Myself2:

This topic is a bit funny.
I'm 50 years now and all I can say is that even in my 20s, older folks were still telling us tales about the good old days. I think whatever dispensation one finds himself, one just has to adopt a positive can do mindset, then put your best foot forward and hope for the best

Lol,and yet those who will come after this generation will still think this present generation had it better

Gerrard59:


Interesting how that period was the golden age of Nigeria when over three million Igbos died as a result of the Civil war. Or were Igbos not part Nigeria then or didn't enjoy this so-called "golden era"?

To every rule there's an exception. But non the less, the Igbo went through a generational changing experience and came out strong from it. Before then the Igbos enjoyed the so called golden age, especially in politics and military/power. Now I believe everything is balancing out before Kanu disrupt everything again.

crackhaus:


I have a lot more I could type on this topic, but I've exceeded my social media allocated time for today.

You tried.i like seeing logical views that are different from majority opinion sometimes.it help balanced the topic of discussion.

No yahoo
No betting

When I look at myself today I feel fulfilled in life. But when I see the younger Nigeria generations i weep, I pray for them everyday. (Over hustle too much)
I promise God that I will continue to help in any little ways to lift as many youths as I can out of poverty.
The resources and opportunities available for today's youths are limited, unless you have rich and connected parents

I once told my dad: you guys got multiple jobs to choose from, got housing and healthcare but all we got is the INTERNET and nothing else.

Myself2:

This topic is a bit funny.
I'm 50 years now and all I can say is that even in my 20s, older folks were still telling us tales about the good old days. I think whatever dispensation one finds himself, one just has to adopt a positive can do mindset, then put your best foot forward and hope for the best

Best comment av read.

crackhaus:

No matter how you look at it, they had it so much better... Waayyy better.
Nothing depressing about it.

Yes they lived through the military era and saw firsthand what that was like, but it was still a better deal than what we have now.

Nigeria/Nigerians didn't have such a bad rep in the eyes of the world back then.

And who told you there were no jobs?

Just having a university degree guaranteed you a job without the need for man-know-man or bribing your way into federal agencies.
My dad with his University of Ibadan 2'2 degree didn't stay without work for up to 3 months after serving – got a really good job for that matter.

Nigerians could travel easier back then and even though the standard of living wasn't all that high, things were affordable in comparison.
Today, the standard of living is low (even lower if we're being honest), yet commodities aren't that affordable.

The internet age, satellite TV, and advent of mobile devices which ushered in the era of remote jobs and internet-based sources of income, also came with the introduction of make-believe lifestyles from watching reality shows like MTV cribs, KUWTK, etc...
Young Nigerians became obsessed with living wealthy lifestyles and acquiring expensive things (even when unnecessary).

Please there's no comparison to be made...

Older Nigerians definitely had a much better Nigeria than we do now. It wasn't heaven then, but it still wasn't as hellish as it is now.
People actually lived in Nigeria back then, but what people are doing now is surviving – there's a big difference.

I can't even take my car to a random mechanic to fix for me because they will bill me like a yahoo boy.
Internet fraudsters who don't mind paying whatever price they're told to pay for anything, have succeeded in contributing to inflation.

All those overpriced estates in places like Lekki built on top of reclaimed land that is just hoping/praying the sea doesn't develop mood swing, do you think if they were not seeing people to buy them, they won't drop the prices?

My brother, the overall mentality of Nigerians is very different now from what it was then.

Although it's not that the country was European-standard for older Nigerians back in the day, but contentment seemed to be more prevalent as people were okay with just having the basics/having just what was necessary.

I have a lot more I could type on this topic, but I've exceeded my social media allocated time for today.

Permit me to ADD ; There were FUNCTIONAL BASIC AMENITIES unlike what we have now.

VTJN:
You are absolutely right sir

This our generation get as e be. Saw an SS1 girl going out with men and i felt like crying for her

You see a small boy all what he thinks of is money, money, money. How he'd impress a girl with the money

They now see someone who isn't into all these boyfriend/girlfriend of a thing as a fool or perhaps not being normal. This our generation no be am abeg

And who told you teenage pregnancy and young males going into crime was non-existent? History suggests these baby-boomers were as bad if not worst... You think these guys were saints back then, if you do then you've been fooled for real,and seriously need a rethink.

VTJN:
You are absolutely right sir

This our generation get as e be. Saw an SS1 girl going out with men and i felt like crying for her

You see a small boy all what he thinks of is money, money, money. How he'd impress a girl with the money

They now see someone who isn't into all these boyfriend/girlfriend of a thing as a fool or perhaps not being normal. This our generation no be am abeg

Yup. “Instant gratification”. That’s the major problem with this generation. They know nothing about sacrifice.

