Another Kind of Slavery

I grew up during my country's independenceyou see - abracadabra".
when the nation (Nigeria) was very affluent, andThese days it's not uncommon to hear people
people took pride in going to college abroad andsay "we're praying our country gets better, but
returning home to serve their country. The nationthings are just getting worse". Well, look here -
was sending young men and women out toIt's either God is ignoring you, or you're not
acquire essential education, which would assist inpraying enough. Absolute hypocrites! Let's start
making the country (home) a better place forwith the exchange rate! Folks are waiting for the
generations to come. Scholarships were the ordernaira to become 250 for every pound or euro, so
of the day. Brilliant students, the joy ofthey can work a 60hour week at EUR8 per hour,
households, were sent out, far and wide, toto go build a house at "home". Who is fooling
discover the secrets associated with "service".who? This two-faced lip-service to nation building
There was the pride of place, and a certain aurais now the order of the day. At least some are
of confidence that followed young couples ashonest. They say "let me build my house first,
they made the commitment to return home inthen the currency can go back to 1-1" All too
order to put "something" back into the building ofhappy to live in this self-inflicted greed-motivated
their nation. After all, "to whom much is giving,exile. The saying goes: "As you lay your bed, so
much also should be expected". It was notyou will lie on it".
uncommon to hear folks chirp (quite happily) theWe need to be asking real questions. Are we
popular saying "North, South, East or West, Homewelcome "abroad" any longer? The tide of
is the Best". I fondly remember my country of"Welcomes" keeps turning drastically. Sometimes
yesteryears with a longing that can only beit's soft, sometimes it rages, and sometimes, it's
relegated to history books.an outright Tsunami! It's almost as if, a lot of
I remember growing up in an exclusivepeople are stuck in the grove, not able to
middle-class settlement, on an island overlookingprogress or regress. Like they say, "caught
the sea and the beach, with Europeans racingbetween the rock and a hard place", or "between
each other in speed boats and dinghies. You couldthe devil and the deep blue sea". And yet, the
smell the nation's affluence from the air yougreed merchants continue to prosper. I hear
breathed. The future looked so bright and hopeful,shocking and abysmal stories of people in exile,
families named their children in recognition of theirmaking slaves of their own people, selling them
"affluent surroundings". When I left home in 1984,into prostitution, and feeding off them like lice or
after four years of University education, and oneleaches.
year of national service, the national currency wasAs if it's not bad enough that our nation's pride is
still very much stronger than the pound sterling,lost, these people also have to earn a demeaning
so much so that, for every pound I bought, Ireputation. It is said that should the modern
received some change at the Bureaux de Change"slaves" try to free themselves, they are taken
on the streets of London. My country's currencyto be spiritually ensnared, and some are even
was still boldly displayed on boards outside bankskilled. One thing is certain, there is that, which
and financial institutions.some call the "law of Karma"; others say "what
As a Nigerian, you were proud to turn up in anygoes round comes round". And still, some say
shop (especially those owned by Pakistanis)"anyone who kills with the sword, the sword will
because shop owners knew "you're a "good"not depart from his household". Absolutely nothing
customer". They would scurry to get you a chair,goes unpunished. The terrible thing perhaps, is
as you unhurriedly pointed out the goods youthat, the perpetrators of evil may have long
were going to buy (which, in a number of cases,departed planet earth, when "karma" kicks in.
meant half their shop). Those "Pakis" just knewPeople need to think carefully about the next
that Nigerians were "good for the money" - biggeneration, their own children's future, before
spenders, "good customer", translating to "firstthey begin to plan or to do evil to other people's
class treatment", and a service, second to none.children. It's likely to back-fire, especially if it's
But, who's laughing now? My country was strippedagainst those who consciously &
of all value, dignity and respect, due to thewhole-heartedly depend on the Supreme
insensitivity and nefarious manoeuvrings of aOverseer.
handful of rogue elements, devoid of conscience.And unless we all make conscious decisions that
It's always the one fly that spoils the apothecary's"there's no place like home", and actively plan to
ointment; the one bad apple always corrupts theuphold and to maintain personal integrity and
others. Their wickedness has eaten into the fabricdignity, most will die in exile with no promised land
and fibre of the nation, and birthed greedy littlein sight, with no hope of ever achieving anything,
monsters, whose activities are by every meansand no expectation of acceptance in the foreign
incongruent with their declarations. Almostshores. It's so easy to always remain an "alien" or
everyone is infected by this blinding darkness that"foreigner" with no vision of "home"; a sailor, lost
beclouds the nation. There appears to be no wayat sea, with no light-house in sight, living in another
out. It's almost like "the more you look, the lesskind of slavery.