Let me add the benefit of my time as a student and then resident in
the UK. Living in Abuja now. The first thing that I discovered about
UK-born, white, English undergraduates was that all of them did
holiday or weekend job to support themselves – including the
children of millionaires amongst them. It is the norm over there –
regardless of how wealthy their parents are. And I soon discovered
that virtually all other foreign students did the same – except status
– conscious Nigerians.
I also watched Richard Branson (owner of Virgin Airline) speaking
on the Biography Channel. To my amazement, he said that his
young children travel in the economy class – even when the parents
(he and his wife) are in upper class. Richard Branson is a billionaire
in Pound sterling. A quick survey would show you that only children
from Nigeria fly business or upper class to commence their studies
in the Uk. No other foreign students do this. There is no aircraft
attached to the office of the Prime Minister in the UK. He travels on
BA. And the same goes for the Royals. The Queen does not have an
aircraft for her exclusive use.
These practices simply become the culture which the next
generation carries forward. Have you seen the car that Kate
Middleton (the wife of Prince William) drives? VW Golf or something
close to it. But there’s one core difference between them and us
(generally speaking), they(even the billionaires among them) work
for their money, most of us steal ours
If we want our children to bring about the desired change we have
been praying for on behalf of our dear country, then please, please
let’s begin now and teach them to work hard so they can stand
alone and most importantly be content and not having t “steal”
which seems to be the norm these days.
We have Nigerian Children who have never worked for 5 minutes in
their lives insisting on flying “only” first or business class and using
the latest cars fully paid for by their “loving “ parents.
I often get calls from anxious parents”my son graduated 2 years
ago and is still looking for a job, can you please assist!”
“Oh really! So where exactly is “THIS CHILD?” is my usual question.
“Why are you the one making this call dad/mum?
I am yet to get a satisfactory answer, but between you and me,
chances are that the big boy is cruising around Abuja with a babe
dresses to the nines, in his dad’s spanking new SUV with enough
“pocket money” to put your salary to shame. It is not at all strange
to hear a 28 year old who has NEVER worked for a day in his or her
life in Nigeria but “earns” a six figure “salary” from parents for doing
absolutely nothing
I see them in my office once in a while, 26 years old with absolutely
no skill to sell apart from a shiny CV, written by his dad’s secretary
in the office. Of course, he has a driver at his beck and call and he is
driven to the job interview. We have a fairly decent conversation
and we get to the inevitable question- so, what salary are you
looking to earn? Answer comes straight out – N250,000.00. I ask if
that is per month or per annum.
“Of course, it is per month”
“Oh, why do you think you should be earning that much on your
first job?”
“Well, because my current pocket money is N200,000.00 and I feel
any employer should be able to pay me more than my parents.”
No wonder corruption continues to thrive. We have a society of
young people who have been brought up to expect something for
nothing, as if it were a birthright. Even though the examples I have
given above are from parents of considerable affluence, similar
patterns can be observed from Abeokuta to Adamawa.
Wake up mum! Wake up dad! This syndrome – “my children will not
suffer what I suffered is destroying your tomorrow. You are
practically loving your child to death.
I learnt the children of a former Nigeria Head of State with all the
stolen(billions) monies in their custody, still go about with security
escort as wrecks. They are on drugs, several time because of the
drug, they collapse in public places. The escort will quickly pack
them and off they go. What a life! No one wants to marry them.
Henry Ford said “hard work does not kill.” We are getting everything
wrong in Nigeria now, including family setting. It is time to prepare
your children for tomorrow, the way the world is going, only those
that are rugged, hard working and smart working that will survive.
How will your ward fare?

Author :Dumo Lulu-Briggs(University of portharcourt)

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