Nigeria has always been hard but the rate of successful people who make it through the hardship is rapidly declining. It can’t all be governments fault.

VTJN:
Ofcourse they are. They should be in their 50s/60s. Majority of that generation did enjoyed life. Some of my lecturers then told me they all got their job after school. A young man was saying on national TV how Nigerians were doing pretty fine then. Naira is more sophisticated than the so called dollar. Graduates are being employed immediately after school with good pay. Apart from government jobs, different multinationals firm do come to pick them up. I think it was during the 80s/early 90s graduates stopped getting job immediately after school. Now, it's nothing to write home about.

Maybe because there were more jobs than graduates back then.

well i can tell you that the internet is a blessing and a curse. the curse is that there is proliferation of information most of which is false. i follow a girl on youtube. she travelled to lagos with stars and wealth in her eyes. then she hit lagos and hardship and suffering started. fortunately for her she had the kind of mindset to admit she made a mistake, she returned to the village in the east and is at peace and has bought her own house and just living a simple peaceful life and she is happier and much more content. I say all that to say Nigeria is not a hard place to be. The hardness is perceived in your mind if you have bought into the new age paradigm that you need to be rich and chasing women and driving expensive cars and pepperring people, then thats when the country is hard because to get the required tools of oppression is what makes most people desperate miserable and unhappy. Nigeria is a huge country with almost half of the country uninhabited while because of the perception of social media that lagos is where the money is, the whole country has moved into lagos and so they have artificially created hardship for themselves by packing like sardines into one small space while the rest of the country has been vacated and is uninhabited. i know a guy from america who went to ogun state and bought like 50 acres of land at 100 dollars per acre. he was able to do that because everyone has run out of there to lagos state so there is surplus cheap land.

and so whats my point ? before social media everyone was content and lived in their states and were happy and there were strong communities where families thrived together and played together and partied together nd there children grew together and became lifelong friends and the enjoyment at that time was in the friendships ( genuine friendships ) you made and kept forever. there was no hunger in the land and people fed each other. if someone has a party, everyone in the neighborhood went to eat etc etc. Fastforward today because of false information from socal media everyone has dollars and stars in their eyes and they are all running to lagos into communities where they have no vested interest in, they are just there desperately looking for money and you see them walking around with no smiles on their face. all angry looking and frowning. All the smiles and joy and laughter of the community in the early years has been replaced by the angry faces of new strangers from their fellow states just looking for an opportunity to swindle you or pull a fast one on you. the community is broken and everywhere is strting to look like a USA ghetto neighborhood full of desperate shysters and sad drugged out depressed people who feel they dont have a stake in the neighborhood so they are looking for any slight opportunity to burn it down and spread the sadness and anger that they feel to others ( hence the endsars burning down of the whole lagos ). The place is full of desperate and criminal minded people from all the states ( mostly other southern states ) just making the place an eyesore and making it miserable with their crimes etc. we went from a community of friendly communities to a culture of having gated estates and a thriving uniformed security personel business guarding everyy estate and business establishment

IN CONCLUSION ? the more today looks advanced, the more regressed it has become. the quality of humans has dropped. most people cannot even speak proper english these days. Even the dress sense looks degraded. people walk around loking unkempt with dreadlocks and tattoos. AND SO I WOULD SAY THE PEOPLE WHO GREW UP IN PAST GENERATIONS HAD IT MUCH EASIER. money was never tight because the money was strong and you dont need much of it to enjoy yourself, communty was strong so you didnt need the internet, morality was good, everything was great. you guys growing up today are the ones who need pity. you come on the internet everyday cursing buhari because there is no joy in you at all. those who grew up in those days had so much joy that to even speak ill of an elder was a taboo. now you have 17 years olds cursing and swearing for buhari on social media everyday. you guys have it worse today

holocron:
1960 to 1983 was the golden age of Nigeria. Those lucky enough to be educated and have come of age in Nigeria then, do not and has never known the meaning of hardship. They were the rulers and are still the rulers and controllers of Nigeria. They sold themselves to neocolonialism and refused to be defiant and remake the new country they inherited in a way that benefits the masses. They are all confused psychologically and they lack self-esteem. These are people brainwashed by the white colonialists or traumatized by the psychological oppression of racist colonialism.

Anyone coming of age between 1984 and 2000 would have known the meaning of hell on earth. This breed are very rugged and sort of resigned or adapted to hardship.

