The Nigeria and Lagos We Want

‘Why do you all cry when you come here,’ the taxi driver asked me.
‘What?’ I asked confusedly. I wiped tears off my eyes with the heels of both hands.
‘I mean,’ the man said taking a left. ‘When most Africans arrive here, once they get down from the airport, they start crying. Why?’ The driver who later introduced himself as Zayd adjusted the rear mirror so he could catch my expression. He turned right this time facing the Burj Al-Arab, the world biggest hotel.
I asked: ‘do most Africans cry?’
‘Yes especially the first time visitors.’
I was having a cultural-shock. It was disturbing that there aren’t bad roads in Dubai, unlike the ones back in Nigeria. There are no policemen tottering their AK47’s, threatening to kill the driver if he failed give them ‘Kolanut,’ which is slang for bribe. There were no yellow vans called Danfos, with dirty, abusive and reckless drivers who clog the roads of Lagos up.
My head was spinning at the organization, the brightness, and the shiny roads of Dubai. I felt I was in heaven, and I can now confirm that if there was hell on earth, then it was my country, Nigeria, and largely Africa.
‘I was just overwhelmed,’ I croaked surprised at the sadness in my voice.
‘I mean, everything is so beautiful and perfect. I just wished my country; my Africa could one day be like…’ I didn’t finish as I choked into another gale of sobs.
The driver was quiet as the car cruised along. The tall shinny towers of Dubai towers blurred by.
After a long pause, the driver asked: ‘Is it that terrible in Africa?’
I nodded blinking back tears. For one thing, I felt my national and African pride dissolve completely. I regretted that I was from the continent as I stared around, amazed at how a country that has lesser natural resources than my country could accomplish such astonishing development, organization and seamless transportation systems within two decades.
I spoke: ‘my father was here in the 90s. He still has pictures he took at your airport and hotel back then. I remember this use to be an empty desert filled with mud houses and tents.’
‘Yes,’ smiled the driver. ‘My country was so wretched back then. We had like hundred taxis, and thousands of camels impeding the traffic. They were used in transporting passengers. You remind of me of the bad old days.’

I spoke: ‘well, your country has made many strides since then.’ I turned, stared and took chest-expanding breathe. ‘Meanwhile, my country, my continent is still stuck in the 90s, and I wonder if we are ever going to get out.’
‘Which country in Africa are you from?’
‘Nigeria.’
‘Nigeria,’ Zayd repeated the word distastefully. ‘We have many of your people here just like we have several Africans. Most of them visit, some never leave. And that house, yeah that massive building: it belongs to one African governor.’
‘Which governor?’
The driver mentioned his name. Strangely the owner was actually an ex-governor and present senator from my mother’s home town, a place plagued with underdevelopment and poverty.
Zayd pointed at more buildings which belonged to Nigerian politicians and billionaires.
‘It looks like all the government people in Africa have houses here?’ I spoke. I sounded wounded.
‘Indeed. My wife works in the tax office. She said Nigerians alone have invested over $30 billion into Dubai properties and real estates. Africans, especially Nigerians are the backbone of Dubai. If they are ever to take or sell their investment, or stop coming here for vacation, the UAE economy would collapse.’
I felt my heart break as I listened. For the next couple days, I was excited and depressed the same time. I loved it there but the most painful feeling was, why can’t this happen in my country. I wasn’t angry that Dubai was great, but was frustrated that the same unknown region my father had visited three decades ago was very developed.


WELCOME BACK TO HELL

My first day in Lagos, it was as if I was in hell. From the sweaty airport, the unruly customs brazenly snaffling Naira notes from foreigners sweating on the queue simply because they demanded bribe. I watched as the custom officials brazenly collected bribes from the foreigners without shame.
The greatest pain was Lagos traffic. It was at its frenzied peak when I arrived. I saw an Okada loaded with an entire family almost toss the entire tree and it’s fruits into the tires of a truck. The rider almost wiped out an entire bloodline. I saw a driver taking a piss by the side of his vehicle before two officers who didn’t care. I saw Danfo drivers sipping alcoholic beverage to “ginger” their body. How can a public transport driver depend on alcohol for motivation? I wonder the seismic shock this would give people from developed and saner climes.
I didn’t even spend a week in Dubai and I was appalled by the madness called Lagos simply because of the horrible transport system. It messed with me up mentally. Once, I almost fought a bike rider and his passenger. I shook my fist at them, telling them that I’d returned from an Arab country, and there was no lawlessness and recklessness. I saw police officials totting their guns hailing my driver to park and demanded for my ID card. I knew I was back in hell fire.

That night, there was power cut and I couldn’t sleep in the heat as my electric generator failed to sneeze to life. The mosquitoes taunted him until I ran out of my room into moonlit yard where I completed a speech I was preparing for my students as I intend to orientate them about my experience: The Nigeria we want.

THE SPEECH: THE NIGERIA WE WANT.

