Nigeria: The Good, The Bad, and The Complicated

_{> Estimated reading time: 3-4 minutes}

Nigeria is a beautiful country with beautiful culture and beautiful people, although it's a peculiar country where peculiar things tend to happen.

When I saw this prompt, I was honestly boiling and very livid, I just wanted to say bad things about my country because I was angry but that would be unfair. I guess its still my motherland. I can't pretend everything is fine but I will throw shades with caution. Sometimes, the frustration comes from caring too much.

CONTENT MAP
[01] Initial Sentiments
[02] The Bright Side
[03] The Dark Side
[04] A Better Future

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Initial Sentiments

For non Nigerians or non Nigerian residents, you might be wondering why this writer sounds so angry. Lets start from here: Imagine being a young person and knowing you're full on potentials but the environment you live in doesn't allow you to tap into those potentials that you see in yourself. You have ideas, skills, and dreams, but basic things like electricity, good roads, quality education, and fair opportunities are not reliable. Its enough to get you angry.

_{I'm angry}

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The Bright Side

I currently reside in Lagos, Nigeria and it's full of beautiful people and culture. One good thing that has happened recently is how young people are becoming more innovative and outspoken. From tech startups to content creation, fashion, and small businesses, many youths are creating opportunities for themselves instead of waiting for the government. I remember during my convocation in Unilag, the Vice Chancellor (VC) outlined the milestones of students and it made me proud seeing Nigerians do so well. She called names of students that got scholarship and internship opportunities in places like Bloomberg, Goldmansach's and even Bank of America. It makes me proud to see Nigerians showing their talents to the world via music, movies and technology. Even with little support, people are still huzzling and finding ways to survive and shine.

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The Dark Side

However, there are some bad and sad parts of Nigeria that could make you want to Japa (leave the country) like every other person intends. The price of food is high compared to what people earn for a living, electricity still isn't constant in big 2026. I have had to prepare for an exam where there wasn't light the day before the exam. We have gone weeks in Nigeria without power supply and hospitals won't be able to function properly. There could be an emergency and the excuse for not being able to attend to a patient is "There is no light" or "There is no vaccine" if there a venomous snake bite. Lets talk about insecurity too. We read daily in the news of how people are being kidnapped when they're travelling and nothing is being done about it. The government that is supposed to protect its citizens instead negotiate with terrorists to pay ransom money.

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A Better Future

The biggest problem in Nigeria is the government. But if I were to be honest, the citizens reflect the kind of leaders it has. An average Nigerian citizen would try to scam or cheat you. There is a culture that needs to be changed. Morals are dying in the country and I believe the first step to fixing the country is a change in mindset. Through education and proper mentoring of the upcoming generation, things could be better.

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Thank You for Reading ♥

_{1️⃣ First Image used in this post is from Freepik 2️⃣ Second Image is a gif from Tiktok}

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