http://streetpub./2013/09/09/the-tales-of-two-nigerians/

The wide disparity between the Nigerian people is alarming and staggering such that there exist no middle class in our society. The existential reality in the Nigerian state now is the massive dissonant gap between the rich and the poor. I burst into tears when I see the Nigerian people being humiliated and ridiculed outside the shores of Nigeria. It is even worse with the state of our dwindling educational system.

We are of the same nation but different feeling, we are of the same skin colour but different comfort level, we have the same blood running through our veins but one is born to rule like the royal ant while the other to starve and suffer like the working ants of a colony. This is my story, this is my fear, this is the world of two citizens of a country. Follow me as I take you through the tales of two Nigerians.



I have two friends that have myriads of notions and experience about the same country where they both live and grow up.

Banke went to a public school at the age 7 after being subjected to intensive labour on his small father’s farmland. Oh! He toiled day and night tilling and cultivating his poor father’s farmland for their own survival.

The teachers were happy to receive yet another convert into the educational system. Banke passed the necessary ritual of measuring his arm along his head to the earlobe. This test is used to ascertain if a child is mature enough to accept the challenging reality of education, would later disappear in the school system.



My poor bloke played alongside his colleague, enjoyed the night games together and enjoyed listening to the moonlight stories.



Banke’s first day in the secondary school where we have the popular “Jakande building” was fun for him, but on a larger note should have been hell, showing the height of educational decadence. The poor boy, yes, was happy to be part of a bigger community school but little did he know that it’s not the standard he deserves. Do you blame the poor boy? The government never gave him a feel of what it is like to enjoy the fundamental human right of a basic education. Our schools lack basic facilities, ultra-modern laboratories, computer and gadget rooms. While preparing for his final SSCE papers he couldn’t read enough because of erratic power supply, he needs to hawk the little produce they harvested from their farm. Banke was living in fear, the fear to fend for the family and to have a good result in his final exams. But the father never cared, all he knew was to await when Banke would finish his papers, so that he could resume fully to the farm. Oh! What a future, several pupils as Banke where ridiculed as the leaders of tomorrow. When our little ones study under dilapidated and obsolete facilities.



Banke could recall a day he was sent home because his father couldn’t afford to pay the Parent Teacher’s Association (PTA) levy of N50. These are the kinds of children and youths our nation is breeding. It is even worse when we couldn’t find nothing mind lifting to read about in the newspaper but the news of corruption, diversion of funds by the so called leaders. How then can innovation thrive? Is it a curse to have a government of our own? What is wrong with democracy? What are we doing? How can we heal the ailing Nigerian system?



My other friend was asked during his 20th birthday, “what was your worst moment ever ?“ , “worst moment”? he replied. “Yes”, the MC affirmed. “Em em, I don’t think I have one…oh! I remember one” (after so much thought). My worst moment in life was when the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) interrupted the power supply and the gate-man did delay switching the generating system on for 10minutes.

This is the tale of Iyiola my cute friend. Do you blame him? He never worked or sweat in his life, he had everything he wanted at his disposal at the nap of his fingertips.

He graduated from Yale University and went to the almighty Harvard Business School where he bagged his MBA. Less I forgot, he had another Masters in Berkley, till he told his father angrily he was bored of education. On arrival to Nigeria, his father’s political friends offered him the post of a special adviser after so many lobbies (how can a fresh graduate with no work experience fare well in the capacity of a special adviser?).

Iyiola never experienced the periodic University anniversary called “ASUU Strike” (Academic Staff Union of Universities), never did he write the JAMB exam. His tale is simply the absolute opposite of Banke’s.



How then can you pair them together in the same society? Are they not Nigerians? Why the staggering disparities between the two of them?

Questions should then be asked from our leaders, how well have they fared since their elections in their respective offices? The poor’s population has equaled Nigeria’s population of 1998, about 108 million. Why will a man wake up and the next thing to be done is to loot the state treasury for his own generation yet unborn? This is the reason we breed thugs. Thug Life as defined by the famed radical social activist, American Rapper Tupac, “The hate you give little infant Bleep everybody”.



The truth must be said, it is evident that in our society our leaders send their children to the top ivy-league school of choice for their education while ours back home is in a dilapidated state and incessant strike. On graduation, they (the political office holders) want them back to the country because they can’t allow their kids to be subjected to the daily hustling an average Nigerian face abroad (taxi drivers, convenience storekeeper and cleaners).

They are at home living like prince and princess, but here comes my question. Are they not going to marry a Nigerian? Is a Nigerian not going to be their driver? Who are their security officers? Who will fix their hair and fingers? Are they not going to ply the same road with the poor? All these result to the daily social vices like kidnapping for a ransom, theft, burglaries, it is a long list. But then do you blame the poor perpetrators? Wouldn’t they fend for their families? Wouldn’t they translate the paper wealth to a ridiculous meager amount in their pocket?

This is the tales of two citizen of a country. One is born to suffer, while one is programmed to enjoy. But if only you can be resolute in this struggle for a better Nigeria then will things get better.


Gbenga Ogunbiyi,

ff @gbengalite



Photo credit: Ponle