Ideology of a typical Nigerian

Nigeria, the giants of Africa a term which many feel we don’t deserve, even our nations own people can’t seem to phantom  the reason we are called what we are. I would easily settle for the numbers, yes 160 million people is quite an enormous population in that respect we are true giants and growing ones at that.

The problems surrounding our beloved country are so numerous but the most dangerous of all is the one that the country ignores the most “its ideology”.

Ideology is a set of opinions or beliefs of a group or an individual. Very often ideology refers to a set of political beliefs or a set of ideas that characterize a particular culture. Capitalism, Communism, and Marxism are ideologies. But not all –ism words are. Ideology sets the rhythm of a society it’s the why for what’s happening in a given society.  

We so often complain about all the things wrong in this our nation “Nigeria”, never looking at the why meaning we never truly tackle the ever growing pile of problems, keeping us in a vicious circle. For this Nation to truly begin its journey it must tell its self the painful truth that we are all that is wrong with it, not just a select greedy and fanatical few, our ideology keeps us in this vicious circle. So the question arises, “what’s our ideology?” I have picked a few out for the sake of this article.

Blame the Government

For almost every given misfortune in the nation the government takes the blame, not at all disputing the fact that the government can quite do far better on a lot.

While we even blame the government for literally everything wrong in the country, we don’t even try to apportion the blame appropriately. A Nigerian man will sit in the bar with his village chancellor or local government chairman and be complaining that the government (the President specifically) is not doing anything for his community, but he knows that the man is being paid government money but will not seem to care what he is being paid for. We only push responsibilities to the highest ranks and by that we will never progress. If we focus our strength on pushing the appropriate sector then the machinery that’s the government would really start working, for example instead of complaining that the government should do something on the prices of houses in the nation’s capital, we focus our demands towards A.M.A.C they would listen immediately because it’s their field and anything above their jurisdiction they would pressurise those above so as to get us off their necks, but no that’s not the Nigerian way we would rather cry out to the president or complain that his not doing his job.

Nigeria is a capitalist economy meaning that the economic system is based on private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. In that respect we the citizens are not doing enough, we are waiting for the government to provide jobs but truth be told there’s no thriving economy that the government can boast for providing more than 20% of the jobs in its nation. The only thing the government can quite do is create policies and some infrastructures to help entrepreneurs promote the economy. There are so many jobs we the citizens could create and also infrastructures to help promote our state of livelihood with just a little help from the government. So when next a situation goes wrong please first ask yourself if there’s something you could have done or someone you know could have done before you apportion blame to the number citizen in the country. If you believe you want to take the step and you have access to capital and do not have any proper ideas just drop your comments below stating interest and we would get back to you, based on your capital we would help you get a profitable business and that would give people jobs and yes there’s nothing in it for us money-wise the aim for us is help improve the state of things.

Na so we see am!!

It’s a common phrase used at every corner of the nation it ideally shows us accepting a situation especially when we don’t like it, it’s an ideology that’s flawed. At some points in life it might be okay to give in to fate and not fight against the present structure of reality at that point. Majority of the situations in this country demands our voice but well “Na so we see am” and the rot continue.

Decay that spreads and affects all facets of our existence as a nation and because we are not crying out well enough, our complains are just hushed tears the situation demands a grater cry, this occasion (state of the nation) demands a massive orchestra of angry voices and not just that of the less privilege it demands we come out of our comfort zones and admit things are bad and just resolve to a reality that is going nowhere. Shall the cries begin when all is gone and all that’s left its dust?

We would only let our voices be heard when things affect us directly and immediately. When our erratic government turned down Africa’s most thriving entrepreneur, “Dangote” when he tried to buy a refinery so he can put it back to work we didn't argue it was only whispers that went round of how greedy and erroneous our government is, when fuel price hiked there was rave even though it was short lived the cries quite came up and soon we went back to our default, “Na so we see am”.

Attitude to Image

Nigerians attitude to imagery is at length baffling and we don’t just care, that’s the same attitude that will allow a well-known ex political head dress like a woman and go to the airport and still boast that he did something for the nation upon all his fraudulent acts or the same attitude that will allow an elected personnel to struggle to jump over the fence while the country watches and he just don’t care, even more disgusting and common, a full grown man urinating in a public area but well who cares. We don’t really care, the nation foregoes valiant virtues such as pride, humility and even being gents and ladies for image insulting vices but we are quite cool with it.

