₦airaland Forum

Lagos

The Nigeria and Africa We Want

‘Why do you all cry when you come here?’ the taxi driver asked me. His voice, a gentle current against the hum of the car’s engine, was a stark contrast to the chaotic symphony of Lagos.
‘What?’ I asked, the word a raw, choked-off sound. I scrubbed at my eyes with the heels of both hands, as if I could wipe away not just the tears, but the profound sense of cultural whiplash that had seized me the moment I stepped out of Dubai International Airport.
‘I mean,’ the man said, taking a smooth left turn. ‘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 his rear-view mirror, a subtle invitation to a deeper conversation. He turned right, and there it was: the Burj Al-Arab, a sail-shaped monument to human ambition, catching the last of the setting sun like a jewel.
‘Do most Africans cry?’ I asked, my voice barely a whisper. The question was not just for him, but for myself. Was my breakdown a shared experience, a collective grief?
‘Yes, especially the first-time visitors.’
My head was spinning. It was a dizzying, disorienting sensation. The absence of the familiar was deafening. There were no bone-rattling potholes, no rivers of stagnant water. There were no policemen with AK47s slung low, their eyes a cold demand for “Kolanut” – a slang used for bribe. There were no yellow vans—the Danfos—with their foul-mouthed, reckless drivers, weaving through traffic like angry hornets.
I felt as if I had been teleported. The organization, the brightness, the flawless asphalt of Dubai’s roads—it was a vision of heaven. And with that revelation came a devastating, gut-wrenching realization: if this was heaven on earth, then my country, Nigeria, and by extension, much of Africa, was its unholy counterpart. A land of broken promises and perpetual struggle.
‘I was just overwhelmed,’ I croaked, surprised at the raw sadness in my voice. The words felt hollow, inadequate.
‘I mean, everything is so beautiful and perfect. I just wished my country; my Nigeria, my Africa could one day be like…’ I couldn’t finish. The dam broke, and I choked into another gale of sobs, the grief a physical weight pressing down on my chest.
The driver was quiet as the car cruised along. The tall, shimmering towers of Dubai blurred by, each one a middle finger to the notion of impossibility. After a long, heavy pause, Zayd’s voice cut through the silence. ‘Is it that terrible in Nigeria, and Africa?’
I nodded, blinking back tears. In that moment, my national and African pride, a shield I had carried since birth, dissolved completely. It felt like a betrayal to feel this way, but the evidence was overwhelming. I stared out the window, amazed and ashamed, at how a country with lesser natural resources than my own could accomplish such astonishing development, such seamless transportation, such breathtaking organization within some decades.
‘My father was here in the 90s,’ I began, my voice steadier now, infused with a new, dark anger. ‘He still has pictures he took at your airport and hotel back then. He said this used to be an empty desert filled with mud houses, tents and camels.’
‘Yes,’ Zayd smiled, a nostalgic light in his eyes. ‘My country was so wretched back then. We had like a hundred taxis, and thousands of camels impeding the traffic. They were used in transporting passengers. You remind me of the old days.’
‘Well, your country has made many strides since then,’ I said, the words tasting like ash. I turned to face the driver, taking a chest-expanding breath. ‘Meanwhile, my country, my continent, is still stuck in the 80s. And I wonder if we are ever going to get out.’
‘You are Nigerian?’
‘Yes.’
‘Nigeria,’ Zayd repeated the word distastefully. It was a single word, but it carried the weight of a thousand newspaper headlines and whispered stories. ‘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.’
He mentioned a name, and my blood ran cold. The owner was an ex-governor and present senator from my mother’s hometown, a place plagued by underdevelopment and grinding poverty. Zayd pointed at more buildings, each one a monument to stolen African wealth, a gilded cage built with the dreams of a people they had sworn to serve.
‘It looks like all the government people in Africa have houses here?’ I said, my voice wounded, laced with a bitter irony.
‘Indeed. My wife works in the tax office. She said Nigerians alone have invested over $2 billion into Dubai properties and real estate. Africans, especially Nigerians, are the backbone of Dubai. If they were ever to take or sell their investment, or stop coming here for vacation, the UAE economy might collapse.’
For the next couple of days, I was a walking paradox—excited and depressed at the same time. I loved the beauty of Dubai, but the most painful feeling was the gnawing question: why can’t this happen in my country, in the whole of Africa? I wasn’t angry that Dubai was great, but I was utterly frustrated that this unknown region my father had visited twenty-nine years ago was now more developed than some popular European countries.

