You wanted to
surprise your wife by shopping for the family on your way back from work, and
as a sharp guy, you wanted to find out if it really cost, let’s say, N10,000 to
prepare a pot of ‘banga’ soup as she claims. You stopped at Mile 12 market in
Lagos where she normally does her shopping. You bought everything and
discovered that ‘madam’ had been playing you ‘boju boju’ with the money for
food. You were cursing under your breath and sweating profusely as you pushed
your way through the crowded market to where you parked your car and a little
boy said, “Oga, you too fine to dey carry your load by yourself naa. See as you
dey sweat. Make I help you. Oga I no go charge you too much, na only N50.”
A statement like that
should have made you feel important, but you didn’t budge. You simply ignored
and looked ahead resolutely, much to the little boy’s disappointment.
You refused to accept
his offer even when it was evident that you were struggling to hold on to the
‘gbogbo ero’ you bought. You didn’t trust the market boy or cart pusher,
fearing they could take off with your stuff. Most of us are often guilty of
this.
Does it ever occur to
you that by denying that little market boy or the cart pusher your luggage, you
may have denied someone their daily bread? Does it occur to you that if that
market boy doesn’t make enough to survive on, he might be forced to go into
armed robbery or kidnapping? Who knows if the guys that kidnapped Olu Falae
were once market boys and cart pushers who couldn’t make enough to survive
daily?
Many of us fail to
understand how privileged we are that we can comfortably afford both our needs
and wants, and that those at the bottom of the economic pyramid look upon us to
make their lives better.
We fail to fathom the
responsibility bestowed on us by the society to make impact on the
less-privileged. Why then should we complain when the rate of crime among the
youth is ever on the rise?
Why do we always put
the blame solely on the government when the ‘agberos’ and the jobless among us make
our neighbourhoods unsafe to live in? With our selfishness, we are daily
churning out criminals borne out of poverty and who are engrossed in their
current trade because we care little about them.
No society that is
borne out of selfishness can rid itself of poverty, disease, and uncivil people
by wholly relying on their government to do so. No society!
We all bear the
responsibility of creating the society we wish for. I am not supporting
kidnapping or lazy people, but it is appalling to see the huge economic
disparities that characterise our society.
The capitalist mind
that has built the modern Nigerian society is unprecedented.
Those who reside in
urban loftiness do not care whether their neighbours can afford basic needs
such as food. Even churches amassing bountiful offerings and tithes don’t care
if members of their congregation have anything to eat when they get home after
church services.
We would rather
create a dependency syndrome. Most people with domestic help rarely want their
domestic help to develop beyond that status. We want our lowly-endowed friends
and relatives to always look upon us when they need help.
Don’t you wonder how
some entertainers drive the latest Porsche or Range Rover SUVs, yet their
parents or siblings can hardly afford food? This has become the definition of
civilisation for us. We don’t realise that we only need to help out just a
little to make someone’s life better.
How many of us have
been committed to ensuring that the poor but bright child in our neighbourhood
goes to school, or helping a dutiful house help to learn a skill that will help
them become independent, or simply creating a job for a hard working and
disciplined jobless person?
Would Nigeria not be
a safer and better place if we became our brother’s keeper? We are all guilty
for the spate of kidnappings and insecurity in the country. Everyone is guilty,
including me.
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