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This is a Long Read. Be patient!
I once argued with someone who believed that “Nigeria can catch up with the West in the next 20 or 25 years.”
I had insisted that Nigeria could arrive at the present stage of Western civilization in about 200 years.
But now, I think we are looking at 4000 years.
I have considered our Body Politic and our approach to the most simplest things of life.
I have also considered our “Understanding of the workings of the Universe.” I looked into the degree of our knowledge of differences and similarities around us and in the wider world.
These considerations provided The Team and myself more opportunities to look into opportunities for experimentation to help us understand and explain why some things occur and to discuss about how and why things happen in our society.
We shall publish soon.
But what we established is that Africans (read Nigerians) don’t know how make observations of their environment.
We also established that it is only by learning how to make observations and how to implement our observations that Africans (read Nigerians) will be able to interpret and control their future. And this is why we are not developing.
We live on the basis of “Nda Chi n’hotere”, which translated means “One Day At A Time” (ODAAT). Africans (read Nigerians) seem to lack the capacity to think or plan beyond 9 months (40 weeks).
We live on Last-minute arrangements.
For example, it is common that a person who knows that schools fees will be due in January, would not mind spending 3 times the school fees amount to host a huge party and spend millions of naira 5 months earlier and then when the dues are ready, they will be running around like headless chickens to borrow “to pay in 6 months.”
A person who is currently running around to raise funds to complete what he has to clear his vehicle from the Ports just spent over N6m on a holiday trip with his babe two weeks ago; raa gwogwoo.
He shipped this vehicle just 3 weeks ago; everyday of delay attracts a penalty; and he is desperate to pay 20 percent interest rate and also offered to keep the vehicle with the lender until he pays back. By the way, the vehicle is worth around N30m (ca $60,000).
How do you reconcile this? Please how do you reconcile this?
Look at it this way before I go on to discuss and explain the images that I attached to this post.
If you have a child now in 2021, you will have, set in motion a long and difficult growth process. What follows is that in the next 17 or 18 or even 19 or 20 years, that child will be due for College/university.
Ok, let us even bring it down to primary school after just 5/6 years.
Now, help me answer this: why would you ever have to borrow school fees?
Did you not know that this child will start primary school at 5/6 years or start High school at 11/12 years or college at 17/20 years?
If you make “Education Savings” contribution of N10k a month, by the time the child starts primary school at 6 years, you will have gathered about N720k. If you maintain that and add N20k each month towards the “Education Savings” or Funds, by age 12, you will have saved a fresh N1.440m. By the time that child is 18, and if you increased it to N30k a month, you will have saved enough to see them through college.
While doing this, invest in established Tech companies and commodities with every extra Naira; diversifying your investment portfolio can provide you extra protection when you are no longer able to work; your children may help; but they are not Insurance companies and they may not even be doing well. Many parents are still far better established and richer than their children.
That’s how to set yourself up so that you will never beg for money to pay your kids school fees as long as you have the discipline to send them to a school you can afford.
When I lost my father at the end of school term in 1989, I called my mum aside and told her that “adim naturally sharp” and that she didn’t need to leave me at Tedem College Imerienwe; Tedem was the foremost and most expensive Elite private college in the whole of The South East at the time.
She insisted. But I was determined that I wasn’t going to go back anyway! Three times she drove me back to school and thrice I returned on my own to the house. I knew and understood the impact of the financial burden on her plus odu m’na aku ya; and I wasn’t comfortable with it. And I would like to believe that I did well academically and still doing well; I am currently on yet another degree program. Ebewuu!
Anyway, that was how I left Tedem College and enrolled at Holy Ghost College, Owerri; from there ma abazie street. #Ighotago?
You know, sometimes, somehow, I believe that we Africans believe too much in “Miracles.” Could that be the reason why we cannot plan beyond 9 months?
Finally, the First two images are of roads built by the last administration (just in 2015) in a state in the South East of Nigeria (AlaIgbo).
The Second image is also that of a road built by the Romans over 4300 years ago; it is still as shown in the image.
If you are Igbo; you are from AlaIgbo; ina asu Igbo; you are a Nigerian, and you are a human being; and you are still not ANGRY enough to turn yourself either into a flying missile for agitation for restructuring or a voice for Change, then you are not alive; and you will not have lived if you were to have discharged yesterday.
Today is a new day to demand for Change.
Let us forget all the discussions and voice notes and marriage and relationship problems and “nde rawo nde ha di ira” and save Nigeria first.
A life of “anyhow” or that of “we take whatever we see” is a life of non-existence.” It’s a life of the basics. We must reject that. We must plan. We must seek excellence at all time.
Yes, we must!!!
We have sense!!!
We will use our brain!!!
When we save Nigeria from the hands of the vultures and the hyaenas, every other thing shall surely follow.
We can take back Nigeria! God bless.
Written by: Mike Ikem Umealo