Welcome Back to Hell
When I turned to Lagos, Nigeria, the reality of my return hit me like a physical blow. The air, thick with heat and the smell of exhaust fumes, was a humid blanket of despair. At the sweaty airport, the unruly customs officers brazenly snaffled naira notes from foreigners, their eyes flicking with greed, their authority a tool for extortion.
The greatest pain was the Lagos traffic, a living, breathing monster with a nasty personality. I saw an Okada (motorcycle) loaded with an entire family almost get flattened by a truck. The rider, a grim reaper with no helmet, nearly wiped out an entire bloodline for the sake of a few seconds. I saw a driver taking a piss by the side of his vehicle, his casual indifference matched by the two police officers who didn't care. I saw Danfo drivers (yellow buses) sipping alcoholic beverages to "ginger" their bodies, their eyes glassy with a toxic blend of recklessness and false courage.
I hadn't even spent a full week in Dubai, and the contrast was so stark, so devastating, it messed with my mind. I was appalled by the madness called Lagos, simply because of its horrible transport system.
The argument started a kilometer from the airport. My taxi driver, a man who navigated the chaos of Lagos with a weary resignation, was being harassed by three police officers. Their hands were outstretched, their eyes cold and demanding, a familiar scene playing out in a city where authority often masqueraded as extortion.
My fists began to shake, a fury born of the pristine streets and organized calm I had just left behind. The memory of Dubai was still a fresh, stinging wound. ‘I've returned from an Arab country!’ I yelled at them, the words spilling out like a desperate, wild confession. ‘There is no lawlessness and recklessness there!’
My outburst was met with blank stares. My words, my anger, my experience—they were meaningless here. We managed to drive away, the incident leaving a sour taste in my mouth, but the reprieve was short-lived.
Barely another kilometer down the road, we encountered the notorious SARS officials. They were toting their guns with a casual menace, hailing my driver to park. A chill ran down my spine. The ritual was the same, but the threat felt sharper. As one of them demanded my ID card, another began scrolling through my phone and laptop, an invasion of privacy so brazen it left me speechless. I spent the next ten minutes explaining why I could afford a trip to Dubai, feeling the weight of their assumptions and the cold reality of being back in a place where your freedom could be bought or sold for the price of a bribe.
I was back in hellfire.
That night, the familiar darkness of a power cut enveloped my room. The petroleum generator failed to sneeze to life, its silence a final confirmation of my return to reality. The heat was a suffocating shroud, and the mosquitoes, tiny, tormenting demons, feasted on my despair. I ran out of my room into the moonlit yard, the cool night air a welcome relief. It was there, under a sky filled with stars I could barely see through the haze of light pollution, that I completed a speech for my students, a final act of defiance. The title: The Nigeria, the Africa We Want.
After my promotion to the C-Suite, my employer, a visionary man, made a remarkable demand. He insisted that every key team member travel outside Nigeria to a major global hub—the UK, Europe, the US, or Dubai. He was willing to fund the entire trip. His reasoning was simple yet profound: he believed that this experience would fundamentally alter our perspective and expand our vision, giving us a firsthand understanding of the kind of organization he was striving to build.
Weeks later, standing before the school board, parents, and students, I was no longer just a teacher and administrator. I was a messenger, tasked with translating a profound personal experience into a shared vision for Nigeria and the entire continent. The speech I was about to deliver wasn't just a recount of my trip; it was a testament to what we could be, a blueprint for the future I had glimpsed in another land.