The millennial generation are similar to the first independence generation in the abundance of opportunities for self- realization and social renewal, but such opportunities come as two edged swords which the holder may use to obliterate themselves if care is not taken. Money may be made from internet connectivity, but because it appears easier and quicker, financial crime and Ponzi may be chosen. Random browsing on Internet and social media communication technology may weed out focused research and development of creative thinking etc. With recent trends, the millennial generation, despite the abundant opportunities, appear to be yet another lost generation of Nigerians. Alas! The beautiful ones are not yet born.

An apt analysis.

Is easier to survive now than then and more opportunities to make your life better than then the difference is focus, during our time there's is at least something you can do that could open opportunity for The few that was ready to change their life. Hard work was thought in families and not the nonsense religion being thought now on sowing seeds and waiting for miracle. Those that worked hard had a reward for their had work and those that women and rough life was their daily routine also got their share of laziness. Those times majority were happy with them selves. No much envy . Life was friendly. Buying land was considered things only father's should do. So young people didn't bother with too much expectations.

Adlac:

Permit me to ADD ; There were FUNCTIONAL BASIC AMENITIES unlike what we have now.

Like?

What do you expect them to say that life was much easier then than now..

Noblewealth:
What do you expect them to say that life was much easier then than now..

Some here already claim that.

SlyfoxxjReturns:
Things were almost as hard as they are today but we had less distractions. We were a lot more disciplined and focused than this present generation. I can tell you that for free.

You practically had nothing much to do , and no way of expanding your minds except for when you had school to attend.

Nigeria was safer in those days than now

Dollar was almost equal to the naira.

Ordinary First school leaving certificate will fetch you a lucrative job. Of course apart from the Civil War.

tensazangetsu20:

God . Afternoon siesta. Chei no wonder the country got poorer. Chinese folks then were building. Nigerians were sleeping. Oh lord.

Now, I understand why an aunt used to force I and my siblings to sleep in the 90s. na wa o

Junnior:
Funnily, I've been wondering lately if I would have been able to survive if I was born a decade earlier when there was no internet.

Our parents really suffered.

That's why when some of us tell them that we are making money without leaving home, it sounds ridiculous to them. They just can't relate.

Thank God for the internet

so you think...there was no internet, but security issues were very low, one can travel in the night comfortably, I even remember my Dad usually coming home sometimes 12 midnight...and there were no high fences in our house even the main front door never had a steel cottage... just to put things in perspective I have never experienced been robbed during my 22 years in Lagos where I grew up.

Noblewealth:
What do you expect them to say that life was much easier then than now..

Of course life was easier then than now. You leave for London on Friday to attend a party on Saturday, come back Sunday, go back to work on Monday.
Can you do that today?
Graduated from school on Thursday, started a government job 2 weeks later. Can you do that today? This was NOT the story of well connected people, but the story of average Nigerians then.
Finally, most people that travelled overseas then (for education) came back to Nigeria, not that they couldn't stay but because Nigeria was good. Can you do that today?

uvie66:
so you think...there was no internet, but security issues were very low, one can travel in the night comfortably, I even remember my Dad usually coming home sometimes 12 midnight...and there were no high fences in our house even the main front door never had a steel cottage... just to put things in perspective I have never experienced been robbed during my 22 years in Lagos where I grew up.

Stress levels weren't as high as they are in Nigeria today due mainly to the increased competition and population. So, crime wasn't as high as it is today... I remember sleeping out in front of the yard, even in 1998, around 2 am and still seeing folks out drinking and wandering on their way back home, I guess.

Buhari wasnt the president then.

I think Nigeria is better now than then, in these aspect...
¤Infrasture
¤Freedom of speech and actions
¤Transportation and road networks
¤Telecommunication
The only thing that was good then, but missing now is
"GOOD EQUAL STANDARD OF LIVING & QUALITY OF LIFE.... All the things we use then were purly original, from food items to wears and shoes etc. But now fake things re much than original....
¤Back then in the 80s
life was boring, no internet, no atm, no media and the rest...
It was boring.

¤There was also no freedom of speach, and action, fear was in everyone cos its military rule, they can do and undo, nobody dare say pim....
The freedom now makes its a bit better now than then,
now people challenge politicians, soldiers and police, back then who born you well...
And now we have better infrastructure, then its very worse, there might just be a road that enters a major town, thats all, but now, we have beautiful roads and bridges,,,
Without no doubt, the country is better now than the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s

anfanio:


Of course life was easier then than now. You leave for London on Friday to attend a party on Saturday, come back Sunday, go back to work on Monday.
Can you do that today?
Graduated from school on Thursday, started a government job 2 weeks later. Can you do that today? This was NOT the story of well connected people, but the story of average Nigerians then.
Finally, most people that travelled overseas then (for education) came back to Nigeria, not that they couldn't stay but because Nigeria was good. Can you do that today?

