Why suffering and smiling?

I recently read a piece by Sola Odunfa on the BBC website entitled ‘African viewpoint: Suffering and cursing’ on 24 February 2010. The article focused on Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s popular hit ‘Suffering and Smiling’ and went on to explain that Nigerian’s have always endured hardship with a positive outlook and a smile.

He concluded that in present times, Nigerians seem to have stopped smiling yet the suffering has refused to cease. I wondered what the impact of the cessation of smiling would have on Nigerians and I came to one conclusion: Impotency.

It continually amazes me that a people, who have suffered so much under the yoke of successive, bad leadership, will carry on with life as if nothing was wrong. If this had been in the United Kingdom, British civility would have been thrown out of the window as they rose up to demand change, consequently ridding themselves of the poor leaders.

Are Nigerians afraid? Fear is a very powerful weapon and it can be seen in use by the Nazis as they ushered the Jews to the grave in their millions during the World War II. I always ask myself, if someone is going to die anyway, why do they not go down fighting? At least they will give themselves a slim chance of surviving. The answer to that is fear.

Taking away my religious beliefs, we only have this life to live. Should Nigerians continue to live it in poverty or is it time for them to arise and fight for a decent standard of living for themselves and, more importantly, for their children and future generations? Or are we too selfish and afraid to even contemplate fighting for the future of our children?

We should be reminded that some people had to fight for their country’s prosperity and peace. It was not attained by chance or complacence. If we imagine that change will occur by itself, we are on a journey with Alice in Wonderland. The country is being led down the path of destruction by a few bad men and all we need is a few good men to turn things around.

The vagrant misappropriation of public funds by the overpaid, over pampered, non innovative but violent politicians, is a slap on the faces of 160 million Nigerians. Remember that the flashy cars, the mansions and lifestyles of these men are paid for by the millions of long suffering Nigerians.

The education sector is in the doldrums because these people can afford to send their children out of the country to study. The healthcare sector is struggling because these people can afford to pay for treatment abroad. Shamefully, the president of the country has to be frequently exported out of the country for medical treatment.

Electricity is not available because these people can afford to finance the installation of generators and the subsequent running of the. The water pipes are dried up in most places. Dust is the produce when taps are opened. The roads are in various states of disrepair because these people can buy the now essential 4x4s and can replace them whenever they choose.

Crime is endemic because these people can pay for adequate security, while the under-funded police avoid any direct confrontation with criminals because to lose their lives on duty would be an unappreciated act and definite punishment for their families.

Finally, when these people have had enough of the stress created by the current state of affairs, they pack their bags and board the next available flight for a few weeks of recuperation in the mansions they have bought in the more stable and less stressful foreign countries where they have stashed their ill-gotten wealth. All these paid for by the ever-placid Nigerians.

It is even annoying when the government and big businesses ignore local talent and award major contracts to foreign companies, thereby creating jobs for the already overindulged citizens of their base counties. In a country where so many people are jobless, it stinks that key projects are still being taken from outside, denying Nigerian professionals the opportunity to improve their expertise and to offer jobs to the many graduates languishing in joblessness.

Do the people care at all? I doubt it because they seem to walk around with blindfolds purposely refusing to see the carnage and hopelessness they have created. Even the British know the importance of British jobs for British people because revenue from these jobs helps to oil the wheels of their already successful economy.

All I have said has been talked many times over and almost to death. Yet I wonder why we are not willing to do anything about it. I want to believe that every Nigerian desires a decent lifestyle, but I can conclusively state that it will not be achieved with our present attitude.

Kings are born to rule but politicians are elected to serve, not to rule. In Nigeria, what we get is the opposite. In a country that has produced some of the best minds in the world (some dodgy ones as well), to be under the yoke of a ruling class illiterate in resourcefulness is a thing of shame on a global scale.

Nigerians are not only suffering and smiling, but they have also turned into the living dead. I say this because in a country with the bountiful resources available for exploitation, it should be easier to attain decent livelihoods than to live in poverty. Only those who actively try to be poor should be poor.

It is time Nigerians begin to rewrite their futures, while learning from past experiences. The country is not doomed to fail but doomed it shall be if we do not take the necessary steps towards success. The evidence of a successful country is not the wealth of a minority of its people, but is the standard of living and the opportunities available to the country’s entire citizenry.

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* Oludolapo Onajin (MNIA) is an architect based in London.
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