The Speech:
‘The Nigeria we want is not a land of broken dreams, but a nation of builders. It is a place filled with people who haven’t lost their identity or their national pride. We are not a country of 50 million bike men, called Okada riders, scrambling for scraps of survival. We are a nation with the potential for 50 million programmers, professional teachers, tech gurus, scientists, engineers, inventors, and entrepreneurs. That is the Nigeria we want.
‘The Nigeria we want is a place where we are not defined by the circumstances of our birth, but by the fire in our souls. It is a Nigeria filled with people with dignity, people who understand that God didn’t make them black so they could feel inferior, or bear the burden of being sub-human. We are not a people who should be content with being classed as a “third-world country,” or happily bear the yoke of poverty. We are a people who must rise up, striving for human excellence and reaching for the cusp of brilliance.
The Nigeria we want is a nation reborn, not in the shadows of its past, but in the brilliant light of its future. We refuse to be defined by the transatlantic slave trade, by the lingering scars of colonialism, or by the corrupt leaders who have plundered our potential. Our identity is not the one painted by global media—a narrative of despair, poverty, and tragedy.
The Nigeria and the Africa we want is a testament to our indomitable spirit. It is a continent that is prosperous, rich, and powerful, no longer emerging, but fully emerged. We are not just breaking free from a dark history; we are forging a new one, a narrative of innovation, strength, and boundless potential. We are here to reclaim our story and stand tall as the architects of our own destiny.
‘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 our Africanness. We are not meant to be a reflection of another’s success, but the architects of our own destiny.
The Price We Must Pay
The shiny roads, the breathtaking organization, and the beautiful cities of Dubai or the developed world didn’t emerge overnight. They were forged in a crucible of sacrifice and vision. Many local “souks”—ancient markets—had to make way for modern structures. Many camel riders had to upgrade their skills to become the professional pilots who today constitute the workforce of Emirates Airline—one of the world's largest and most luxurious airlines, a symbol of revolutionizing global travel.
We stand at a similar precipice. It is a hard time, and the road ahead is filled with difficult choices. This is why we must support leaders like Governor Sanwo-Olu as he takes this bold and tough decision to create a Lagos that will ultimately be our greatest pride and the crown jewel of West Africa. We cannot continue to be a disorganized, rough, dirty, and backward country. We cannot be at peace with being 100 years behind the modern world. We must not be afraid of change, no matter how painful it is.
I hope the media, our thought leaders, and our thinkers support Governor Sanwo-Olu, so he can transform Lagos while assisting those who will be affected during the process. Dubai didn't allow backwardness to hold its dreams hostage. The people paid the price, and I hope we, as Nigerians, can do the same. We must not mistake the pain of progress for the permanence of poverty. We must be brave enough to tear down the old, the broken, the corrupt, and build something new—something worthy of our name, our identity, and our potential.
The Nigeria we want is within our grasp. But it is not a gift. It is a fight. And it is a prize we must earn with every drop of our sweat, every shard of our courage, and every beat of our hopeful hearts.
Yet, as I stand here, the stark reality of our challenges, powerfully embodied by the current uproar surrounding the Okada ban, pulls me back. The shocking backlash, the intricate political twists it has unleashed, momentarily threaten to overshadow the gleaming vision I hold so dear. But this struggle only reinforces my conviction: we can become better, greater, and profoundly more. This truth rests on our collective willingness to shed our old skin—to rip off the comfort of outdated habits and self-defeating resistance, and with shared resolve, courageously build a brighter, more powerful future together. It is a future within our grasp, if we dare to seize it.

I need to go back to work and worry about my own legacy and not some legacy-less cow

Congrats and thumbs up bro! Higher places ahead

Still available

SA

Damolux01:
Nice ride, I have 700k. Can it fly?

900k last bro. Call me if you are ready

SA

Price reduced. Need cash urgently

kindly share the ones you know and try and join within your community to become active agripreneurs and agriactivists.

1. ASN: Agricultural Society of Nigeria
National Root Crops Research Institute, Km 8 Umuahia Ikot Ekpene Road, Umuahia, Abia State Nigeria
0806 422 7803
Agricultural Society of Nigeria is an agricultural body established to promote the pursuit and understanding of both basic and applied agricultural science in Nigeria.

2. Food for All International of Nigeria
2, Woji Road, G.R.A. 2, Port Harcourt, Rivers State Nigeria
+234 806 431 9449, +234 806 426 2223, +234 803 957 8843084 468336
Food for All International of Nigeria is a non-governmental organization focused on improving the quality of life for rural farmers through the production, multiplication & distribution of high quality seeds, and suitable agricultural technology.

3. IFDC Nigeria
6/Plot 1413 Ogbagi Close Off Oro-Ago Crescent Cadestral Zone, Garki Area 2, Abuja FCT Nigeria
+234 9 291 2089, +234 9 291 2093, +234 9 291 2094
IFDC Nigeria aims at improving the supply & distribution of fertilizers & high-quality agricultural inputs to smallholder farmers in areas of timber, cassava, cocoa, maize, millet, palm oil, peanuts, rice, sorghum, and yams crops.

