder, and then to the top. This will involve genuine love and trust for each other irrespective of our tribe/ ethnicity, culture or religious affiliation. Just like our own Onyeka Onwenu once sang,
“In our differences (should) lie our strength,
In our diversity (should) lie our unity,
There may be many tongues, but one voice,
One nation under God”
In this, we should learn to tolerate each other and live in peace and harmony. Sometimes I wonder if it’s really hard to live right and do what is right. For instance, is it asking for too much to obey traffic rules and be considerate to other people, to be loyal and honest to your fellow colleagues and citizens, and to show acts of kindness to your fellow compatriots?
In reality however, it will be absolutely wrong to say Nigerians are bad people; as a matter of fact, there are thousands and millions of good, hardworking, trustworthy and law abiding Nigeria citizens scattered all over the globe, minding their various businesses. Most of the people reading this article are Nigerians, and the question is, ‘Are you bad in the real meaning of the word?’ Of course not, but the sad reality is a situation where the bad eggs outnumber the good ones. As beautiful and great as America is today, she still has a fair share of ‘bad people’; no country on earth will forever be completely free of them, because that’s what makes a complete system. Don’t get me wrong, the intention is not to justify what is bad, but without the bad, it will be difficult to comprehend and appreciate the good, just as you may not appreciate the original without the knowledge of a counterfeit. The most important thing is for a country to have a good number of ‘the good’ as against ‘the bad’.
Once again, I believe Nigeria will be great again. But achieving this will require the collaborative efforts of everyone. Everything that is good is being worked on by some people. We need to be positive and optimistic in our thinking and utterances about ourselves, our culture, and our nation. This is one of the differences between the advanced nations and ours; they monitor and greatly influence the news and information that is projected to the world. For instance, America is synonymous with civilization, innovation, advancement, modernization, wealth and many other good attributes. As much as most of these are true, does that mean bad things don’t happen in America? These are what they want us to know and believe about them. Information is very powerful and other people’s opinion and perception of us will determine how they relate with us. When you tell someone that you are a Nigerian, what comes to their mind? The answer is obvious! But all these are bound to change!!! I see a new generation of Nigerians who are committed to rewrite the history of this nation and make Nigeria great again. We know, bad news sells and even spread like wildfire, but the effect is very damaging as we are experiencing today. We should stop washing our dirty linen in public, let’s emphasize on our good areas and be positive (at least for once) about what is working for us.
We all need to have a sense of belonging as a people to achieve this; it’s definitely not a mistake that we find ourselves here, and we need to enjoy and be fulfilled where we find ourselves, because life is too short.
Nigeria will indeed be great again. We are a reflection of what we think, say and do; for as a man thinks, so is he. Great people think great, they are not bothered by petty issues, their dreams propel them. Great people are busy contributing their quota and solving problems for their nation and the world, rather than being the problem to the system. Everybody in the world surely got some issues, yea, everybody. Help someone find solutions to their issues today and don’t compound it.
We are currently experiencing one of the most important and deciding moments in our history; a period to make a paradigm shift and change the status quo by choosing the right leaders. This is a period to stand up and be active in the political arena, and not a time to be complacent and say que sera, sera (what will be, will be). Truly, our future lies in our own hands. It’s time for us all to vote and elect visionary leaders who will take us to the next level and make Nigeria great indeed, and be envied among the comity of nations. This is the time we need to do what we need to do. We need to be patriotic in this regard.
We wish you a Happy Independence Celebration once again!!!
As usual, we want to remind you that we care so much about you, and that when it comes to your real estate investment and advisory, we are always here to give you the very best service you can never get elsewhere. That is our promise, and will always be.
Meanwhile, please find below the powerpoint presentations of our current (brand new) properties for sale in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, Nigeria. We are very confident that you will find a property that suits you.
Thank you.
Affordable Properties For Sale in LAGOS
Affordable Properties For Sale in ABUJA, FCT
Affordable Properties For Sale in PORT HARCOURT, RIVERS STATE
