When beautiful amazon and activist, Aisha Yesufu (@AishaYesufu), a few days ago tweeted how she is proud to be a Nigerian and not just that, that she carries it fully on her chest, as in, in your face kind of stuff, it was great to read. She tweeted about owing no one an apology for being Nigerian!
It could be said that it is easy for her since she has attained celebrity status, thereby riding high over Nigeria’s many wahalas. But if a former two-term President (in fact, Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo was head of state three times!) could complain about the high cost of diesel and how close his business is to bankruptcy, pray, who is spared?
With all the challenges Nigerians are grappling with, it is easy to become despondent, and give up on the country, thinking it is irredeemable. In fact, the only thought will be to japa.
However, I doubt there was any Nigerian that wasn’t filled with pride seeing Tobi Amusan breaking the 110m hurdles record twice, and went on to win the 2022 World Athletics Championships 100 metres hurdles gold medal. Many Nigerians (dare I say most of us) must have been filled with pride when the national anthem blared from speakers in the stadium to a global audience. This has been followed by the remarkable performances of our ladies and to some extent, men in the ongoing Commonwealth Games. I’m sure many people shed a tear or two in tandem with the tears of joy (perhaps, pride) that rolled down Tobi Amusan’s face when the national anthem was played.
Nigerians are excelling individually, in the country or in the diaspora. What has been missing is a support system that harnesses the energy and entrepreneurship of the citizens. Nigerians are largely left to fend for themselves, achieving feats in spite, not as a result, of the existence of country support. Take music, for instance, or the movies industry.
Aisha Yesufu’s strong belief in the potential of the country to overcome its challenges recommends itself to all Nigerians. We have problems, yes; in fact, we’ve got major problems. But is that a reason to give up on the country, or feel shame when you travel to other countries? There is absolutely no country that doesn’t have a challenge(s), no matter how positively the country’s media spin its brand.
That is why those of us at meiza.ng focus on the positives in the country – tourists’ destinations, business and entertainment. For instance, we recently featured two brands churning out great creative designs in the fashion industry. Sosa & Couture by Esosa Erims who is still a student but clothing the leading lights in Nassarawa reads like a study of female power. Or the Daltimore brand by David Omijie who is clothing musicians like Rhema and Simi.
And this. Despite the continuous stream of horrendous news stories of brigandage on the highways and in offices (it’s possible, seeing how a public servant was reported to have embezzled ₦80billion. One man fa!), there are beautiful places to visit in Nigeria. Erin Ijesha Waterfall in Osun State is one. It is said the waterfall has a therapeutic effect, which visiting and going under the water could help remove all the stress induced by the wahala of living in Nigeria.
Nigeria is a mixed bag. Hopefully, as the country continues to develop the capacity to manage its challenges, it will inspire many more Nigerians to have Aisha Yesufu’s type of country pride.
Adewole Ojo
Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
