For Nigeria to get it right

At the risk of being labeled a prophet of doom, let me say that Nigeria may never get it right in the next 20 years if we continue to have some crass mentalities.

In a country where payment of salaries is seen as a political achievement; where citizens jubilate and hail government for paying two months out of sevenmonths’ salaries owed, is this not embracing free doom?

I weep for a country where most youths are indifferent to the subjects of leadership and education, but rather have ample time for Olamide and WizKid, Ronaldo and Messi, MMM and yahoo; where the youths see Davido and Lil kesh as role models, and see no good in people like Professor Wole Soyinka, Professor Chinua Achebe, Ademola Adesola, Professor Niyi Osundare, Chimamanda Adichie and other erudite personalities. This is a country where most of the citizens care mostly about food for their stomach and stupidly neglect brain food; where poverty of intelligence and money thrive. Is that moving towards hope?

This is a country where citizens have a lackadaisical attitude towards governance; where citizens leave everything to God, including solve their human-made problems.

When Nigerians have headache, they blame God. If the economy is bad, they blame God. If a policeman shoots one of them due to negligence -by the policeman- Nigerians say that it has been written by God that this would happen.

This is a country where some citizens believe they are above the law. It is when we change some of these ways of looking at things that Nigeria will, in the actual sense of the word, move forward.

Temitope Oyewole,

Ibadan.