CoronavirusOpinionNigerians and their Foreign Heroes

Nigerians have successfully moved from buying foreign gadgets most of which are not produced in Nigeria, goods, foreign household equipment, food, clothes and to just about anything else, many of which are produced in Nigeria and of good quality. For most Nigerians, foreign things are a mark of class and opulence.

As of now, Nigerians prefer foreign education from nursery to tertiary level; this is usually blamed on the deplorable quality of education obtainable in Nigeria, which just keeps deflating, ironically the same quality of education keeps producing some of the best brains in the world. Beyond these, there are more additions to Nigerians’ insatiable quest for anything foreign.

Now in Nigeria, it is nearly impossible to see a duplex across Nigerian cities, built using Nigerian laborers, no, they must come from Togo or somewhere else, but Nigeria. The list just keeps expanding. Even the Nigerian government prefers foreign contractors to local contractors. The government equally likes wooing foreign investors, while totally ignoring potential local investors. As of today, Nigerians have taken it a step higher by employing foreigners as nannies and house helps, whom they pay in US dollars.

This is commonplace in Lagos Island precisely. The love for medical tourism has graduated to giving birth abroad, which has now become a consensus among those that can afford it. The penchant for anything foreign by Nigerians is often too difficult to put in plain words. Both the government and the people seem to have a special likeness for anything that is foreign, while totally ignoring their own locally made products, manpower, etc.

While it is easy to understand that when there is no alternative product that is locally made, the foreign option becomes inevitable, it is impossible to explain why Nigerians will shun and completely ignore their own, only to patronize others at a higher cost with as much value or standard of service.

For instance, most Nigerians will likely prefer a poor quality foreign-made suit to a good quality Aba made suit; even as they still expect the economy to grow and create jobs, but clearly not understanding how it works. Similarly, most will prefer an Indian or Chinese car over an IVM that is of the same or better quality than the foreign counterpart. For them, it must be a Brazilian hair or a Turkish shirt or Italian shoes or a Vietnamese gown.

Nigerians have now adopted foreign political liberators. Only a few days ago, after the COVID-19 address by President Buhari, in which he repeatedly said ‘covik one nine’ instead of COVID-19, Imam Twahidi, who goes by the name Imam of Peace, have taken to Twitter to severely criticize President Buhari’s speech and general leadership style, accusing the President of taking Nigerians for granted.

The self-styled Muslim reformer went harder calling President Buhari ‘President Covik’. One of his tweets reads, “I ‘ll say it again: whoever voted for Buhari, especially for the second time after seeing his failures to crack down on terrorists, is 100% stupid, foolish and irresponsible.” He went even harder and openly accused President Buhari of enabling terrorism in Nigeria and referred to the President as a dictator. Within a few hours, Imam of Peace became the most trending person on twitter in the whole of Africa and the number 8 in the whole world.

Many Nigerians instantly idolized him. Alas! Nigerians have found a new foreign champion. But the questions are, has Imam of Peace expressed his disgust at the level of poor leadership under the current federal government honestly and freely? Yes, most certainly. Has he spoken truth to power? Most definitely he has. But, did he say what Nigerians have not been saying all along, for about 5 years of President Buhari’s Presidency? Sadly, he has not said something new.

Only a few months ago, a major Nigerian daily publicly declared that it will not refer to Buhari as President, but will rather refer to him as General which was his rank in the military, because, the daily said, the President has openly shown to be a dictator. This was a national daily risking it all to tell the President right to his face, that he is a dictator. Not many Nigerians made any comment much less extolled the uncommon courage shown by the daily publishers.

Many Nigerians simply ignored them, while some called them names, advising them to be careful and let Buhari be whoever he chooses to be. On a daily basis, hundreds of Nigerians openly show their aversion and publicly loath against President Buhari’s government and style. But they are never taken seriously by their countrymen and women, in fact, many of these courageous Nigerians are mocked and ridiculed much like the daily was mocked for deciding as a matter of its own response to President Buhari’s despotic tendencies, to call him General instead of President, in all their publication involving Buhari, for a period of time.

A tragedy it is, that the only difference is that Imam of Peace is not a Nigerian, he is a foreigner and therefore Nigerians going by their craze for what is foreign is programme to receive his message with pump and excitement, even as they urge their own countrymen and women with as much courage to keep quiet. Just as similar as they prefer foreign goods over Nigerian made goods. No country can grow, how much more thrive without genuine patriotism demonstrated by the manner the citizens embrace and patronize their own.

 

 

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