Our arrogance also gets the better of us although arrogance can be a good thing at a stretch. It clouds our minds mostly we as Nigerians, take a typical Nigerian fight for example the reason of the argument or fight is almost always entirely foregone for bragging rights, “Do you who know I am?” and the answer will always comeback “Who you be?” and then “I will show you who I am today” .The world will never care about who you are unless you have that special something to offer the country take legendary humanitarian Nelson Mandela for example, he offered his country his all and the remembers he for it, we quite have a lot to offer but our arrogance doesn't allow us to see even a small part of our promising potential, until we all come down from our high horses and accept our glowing faults and also that we are nothing on the larger plain of things. True human nature will not allow a few to compromise their self-proclaimed societal status and turn their status to symbols of hope, all the nation needs is a significant number to change their perspective that things are all about them from there we can notice other peoples plights and then towards a particular direction with a common goal the pulling force.

If we can change the way people sees us then we can quite move forward and for that to happen we have to change our selves first all of us as individuals then as a community and then as a nation.

I go do my own & Survival of the fittest

“I go do my own” a very popular statement in Nigeria, this statement shows intent of vengeance but in the contexts its mostly widely used it shows it’s just more than mere vengeance it’s something far more sinister. While talking to a few common folks of all kind of ages ranging from adolescents to adults I took into notice that any-time this phrase is used majorly in talks politically themed talks, it ultimately leads to a majority of people citing if given the chance they did participate without shame the same fraudulent acts they insult and curse our political leaders for. A few of these people will actually get into those spaces one day and truly they would do their own as they once said keeping together the corrupt culture their predecessors left behind. Although the nation’s ultimate power has been tossed around by a select few since its independence, the new faces below do not actually hesitate to participate in fraudulent acts, the same one they cursed people over.

This mentality will have to end for things to get better, the two major religions in present day Nigeria is against corruption. If this phrase truly portrays vengeance, I am quite sure doing your own its not vengeance its outright wickedness because the people suffering are the ones you left behind as you rose and not the ones that caused the nations suffering before your rise.

This Ideology is highly supported and promoted by the general feeling of survival of the fittest, Nigerians have the mentality of surviving and they strive to do so even when it’s not needed.  A very narrow way of thinking but it’s our way of thinking, that everything demands a struggle. That’s why even when things are in excess we struggle and by so doing people will always get more than ever needed and some others will end up with none, even to that end a lot Nigerians will barely see anything wrong.

Nollywood movies often portrays when an individual succeeds and he refuses to help his family and bring them to the level he has attained because they didn’t join in the struggle, well it’s in reality not just fiction acted by our beloved movie stars.

When we eventually stop and begin to empathise with ourselves on the matters that will bring our growth, our eyes will finally be open to the endless possibilities the future has install for us and by struggling for each other, all of us as one trying to survive there would be almost entirely zero corruption.

Money

“God made man, man made money, money made man mad” we Nigerians are quite money crazed we tend to put the money first consciously and subconsciously. We ever hardly participate in activities if it’s not going to put cash into our pockets unless when we are in the church.

Money is generally seen as a benchmark of success in the country the more greens you have the more successful you seem and that has added a lot to the enormous community because by putting money first it means material things are far more prioritised than the livelihood of the community and that’s why a select few can sit down and with no remorse loot outrageous sums of money and some people will still call them big men.

Wealth is only quite remembered as long as you’re alive because the person quite gives the image to the material things he owns. On the contrast good deeds are far more recognised while you live and even when you take your last breath and your person is not forgotten and your deeds won’t be. Good deeds keep names from fading away. No disputing the fact that money is good and that it is utterly needed in the world today and that you can use it to achieve great things, we need to set far better priorities than just sheets of paper that we have all accepted have value. Money should only be an end to a means.

When we begin to remedy our ideologies then we can see proper change and lasting one’s at that we all have to change ourselves if we are to move forward as a community. This are few of the ideologies that is quite embedded in majority of Nigerians am quite sure you might have a few more that I didn't make mention of  don’t hesitate to discuss below the ideologies that’s dragging this country through the mud, please lets help each other by enlightening ourselves on where we are going wrong so we would know what to quite tackle to enable us move forward as a nation.