You wanted to surprise your wife by shopping for the family
on your way back from work, and as a sharp guy, you
prepare a pot of ‘banga’ soup as she claims. You stopped at
Mile 12 market in Lagos where she normally does her
shopping.
You bought everything and discovered that ‘madam’ had been
playing you ‘boju boju’ with the money for food. You were
cursing under your breath and sweating profusely as you
pushed your way through the crowded market to where
you parked your car and a little boy said, “Oga, you too
fine to dey carry your load by yourself naa. See as you
dey sweat. Make I help you. Oga I no go charge you too
much, na only N50.”
A statement like that should have made you feel important,
but you didn’t budge. You simply ignored and looked ahead
resolutely, much to the little boy’s disappointment.
You refused to accept his offer even when it was evident
that you were struggling to hold on to the ‘gbogbo ero’ you
bought. You didn’t trust the market boy or cart pusher,
fearing they could take off with your stuff. Most of us are
often guilty of this.
Does it ever occur to you that by denying that little market
boy or the cart pusher your luggage, you may have denied
someone their daily bread? Does it occur to you that if
that market boy doesn’t make enough to survive on, he might
be forced to go into armed robbery or kidnapping? Who
knows if the guys that kidnapped Olu Falae were once
market boys and cart pushers who couldn’t make enough to
survive daily?
Many of us fail to understand how privileged we are that
we can comfortably afford both our needs and wants, and
that those at the bottom of the economic pyramid look upon
us to make their lives better.
We fail to fathom the responsibility bestowed on us by the
society to make impact on the less-privileged. Why then
should we complain when the rate of crime among the
youth is ever on the rise?
Why do we always put the blame solely on the government
when the ‘agberos’ and the jobless among us make our
neighbourhoods unsafe to live in? With our selfishness, we
are daily churning out criminals borne out of poverty and
who are engrossed in their current trade because we care
little about them.
No society that is borne out of selfishness can rid itself of
poverty, disease, and uncivil people by wholly relying on
their government to do so. No society! We all bear the
responsibility of creating the society we wish for. I am not
supporting kidnapping or lazy people, but it is appalling to
see the huge economic disparities that characterise our
society.
The capitalist mind that has built the modern Nigerian
society is unprecedented.
Those who reside in urban loftiness do not care whether
their neighbours can afford basic needs such as food. Even
churches amassing bountiful offerings and tithes don’t care if
members of their congregation have anything to eat when
they get home after church services.
We would rather create a dependency syndrome. Most
people with domestic help rarely want their domestic help to
develop beyond that status. We want our lowly-endowed
friends and relatives to always look upon us when they need
help.
Don’t you wonder how some entertainers drive the latest
Porsche or Range Rover SUVs, yet their parents or
siblings can hardly afford food? This has become the
definition of civilisation for us. We don’t realise that we
only need to help out just a little to make someone’s life
better.
How many of us have been committed to ensuring that the
poor but bright child in our neighbourhood goes to school,
or helping a dutiful house help to learn a skill that will help
them become independent, or simply creating a job for a
hard working and disciplined jobless person?
Would Nigeria not be a safer and better place if we
became our brother’s keeper? We are all guilty for the
spate of kidnappings and insecurity in the country.
Everyone is guilty, including me.
0 comments: