Emmanuel Awoko

A roundtable of discussion among youth and elderly ones can build a castle in the air.  In fact, one that is as tall as the Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai, about 2,722 feet high. However, in a real sense, imagination is real, pragmatically speaking, and as humans, aside from not being void of it, we can crystallise some of them to tangible realities. Then, to dream is easy but to act is a task that requires a lot of responsibility, and that said pragmatism. Oftentimes in Nigeria, we wake up with an excruciating agony we seem helpless  about. In most cases, we voice out burdens on people at the helm of power, politics, leadership, the affluent, and even some low-key individuals without a traceable narrative about their means of income. If they were heard or not, only a few care, and so to say, we have only gotten little or no response to some of these outcry, but hopefully, the future will reckon with the loss and pain of the ones who died as a result of the hardship. 

Considering the word politics which if examined, will be one of the most mentioned vocabularies in Nigeria. At times, this same word is being used interchangeably with the word government in certain contexts. Furthermore, for emphasis, the highest number of complaints of people are mostly directed to politicians having seen that the resolutions of the roundtable discussion in most cases boils down to their incapabilities, hidden agendas and mal-administrative practices. For instance, the relatable situations of politicians embezzling, and mismanaging public funds seem to have been placed on a constant motif, unfortunately, no one sees that dreadful challenge ending soon. So to say, the political scene of Nigeria has been painted as a house that only houses corrupt men whose main agenda is power and pocket, to steal, to plunder and to leave worse. Little can be said, they were elected, and the majority of those elected by the people keep failing to meet the needed standard. Posing a question about what their dream Nigeria is, would not be a bad idea. 

Agreed that our Nigerian politicians who have been trusted with power have failed the us, how about we have another dream? As easy as it is, the first idea of many citizens is the investment in education. To the majority, It is rewarding to invest so much in knowledge while to the minority, school seems more like a scam, even though it is not all a scam. Going further, on the dream of Nigerians towards academics, the possibility of free education which many of us still want may never come to pass. Because among the most costly assets that a man can acquire today, education is one, and to the burden-minded individuals, traveling into the past where free education really happened seems as though someone intentionally deeps a knife into an injury. Nigerians have cried for relief, the youth have paraded for attention to the obvious, but all have amounted to nothing. Ending on a sad note, the reverse is the case of our needs because governments stopped funding education, and in our eyes and the eyes of our fathers, mothers, and leaders, school fees have taken an astronomical stride. In short, it is still very easy to have a dream of free education that may never be free. 

More often as well, Nigerians bear the problems of comparison, and as real and needful as it is, what we compare our country to is accessible but limited to certain people. It is an abrupt failure that electricity has not come to the point of stability for 20 hours in certain states. Also, on the road challenge, the Nigeria of the people’s dreams has a well-tarred road with working streetlights that are not only for aesthetics. However, on the other hand, a bit of movement in and around Nigerian roads will bring about “soakaways” that we tag potholes. It is therefore hard to see our dream come to pass, because reality sets in all times.   On a sad note, the best of our road projects in Nigeria are the ones that serve one year and a half, or the ones built before independence. In the same vein, the government reserved areas in some strategic places enjoy many of our dreams. Only a few communities in Nigeria point out the good facilities they have from the government. As a matter of fact, this is what many of the beautifully structured manifestoes center around, but in the long run, they are mostly lies in disguise of plans.

It is also still very valid to say power corrupts  and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The level of difficulty to which the administrative leaders of Nigeria have subjected everyone to is severely despicable. At a time, cash was withdrawn all because of a man’s decision, and it even propelled the commercialization of money itself. Also, the unjustifiable withdrawal of money from public duties, such as education, and the absolute increment of taxation on slightly little things. Besides, this is not a counter for people in power, but a call for a check to consider the pains of citizens who have no means of daily survival, yet struggling to ensure that their immediate family is satisfied. 

Ultimately, it is safe to say that the dream of some people in Nigeria is a flatulence, owing to the fact that the majority of our leaders care less about some of these dreams. Every man works, sadly, not every man is rewarded accordingly. Instead, we increase in number every day, yet we are buried in selfishness and the lackadaisical attitude of our leaders. In a bid to form the Nigeria of our dreams, everyone should come together with their diversities to brainstorm problems, solutions, and even implementation. Let the people in power be empathetic. Indeed they can’t actualize the dreams of all, but if they prioritize the needs of the people, and start seeing the beauty in the dreams of the people, a better life will surely spread across the globe.

Photocredit: Woontheater.com