Less than 1% of the population enjoyed what you are talking about. The main population wallowed in abject poverty then. What was the %age of university graduate then.
In my village, my dad was the only person that had car around 70s. Now the whole village is littered with cars and mansions.
The people eat rice once a week. No electricity in the village then. None could afford gen then.
No comparison between now and then. This generation are enjoying more
In my university days 88-93, you hardly see students having ordinary tv's in their rooms. But now tv's is a small thing. Students now have everything, Tv, laptops, phones, tabs, car etc.

Nothing like good old days. That was only for the few rich and contented folks

Kaiser20:
When I look at myself today I feel fulfilled in life. But when I see the younger Nigeria generations i weep, I pray for them everyday. (Over hustle too much)
I promise God that I will continue to help in any little ways to lift as many youths as I can out of poverty.
The resources and opportunities available for today's youths are limited, unless you have rich and connected parents

OK come lift me out so i can lift others

Overall, I agree with most of what I'm reading here. There are two contrasting ideas - that there was much abundance; of wealth and opportunities, while others believe that it was just suffering.

I believe it's a little of both. There was abundance in the sense that it was the golden era for oil producing states, there was much money but all these was in the hands of few elite. And as someone pointed out, they had been brainwashed to love the ways of the white man. Instead of developing Nigeria, they were jetting to the white man's land, buying his luxury goods and providing revenue to his businesses. All these came at an expense of Nigeria development and progress. This is how I see it, there was suffering in abundance.

They were a cursed generation; the curse lives on.

While it is hard to believe, I think Nigerians are better off now. There's better health care, better roads, safer cars, etc. The internet has improved democracy, the government can't hide their dirty laundry like before. I feel what holds us back is our lackluster attitude towards governance - we don't hold our leaders accountable.

anfanio:


Of course life was easier then than now. You leave for London on Friday to attend a party on Saturday, come back Sunday, go back to work on Monday.
Can you do that today?
Graduated from school on Thursday, started a government job 2 weeks later. Can you do that today? This was NOT the story of well connected people, but the story of average Nigerians then.
Finally, most people that travelled overseas then (for education) came back to Nigeria, not that they couldn't stay but because Nigeria was good. Can you do that today?

Who did this to us? Its buhari!! He started d nosedive as a military head

tensazangetsu20:
I used to abuse the older generation blaming them for completely destroying the country for the younger generation especially Nigerians in the 45 plus age bracket but I have been thinking and I feel that age range of Nigerians actually had it much worst than Nigerians of today.

Nigeria is still an absolute shithole today but at least the internet exist which is enabling young people to make a living online. Something that was impossible or unheard of like 10 years ago.

How did older men survive Nigeria when they were young. I mean let's say you graduated from unilag or unn with a mechanical engineering degree in 1984 when Buhari was head of state. They were no jobs, unemployment was still very rife. There was no internet for freelancing or stuff like that. Bujari destroyed the economy then and a demon IBB entered and became president as if that wasn't worst Abacha came in. By the time Abacha left, a 22 year old man from buhari tenure might have been 35 or close to 40 years. Lived through all this bad governance, poverty and hardship. It's so terrible when I think about it.

Older Nigerians how did you guys do it? I am really curious to hear your experiences.

Things are very easeir then. No even compare biko

Omoluabiii:
¤Back then in the 80s
life was boring, no internet, no atm, no media and the rest...
It was boring.

¤There was also no freedom of speach, and action, fear was in everyone cos its military rule, they can do and undo, nobody dare say pim....
The freedom now makes its a bit better now than then,
now people challenge politicians, soldiers and police, back then who born you well...

Lol, not like that, only Abacha was that hard. We had SAP riots all over the country. Aluta struggles here and there etc. Even Babangida had to settle the vocal ones with appointment. People like Wole Soyinka, Tai Solarin etc have to be settled with appointment. We were vocal but not brainwashed like today's youth.

Omoluabiii:
I think Nigeria is better now than then, in these aspect...
■Infrasture
■Freedom of speech and actions
■Transportation and road networks
■Telecommunication
The only thing that was good then, but missing now is
"GOOD EQUAL STANDARD OF LIVING & QUALITY OF LIFE.... All the things we use then were purly original, from food items to wears and shoes etc. But now fake things re much than original....
¤Back then in the 80s
life was boring, no internet, no atm, no media and the rest...
It was boring.

■There was also no freedom of speach, and action, fear was in everyone cos its military rule, they can do and undo, nobody dare say pim....
The freedom now makes its a bit better now than then,
now people challenge politicians, soldiers and police, back then who born you well...
And now we have better infrastructure, then its very worse, there might just be a road that enters a major town, thats all, but now, we have beautiful roads and bridges,,,

Abi oo!