I have come to a conclusion that in Nigeria, there are no white or black areas, only grey ones. It is hard to know what to believe in these days with the level of shenanigans going on around us daily in every aspect of the society. I have also come to learn that things are almost never ever as they seem and that includes people as well. There are so many people of questionable characters all around us getting away with blue murder yet nothing gets done because everybody "unlooks".This is not good enough if we aim for growth and progression on all fronts. We must be ballsy enough to call a spade a spade and not a spoon or ice-cream scoop!
Some may argue that Nigerians have been so mentally, physically and emotionally battered that everything now appears in a blur including the zeal to stand to fight for what is right. I can relate with that school of thoughts because of late, I found out that there's so much poppycock going on around me such that catching a breadth long enough to digest one and resolve it before another pounces is a bit of an ordeal that has left me reeling in shock and feeling hollow. Yesterday, I found out a different level of corruption and that is the fact that students as young as Secondary school level pay a "special price" to get good grades! I mean come on, that is just the height of irresponsibility and corruption. Our education system is flawed enough and almost non-existence at the grassroots level as it is, without this new revelation. The grey area for me, was being chastised and sneered at for expressing surprise at this new revelation. Apparently it isn't that new, yet it goes on unchecked.
There's also the intense moral decay and corruption going on in our religious houses and in government, yet the lines are so blurred that only a handful out of millions of Nigerians take a step back to reevaluate these occurrences. Despite the clear handwriting on the walls around us, we choose to remain in denial and self-imposed ignorance of the situations. I'll tell you this, the boosheet we keep sweeping under the carpet unattended to, is starting to emit a huge and toxic stench. Burying our necks in the sand of delusion will not solve our problems.
We must do our best to stand for what is right regardless of the intrigues that may spring up around it. If we stand for absolutely nothing, we are bound by the laws of life to fall for everything. The fact that everyone around you are loosing their heads doesn't mean you must as well. I was asked a question today by a colleague and I was glad he asked that question because I was able to answer truthfully and also reflect on how tables could have turned. He asked me if I've ever accepted money from clients or contractors and I said no. I gave him instances where I was offered but refunded them because I saw no need for such gestures. It wasn't because I did not need the money, but rather I knew the motives behind the gestures and I knew such would come back to haunt me during the course of events if my conscience didn't kill me first. If you offer a service and get paid after negotiation, why would you feel the need to offer me a part of YOUR money? Unless of course it has been demanded from you in the past, or you inflated your bill beyond normal, or you intend to provide a substandard service. That's how I call it, no grey areas. Things will only get blurry and grey when the recipient begins to rationalize such as "merely a gift showing appreciation"!
Who then tells people how to discern right from wrong when there are worse things going on in schools, organizations, churches and mosques? Who then helps clear all blurry lines and grey areas?
*Hands you dear readers a mirror and a baton of knowledge and self-development*. We can do this together. We can bring about change one step at a time. Are you willing to give it a shot?
Dear Bukkie, so much has gone wrong in our society. I'm surprised you are shocked at the "special price" being paid by secondary school student to get good grades. I'm very sure you will be *shocker* at this revelation.
ReplyDeleteLast year April, my daughter sat for the national common entrance into Federal goverment secondary schools. Something happened that day and till date i'm yet to recover from the shock. At the center, when the kids were being called in, i discovered that SPECIAL CENTER kids were called first and as if that was not enough, some parents who couldn't afford SPECIAL CENTER, were actually bribing teachers to give their wards EXPOS. I kept wondering in my mind "what is happening"cos i couldnt fathom what led to the decadence in our educational sector. So my sister, like you said, the change we desire starts from us, else we are all in trouble!