Omaks' Speakers Corner Series
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Today i start a new initiative with a bit of trepidation. I am aiming to kickstart a trend that may proof popular with fellow forumites on NVS, or fall flat on it's face. Pure and simple, i want to recreate a 'Speakers' Corner' through my blogs. (Posted Oct 5, 2008 at 11:11 AM)
The Dilemma of a Sojourner.
Tags dilemma; sojourner
I woke up this morning with a feeling of sickness, only i'm not really sick. Perhaps again i am sick, home sick that is. Oh yes i'm definitely home sick, and i've been for some months now. Every time now i see myself ruminating over the many happenings in my beloved country Nigeria. My thoughts are laced with all things Nigeria. My discussions are revolved around all things Nigeria. In fact, my choice of tv programmes are mostly Nigerian nowadays. Even my choice of drinks now are Nigerian. I'd rather watch HiTV, AIT and NTA as against the many other available sattelite channels available. I'd rather drink a bottle of Gulder, Star or Nigerian Guinness rather than alternative foreign beer. I'm visiting Nigerian restaurants and Nightclubs more often than i used to, and i'm listening to Nigerian music more often now. I suppose this change in lifestyle is what's brought on this new yearning for home, sweet home, and this is not in any shape or form the dilemma i face in itself.
The real dilemma i face is that i lack the courage to take the bull by the horn and return back to my beloved country Nigeria. Oh yes, i lack the courage, simply because i fear that i will not be able to exist appropriately in the country in comparison with my current lifestyle in my country of residence. That's the plain truth. I cannot exist in a society where there is lack of basic social and welfare amenities. Okay, i lived a great deal of my life in Nigeria long time ago, but can i readjust to the same hardships that inadvertently drove me out of the country? No.
I was discussing with a friend the other day, and he said you should go back and contribute your quota to making a difference. My belly still aches from the laughter that ensued. What difference? What quota? In fact i stand as much chance of making a differenmce in Nigeria of today, as a dead elephant walking. Especially if you arrive from 'obodo oyinbo', no one wants to listen to you. As far as they are concerned you have nothing to offer. Moreover, you are far better off than them, and so you have no moral justification trying to influence the ways things are done there.
Furthermore, it would be foolhardy to subject my young family to the hash conditions as it entails in Nigeria. All my children have lived all their lives abroad, and to subject them to incessant power outage, lack of portable water, road - deathtraps and inferior educational systems is boding on share wickedness. How can it make any real sense for me to take my family out of a place of settled livelihood and subject them to a life of uncertainty? On the other hand a part of me wants to get stuck in the process of re - engineering Nigeria, in the process offering my little bit towards making the country a better place.
I see people rushing back home in the face of the economic down turn, and i envy their courage. Unfortunately months later, i see them scampering back. My conviction is further hindered by this. They claim it's better to be unemployed in Europe, but at least be assured access to basic human dignity, than to return home and watch all your savings dissappear into thin air in the twinkle of an eye. So i want to return back home, but the inadequacies in Nigeria makes it difficult for me, and i'm sure if many people will be true to themselves it must be the same for them. I wonder how one solves such a dilemma like this.
The real dilemma i face is that i lack the courage to take the bull by the horn and return back to my beloved country Nigeria. Oh yes, i lack the courage, simply because i fear that i will not be able to exist appropriately in the country in comparison with my current lifestyle in my country of residence. That's the plain truth. I cannot exist in a society where there is lack of basic social and welfare amenities. Okay, i lived a great deal of my life in Nigeria long time ago, but can i readjust to the same hardships that inadvertently drove me out of the country? No.
I was discussing with a friend the other day, and he said you should go back and contribute your quota to making a difference. My belly still aches from the laughter that ensued. What difference? What quota? In fact i stand as much chance of making a differenmce in Nigeria of today, as a dead elephant walking. Especially if you arrive from 'obodo oyinbo', no one wants to listen to you. As far as they are concerned you have nothing to offer. Moreover, you are far better off than them, and so you have no moral justification trying to influence the ways things are done there.
Furthermore, it would be foolhardy to subject my young family to the hash conditions as it entails in Nigeria. All my children have lived all their lives abroad, and to subject them to incessant power outage, lack of portable water, road - deathtraps and inferior educational systems is boding on share wickedness. How can it make any real sense for me to take my family out of a place of settled livelihood and subject them to a life of uncertainty? On the other hand a part of me wants to get stuck in the process of re - engineering Nigeria, in the process offering my little bit towards making the country a better place.