4. Nigerian Association Of Agricultural Economists: NAAE
The Secretary, University of Ibadan, Department of Agricultural Economics, Ibadan, Oyo State 0806 402 8437
Nigerian Association Of Agricultural Economists - NAAE is a voluntary, non-governmental and professional association for agricultural economists in the country and aims to foster the growth and development of the agricultural sector.

5. Nigerian Organic Agriculture Network: NOAN
Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State Nigeria
+234 705 745 7676, +234 803 392 8111
Nigerian Organic Agriculture Network (NOAN), a non-governmental organization that serves as an umbrella body for scientists, farmers, processors, exporters, individuals, Institutions, NGOs and organizations involve in organic agriculture in Nigeria.

6. Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN)
Along Gwarzo Road, Opposite Bayero University, Newsite Gate, Kano, Kano State Nigeria
0818 662 0598
Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN)was established to train women, men & youth in agricultural related programs such as business management, agriculture, food processing, preservation, water & soil conservation, & improved agricultural technology.

7. Youth Farmers Association of Nigeria (YFAN)
36 Ibeshe Road, Beside Dangote Chemical, Itori, off Lagos-Abeokuta Express Road, Ogun State, Nigeria
+2340803 610 6917 +2348036685576 email: yfan2010@yahoo.com
Youth Farmers Association was created in 2015 to connect youths to who want to pool their resources together to build a mega farm within the country. YFAN has its head office in Ibeshe, and another branch in Eluju Village, beside the Lagos Free Trade Zone.
They focus on modern agritech and livestock and training.

8. African Ecological Restoration Foundation
Suite B104, No. 11, Dunukofia Street, Garki Area 11, Abuja FCT Nigeria
+234 703 098 8105
African Ecological Restoration Foundation is situated in Abuja Nigeria and was established to help in creating awareness for plants, crops and environment protection.

9. Ecological Society of Nigeria
Suite B105, No. 11, Dunukofia Street, Garki Area 11, Abuja FCT Nigeria
0803 275 9310, 0806 921 1645, 0805 384 67140703 098 8105
Ecological Society of Nigeria (EcSON) strives to provide a platform for eco-friendly Nigerians through promotion of resources utilization and development.

10. Farm Awareness for Food Preservation Initiative
Suite 65, Nandu Plaza, Ndola Crescent, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja FCT Nigeria
0803 322 7257, 0805 931 3009
Farm Awareness for Food Preservation Initiative (FAFPI), a non government organisation that focuses on improving agriculture and creating awareness on the need for agricultural practices.

11 Fisheries Society of Nigeria
Old College by NIOMR Wilmot Point Road, Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos Nigeria
+234 802 332 5185, +234 802 354 5803, +234 818 547 7818
Fisheries Society of Nigeria (FISON) aims to promote professionalism in fisheries & ensures fish food security through research & development, & also help in the management of resources, fish production, marketing, storage, transportation, export & import

12 Food Work Africa Limited
Suite 08, 3rd Floor, Noble Complex, Opp. Arts & Culture, Akwa Street, Garki Area 10, Abuja FCT Nigeria
+234 806 913 7498, +234 808 591 7655
Food Work Africa Limited promotes agriculture in Nigeria and Africa in terms of food cultivation and production.

13 Livestock and Fisheries Development and Marketing Plc
5th Floor, NACRDB Building, Independence Avenue, Central Business District, Abuja FCT Nigeria
+234 9 672 1873, +234 9 672 1874
Livestock and Fisheries Development and Marketing Plc is an organisation created to improve livestock farming and fishery in Nigeria.

14 Nigerian Association of Women in Agriculture
18 Tyoakigh Street, Off Vandeikya Street, High Level, Makurdi, Benue State Nigeria
0806 910 3018
Nigerian Association of Women in Agriculture (NAWIA) was established to help develop and empower women that are into agriculture.

15 Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria
Opposite Karis Car Wash, Okaka Yenagoa, Bayelsa State Nigeria
+234 801 327 14914
Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) is made up of rice farmers in Bayelsa States and was established to oversee the activities of the farmers and also provide necessary information and equipment for effective rice cultivation and processing.

