By Oluwole Leigh
In a survey conducted a few years ago, Nigerians were described as the happiest people on Earth. The survey made us believe that Nigerians were largely positive people and that they were always able to see the positive in largely negative situations. The prevailing circumstances at the time the survey was conducted were comparably more positive than what is currently being experienced.
Events of the last few weeks have been quite traumatic. Bombing, lynching, kidnapping and all sorts of terrible incidents are on the increase. The value for human life and dignity is at its lowest ebb. Bad news rules the airwaves and the front pages of the dailies. Every now and then, my friends who are outside the country ask me questions like, ‘How are you coping?‘ Their desire is to understand how we deal with the daily dosage of bad news. They want to know how we cope with the unavailability of electricity, good infrastructure and proper medical care. I have done some research to find out different coping mechanisms which we have developed in response to the situation around us.
Nigerians are finding refuge in alcohol. Our beer parlors are not experiencing a downturn. People gather at the end of every day to lubricate their systems with wines and spirits. They leave their troubles at the door of the joint while they devour catfish and peppered snails. Bottles of Star, Harp and other beers are seen lying empty on tables. These beer parlors have all sorts of fancy names: Joints, Hangouts, Clubs etc. They provide solace from the cares and worries of life. If an individual chooses to engage in conversations, there are many around who would help him enjoy such conversation. However, if an individual decides that his bottle is the only company which he wants to keep, everyone respects his choice. It is not uncommon to find people speaking the truth in these places. A little drink in their system loosens their tongues and helps them narrate their experiences in life. They tell tales of woes, love, family, war and life. At the end of each session, everyone finds their way home. They go back to where they came from and resume life.
Attendance at our houses of worship is on the increase. We go to churches and mosques to find succor. While we are there, we are able to rekindle our hope and desire. We are fired up to believe that our human conditions will change. Unfortunately, reality awaits us the moment we step out of church. The problems you left behind are standing and waiting for you as you walk out. At this point, we have two choices: we run back into church or we confront the problems. The popular choice is to run back to ‘God’. This is the reason we have people going to houses of worship every day of the week. There has always been a historical battle between religion and intellect. Some are of the opinion that both schools cannot exist together. They opine that the presence of religion often leads to the absence of intellect. This point of view gets a lot of support if we critically examine the interactions of Nigerians with religion. A lot of our prayers are directed at issues that could be resolved by good governance. The ideal of any proper society is to use the gifts of science and technology to make life better for its citizens. When all that is scientifically possible has been done, the rest is left to fate. In Nigeria, we operate the other way round. Our lives depend mainly on luck while we throw reason and logic to the wind. We are disillusioned with the world around us, thus, we run into the arms of ‘God’.
Another method of getting over our sorrows is to invest our energy and time following a foreign football club. Manchester Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid are growing more popular by the day. Football viewing centres are filled to the brim during the week and on weekends. I cannot blame anyone who finds refuge in football. This is because we live in an environment filled with uncertainty. You do not know what will happen tomorrow. However, European football provides a semblance of order for us. You are sure that the matches will hold 99 per cent of the time. You have an idea of the duration of each football match and the players to expect. More often than not, European football competitions feed our dreams of utopia. We wish our governments were like them. We wish our judges were as impartial as their referees. We wish our ministers were as intelligent as the players on the field. Our desire is to have a President that is as wise as Jose Mourinho. At these viewing centers, we gather together to cheer our favorite teams and share in the joy and sorrows that the matches bring to us. Unfortunately, these matches do not last forever. Reality lies outside the door.
Our quest for normalcy is not different from that of similar nations. The desire to live free is ingrained in the human spirit. History has shown us that oppression and bondage are never acceptable to mankind. Jean Jacques Rosseau, in his 1762 book, ‘The Social Contract‘, let us know that the rights and powers of the government are as assigned by the people. The people enter into a contract with the government by surrendering their rights in order for government to exercise these rights in their favour. At the moment, our government is not fulfilling its own side of the contract. We have given up our freedom yet all we have is slavery.
Our desire is to see a functional society in which each member can achieve his or her dreams. As long as our society resides on the vestiges of normalcy, we will continue to hear questions like, ‘How are you coping?‘
