If I Could Change One Thing About Nigeria

Nigeria is a country I deeply love, not just because it's my nationality, but because of several other reasons, including the vibrant people, unbreakable spirit of the people, cultural diversity, and many more, and that's not forgetting the places we've got that are both tourist centers and world heritage sites. I've got a lot to be proud of about my country despite all the abnormalities that have been made to seem normal, so if I were to be given a chance to change something about my country, then without any atom of doubt or hesitation, I'd change the leadership.

To Nigerians like me, I'm sure the majority of them would understand my choice, but for those who might be wondering why, my reasons aren't far-fetched, and it's because I, for one, believe that leaders are the heart and backbone of any nation; they literally control the wheel, and any direction they steer towards is the direction the country goes. And looking at most of the top world countries, we can obviously see that it's not like they're better than we are; in fact, most of the natural resources that built their nation are from our soil. And that's why we need the right set of leaders, who are visionary, accountable, and selfless, and one who'll truly invest in the welfare of the people and the country at large. If that is done, I'm certain every other sector will naturally fall into place.

Nigeria as a nation has suffered too long under the leadership of corrupt leaders who mismanage the economy, don't create proper infrastructure, and enhance insecurity, resulting in a failing education and health system, and all of these are happening not because we don't have the resources, but because these resources are misused, channeled into the wrong direction, or hoarded. Our poor leaders right from Adam are the genesis of our problems in this country, and if care isn't taken, they'll go on to be the revelation as well.

The result of poor leadership is what has put many Nigerian citizens in disillusionment, leaving many hopeless, and the nation crawling when it ought to be soaring like an eagle. The solution to our every problem in this country, for me, is the leaders. Unfortunately, from my observation, we don't have any single politician presently in the nation that truly cares about the development of the nation; what they truly long for is looting public funds for their personal interest, and that's why leadership is an aspect I'd love to fix.

You can imagine a country like Rwanda thriving despite not having many natural resources, yet they find a way of improving their economy by promoting tourism. We've got almost all the natural resources you can think of, from gold to silver, diamond, limestone, petrol, and several others, and yet we're living in abject poverty. When we fix the leadership, I believe we're indirectly fixing the system and will go on to attract innovation, accountability, and growth.

When we have the right leaders, Nigeria and Nigerians will have limitless potential, as jobs will be created, the power supply will be stable, our roads will be motorable, we'll have state-of-the-art schools with quality academic aid that are functional, and several others. All of these will even paint us in a good light to those abroad and will go on to encourage more people to come for different purposes, from tourism to businesses and more. These will even lead to citizens not only believing in Nigeria but in ourselves as well.

Until these become a reality, I'd keep hoping, praying, and playing my part in our own capacity, because after all, the change begins with you and me, and that's why we must shift our mindset from these gullible politicians and raise a new Messiah from among us.

All photos are taken and edited on canva.