16 Safe Food and Feed Foundation
P. O. Box 56279, Ikoyi Lagos, Lagos State
+234 803 370 9492
veterinary drug residues e.t.c) and natural agricultural production.

Youth Farmers Assocation of Nigeria YFAN
End of 2019 Party

We cordially invite members of YFAN to our annual party to be held at Medalist International School Hall at Medalist Estate in Alaja, Ifo, Ogun State.
We will be celebrating our 2nd Anakara Day on the 12th of January, 2020.

New members are invited to this gathering, and old members are mandated to come with at least two members. Registration fee remains N5000.

YFAN former President Dr Tobi Babarinsa will be gracing the occasion with the Chief of Alaja Village. Kindly call the below number for reservations or bookings if you are coming from Lagos or out of Ifo.

Secretary,
Idris Atanda
0803 610 6917

SA

Interior

Engine

Side view

The owner barely used the ride. He traveled abroad since 2017 after using it for a year plus and just returned and want it sold so he can upgrade.

Asking price: 950k
Location: Toll Gate, Along Lagos-Abeokuta Express, Lagos

Call or whatapps: Musa
09090943332

I seriously think you should pray about this. Five years to build a business is not moimoi. Leaving it for someone you don’t know is like working so hard over the years for someone else to come and reap.
And who doesn’t want to go to America? lol
Seriously, just pray

Pdp APC or SDP whoever wins or get appintment is the man of the people

I can kill myself oh
I no care again oh.
I can come and die oh

It’s a trap. The calculation is intended to split the Ibos political cohesion. The Ibos have better chance aligning with the PDP and working with Atiku or whoever the PDP present from the north. The SW and the SE should forget the presidency, it’s a northern thing until my Ibo brothers and my tribe can settle their petty differences and I strongly believe the Yorubas should sincerely apologize for their role in Biafra civil war. No tribe will lose about 1 million souls and ever forgive those responsible. Besides I’m Yoruba and don’t mind been called names.

Was stupid I entered a farming business. I was lured into it after visiting an elderly friend’s farm and seeing him selling hundreds crates of eggs and counting hundreds of thousands of naira. I got greedy and entered the business with doing research. It was the worst business I ever did and within six months, it affected my health so bad that till today, I suffer from this health challenges. The painful fact was my mentor sold me the baby chickens and sold me the feeds and sold me the drugs and gave the workers. The man made insane money from me. Before I know it, 10million naira was down the drain.
My mother even left her own business and tried to salvage the business and lost her life in the process.
The only thing I made from that business was the land I bought for it which is till today still along a busy road. Sadly the land is not even up to 10 million naira in value till today. Most of the time I just tell people, entrepreneurship is not worth it if you are not stealing money from somewhere to back it up like Otedola, Dangote and co. If not you are on a long thing.

Moral: don’t let anyone push you into any business because they are doing well. Most of the time, the successful business man you envy is a smart criminal who will finish you if you fall for this tricks

Someone should connect me with Atiku.

Shame.

No more German vehicle for me ever.
I bought an LT bus for business. Bought it for 600k and within two years spent over 1m fixing this and that and the engine.

At OP:
Sell the vehicle for scrap at Jankara.
Just go there and ask for those buying scrap. It should fetch you like 200k at all at all na him bad.
Some vehicles are going to kill you if you don’t sell them off as scrap

FrLukas:
Because there are no jobs in Nigeria.

The traffic isn't flowing towards Nigeria, it is flowing outwards to other countries, even Mali.

Yet we have over a million Indians and foreigners in the country. What are those ones coming for? Jollof rice?
In Nigeria, you have to start creating the job and forget these there are no jobs mindset

Nigeria immigration is happier extorting Nigerians who are even leaving the country to doing their due diligence when it comes to foreigners visiting the country. You can get a work permit for 5k from those jobless boys who stand in front of the immigration office at Festac or Ikeja.
Nigerians are Nigeria problem not the foreigners.

K

what is happening

Olosho peagentry. Parade the goods, let the big men bid and the highest bidder gets the hottest Toto.
My babe went to one of this non-nonse, one guy grabbed her as$ and she slapped him. The guy was so shocked, he was expecting her to just laugh like all the rubbish tramp they call beauty queen. Las las they quickly disqualify my babe and I was glad the experience made her never bother going for another beauty trash contest.

Asl