I see people rushing back home in the face of the economic down turn, and i envy their courage. Unfortunately months later, i see them scampering back. My conviction is further hindered by this. They claim it's better to be unemployed in Europe, but at least be assured access to basic human dignity, than to return home and watch all your savings dissappear into thin air in the twinkle of an eye. So i want to return back home, but the inadequacies in Nigeria makes it difficult for me, and i'm sure if many people will be true to themselves it must be the same for them. I wonder how one solves such a dilemma like this.
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Eherm relocating shld be gradual...u can go first...try staying there for 4mths each time...see if u can start building something, and do some research on schools, and other things that u might need.
U see a lot of us that use to reside in Nigeria(am on self exile right now) had to create a conducive environment for ourself and family....we generated our own power, provided our own water, security and created our own businesses....but then could not be assured of security of life and property cos we still need to commute from our place of residence...which though was relatively safe as at then...but then still need to join the madding crowd/interact...it's a no win situation right now...but i still believe that a time will come that we will all want to rush back.Posted Aug 9, 2009 at 07:55 PM by emj
- I hear you loud and clear sista emj, i think that's a reasonable way to go about it. I think though, those 4 months at a time journey will have to be for a considerable lenght of time though. One can provide portable water, solar energy to source for electricity, but unless one is going to a0 construct his private roads to all his destiunations, and hire Mossad and CIA agents combined, one cannot really provide much needed security, abi? Like you said, it's a No win situation. God help us all.Posted Aug 9, 2009 at 10:03 PM by omaks
- Omaks,
Hmmm, There are many in your situation. I just got back from Naija. And I have remarked to many people, a decade later, I was stil reminded on why I left. The problems you note indeed still remain.
BUT!!! As noted by Madam emj. Take it one step at a time, if you cannot stay for 4 months, make it a month or even two weeks. Here is somethin important I think all who plan to return home need to take very seriously. get in touch with a few trusted friends from your past. Good school mates or co workers. See where they are now. Thats a good barometer for you to see how things progress in Nigeria.
See the fact is as much as things are hard, many are making a heck of a lot of money in Naija on a daily basis, a few of them, honestly! There are positives of moving backto Nigeria, and one main positive are the oppurtunities that abound. So do not say you cannot contribute. As far as I am concerned life is not charity. Offer a service, and get paid, and by so doing, you employ other Nigerians, you pay salaries and benefits...BINGO!!! you have contrubuted.
NB: As I have noted on my blog, Abuja is a fairly safe town, and good raods and even water (via borehole). Lagos, I am not sure I can really relocate back to Lagos, despite Fashola's magic touch. Check out my blog, I will still update further on my recent trip to Abuja, I think some blog entries may contribute to giving insight into solving your homesickness.Posted Aug 13, 2009 at 04:16 PM by N.A.R. - N.A.R thnks for your points, and they are very cogent ones at that. The more i read good points like this the more i pine for Nigeria, but like you said, the more i see where many of my peers are in the country i feel sorry for them and sick for the country. All in all though, i know that no amount of negatives is worthy of holding me back, surely i will conquer my fears somehow.Posted Aug 14, 2009 at 01:33 AM by omaks
- I cannot exist in a society where there is lack of basic social and welfare amenities. Okay, i lived a great deal of my life in Nigeria long time ago, but can i readjust to the same hardships that inadvertently drove me out of the country? No.
Na this kind talk dey make me quarrel.But I no go quarrel today.
People are still doing legitimate business in Nigeria and they are not living in hardship. If you see my belle, you go know say I don chop enough to last a life time-Isiewu, turkey nkwobi, okporoko. My children, the same thing. I have never thought about living abroad.
Now the crux as I think I saw it long ago is deciding where you want to live and with faith, things work out. There is always a time of sowing, it comes with deprivation and hardship, after, you can be comfortable, believe me. You may not have light 2-4-7,seeing this as suffering is of a mind set. How long will you live abroad? You want to live, die there and be buried there? Does it really matter where one lives and dies? It is only a matter of individual choice. So, Nigeria is not working, but, people are still making good progress and living happily here. No exchanging here for any place I swe-ar!!!Posted Aug 14, 2009 at 02:30 PM by Chief Kalu