‘The Nigeria We Want is a nation filled with people that haven’t lost their identity and national pride. Not a place filled with 50 million bike men, called Okada riders, but a country filled with 50 million programmers, professional teacher, tech gurus, scientists, engineers, inventors and entrepreneurs. It is a country filled with another 50 million young women with skills, academic excellence, young mothers who are ready to give birth to the true future leaders of Africa. That is the Nigeria we want.
‘The Nigeria we want, is a Nigeria filled with people with souls, people with dignity, and people who knew God didn’t make them black so they can feel inferior, or bear the burden of been sub-human, or live peacefully with been classed as a “third world country people. Not people happy bearing the yoke of poverty, and living a degrading experience, but people who strive for human excellence and individuals who strive to reach the cusp of brilliance.

We want a Nigeria where the youths are not proud of taking the "cheap route" and risking their lives to cross the scalding heat of Agadez in Niger Republic; risking their lives to explore the incinerating weathers of the Sahara Desert; risking their lives to survive the perils of war-torn Libya, and finally facing the dangers of the Mediterranean Sea to cross into Europe. Europe is built by people with one head, not two head geniuses; we want a Nigeria and an Africa where we pay the painstaking price for greatness for thinking bigger and shunning daily survival. A Nigeria and Africa where we have super-institutions, not one ruled by old relics called super leader.

The Nigeria we want MUST be a place filled with people who are passionate about building their dreams, a better dream built around our identity, our culture, our blackness and Africannes.

THE PRIZE WE MUST PAY
The shiny roads, the organizations, and the beauty called Dubai or the developed world in Europe didn’t emerge overnight. Many local “souks—markets” had to pave way. Many camel riders had to upgrade their skills to become the thousands of professional pilots who today constitute the work force of Emirate Airline—one of the world largest and most luxury airline revolutionizing the world.
The beautiful cities of Europe which Nigerian youths call Eldorado didn't emerge out of thin air. People built them. Europe was once plagued with war and tribalism but today, they've surmounted these pettiness and are at the cusp of greatness. Comparing the Europe of 1914 or 1948 to the Europe of today seemed almost shocking, because there is no similarities between the two. But comparing a Nigeria of the 80s to the Nigeria of today is like comparing something good to something wretched. Things are not working; it is getting worse and we can reverse it.

At this hard time, I hope we can all support Governor Sanwo-Olu as he takes this bold and tough decisions to create a Lagos that will ultimately be our greatest pride--and the crown Jewel of West Africa. We can't continue to be the disorganized, rough, dirty and backward country. We can't continue to condone the troops of out of school children begging for food on the roads, we have to create lasting solutions to these problems.

We must not be at peace with been 100 years behind of the modern world. I hope the media, thought-leaders, and thinkers support Governor Sanwo-olu so he can transform Lagos while assisting those affected during the process.
Dubai and Europe didn’t allow backwardness to hold their dreams back, the people paid the prize and I hope Nigerians can do same.

Tee is an educationist who lives in Lagos and Ogun, Nigeria

Ok

Lagos

As much as I suffered today,I just have to commend Governor Sanwolu for banning the bikes and tricycles. I hope he bans the Danfos as well. I mean, it is only in Nigeria we see all this rubbish,even Ghana has a better and more organized transport system despite not having trains.its time we stop living like animals and act like civilized entities

Shut up jare. It is because you have a ride.

bsonenterprise:
Shut up jare. It is because you have a ride.

So you want everything to be the same? Do you know how many thousands of Lagosians killed yearly by Okada? Do you know how many legs and arms have been amputated. Do you know napep was built to carry materials within factories and it is only extremely wretched countries that use them on their roads. I can feel your pain but Lagos is not a gutter state. It should be the pace setter in Africa. @opNice write up

Progress takes alot of sacrifice, development is never accidental but with intentions...

and to slightly contradict the O.P or the Author, a real Emaratti, i mean the real UAE local will never drive a cab or work as a driver anywhere in the world, their Goverment prioritize on the citizens wellfare so much that you would think their government are spoiling them, from loans, to housing, scholarships to having locals register business to foriegners, as a citizen who decides to work with Government starts as a boss, they literarily have many social investment to tap from as a citizen that 3000 dirham driving seem like an insult to them

one of the best Malls in UAE is Sahara Mall in Sharjah, that place looks like paradise.. it was during my interaction with someone that i new it belongs to one ex Vice President and Presidential adviser... i mean this mall is nothing like the mini market we call mall in nigeria yet the man couldnt build it in Nigeria,



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solmus:
Progress takes alot of sacrifice

God bless you.

@op,u write well.

@lala frontpage stuff. the ugly truth!

A beautiful write-up that would make every Nigerian yearn for the realization of that Nigeria that is truly a giant of Africa and pride of black race.

However, the truth is that Dubai emerged out of a robust MASTERPLAN. It is a holistic roadmap to realising a vision. The stage by stage development of Dubai is deliberate. The reality of Dubai project is that massive city development or renewal requires MORE of planning and LESS of sacrifice or discomfort.

Now, the ban on okada and keke in Lagos state seems sudden and hasty. The inability of the state government to respond adequately to arising challenges shows that the move is not part of any encompassing long-term plan to develop Lagos. It looks more like a knee-jerk reaction to a threat.

Nevertheless, Gov. Sanwo-Olu and his team should seize the challenges of the last couple of days to critically review the existing Lagos State master plan with a view to upgrading it to a LIVING plan.

why isnt this front page and some trash stuff?

enlightening!

my stuff never made fb so sad