Many years ago in a conversation,I told someone that a time would come in Nigeria when a child born will know nothing else but how to cheat and scheme and connive and dupe others or do whatever it takes to get ahead.
I believe Nigeria is at that time now.
The place is useless.Increasingly I feel a lot of disgust for that land.
I pretend to love it when sorrounded by foreigners,I won't let people bash my country and get away without a response but in my heart of hearts ,I agree with them.
I held out hope for years till I told myself the truth and that truth is that the only way that country could be saved is by a Passover,the like of what happened in Biblical times when the children of Israel wanted to leave Egypt and the angel of death had to kill the first sons of the Egyptians while passing over the house of the Israelites.
There should be a Passover of some sort where every man or woman who had a hand in the rot of the land is done away with by a similar angel ,all in one night so fear can grip the survivors and perhaps change will come.
At the current state we are in,there is no hope for a change
The foundation and make up of the country and it's systems are completely rotted.
There is hardly any truthful man in the land
Everyone expects something for nothing and something for something.
There is no love in anyone's heart for Nigeria
Don't get me wrong,America is no paradise but Americans are genuinely proud of their country and would fight to defend it.
Nigerians are not proud of Nigeria and who could blame them
The country has done nothing for any of us
Dying for Nigeria is useless!it is not worth it
I make bold to state that all those who died in a fight to keep Nigeria one died in vain,sadly.
The country is not worth dying for.

A woman went to a government office and was told "the director was not on seat",the popular and accepted Nigerian phraseology for laziness and incompetence plus lack of work ethics.
Nobody could tell her when the director would come so she waited,along with others for this almighty director to show up,if she would show up,praying that she would even want to see them.
people in offices are gods in Nigeria,they can even slap ,order and cuss at their subordinates and get away with it.They threaten them with dismissal at will so they have no say.
At about two hours later,the director,heavily pregnant shows up,with her bags.
She walks past the people awaiting her attention,gets into her office ,unloads her bags,comes out and washes her hand with a bottle of water and heads back to eat eba and soup unloaded from her bag,before attending to any one.

I thought that was horrible till I went to get the new Nigerian passport made.
I was recommended to see some lady at that office to help me
When I got there a young man met me at the entrance and asked who I was looking for,I said so and he directed me to the office.The woman I was to meet was away but her sister who worked under her,took me in,gave me the forms to fill then placed a call to her sister to discuss my visit and I suppose cost of service .She then turned to me and told me the cost which was a lot more than it should cost.I paid and asked her for a receipt and she laughed at me and told me "there was no receipt for government sumtin"
That was a shocker
I have never handed anyone money in the USA as payment for services without receiving an acknowledgement in form of a receipt
What was the proof that I just parted with thousands of Naira?
She could deny it,I thought
She could even say I underpaid,I had no proof
My sibling who was present said I should let that go and I complied,I didn't live in Njgeria and haven't for most of my adult years what do I Know,so I kept quiet.
Then the most bizarre thing happened
The lady attending to me called her sister again and after that call,right in front of me,motioned to the young man who brought me in,she reached into the drawer at the desk,pulled out some few notes from the money I just paid her and handed some some to the young man ,who thanked her and walked away.
I just looked down and closed my eyes and remembered how I applied for my first American passport in 2004.
I went to the post office collected the form,filled it out,bought the money orders with two passport photographs ,submitted the forms with all thè requirements.took me less than an hour to have the man check all my documents and a few weeks later,my passport was in the mail but here I was in my own country of birth and obtaining a passport was a nightmarish experience.

Eventually I was ushered up to the main building
I walked past some people sitting and into an office with the lady leading me.
Then eventually sat to wait till I was called for the finger printing.
The young man I was assigned to announced to me and the hearing of everyone that they will like some tips when I am done
I thought that was crude but I guess that it how it works there
After the exercise,I reached into my purse and gave him a N1000 and right there and then he announced with a loud voice to all the others that " aunty gave us N1000 for mineral" and everyone shouted thank you.
It was so embarrassing.My sibling told me someone was probably keeping records because they shared all these coerced tips at the end of the day.
Talk about barbarism without apology

since nigeria is a useless,hopeless and all country, what should nigerians living in nigeria do?
Anyi a ga agbara ya oso?
Even if we run to obodo oyibo or anywhere else, Agaracha must come back

On another trip home I met this baba as soon as we landed and were disembarking,we started chatting and I found out he was a retired government worker,most likely a top one,he vacationed frequently in the USA at his daughter's, spoke excellently .He asked how I was getting to Lekki,I told him I had to call my host to tell them I had landed,he graciously allowed me use his phone.
When the carousel started ,I helped pull out his suitcases and he waited for me to get mine.
As we were leaving,the hawks came after me
The custom officials and the like
They wanted to check my bags
I obliged them,meanwhile nobody asked baba any questions and as he was walking by,he turned and saw they had stopped me,he quickly turned back and asked them to leave me,that I was with him.
I said yes,na me and baba follow come o
That was how I got off the hook of these thieving crooks
They let me go with shouts of ele sir ele sir to the baba

So ladies next time you travel,just look for an older baba and tag unto him

Another experience that stands out in my mind was on a trip from Nigeria with my mother.
This customs lady told me to my face to give her N10,000 or my bags will be searched.i told her I had nothing to hide,I didn't even have palm oil with me so she could go ahead and search my bags.
She got very furious and commanded her boys to search my bags ,I said go ahead
She wanted me to lift the bags to her table,I asked the nosy to held do it,she was furious
After the search,she started the delay tactics and one of the boys spoke in Igbo that I should stop being tough and just ask the woman to reduce the money and I said never and I responded in Igbo that the witch will not get a dime from me.
I was ready to make a scene if need be,the frustrations of the corruption in my country had gotten to me
My own mother said I should just give some money so we can leave ,I said mommy biko let me handle this Itshekiri or Urhobo witch that confronted me this day.
All the anger of the police checkpoints
All the anger of the sweaty ,dirty police man that jumped into our car and commandeered us to osisioma station and the one that hit our driver with the butt of his gun rose up within me and I was ready to give a piece of my mind to the shapeless amoeba before me
Jesus stepped in sha

Are u a learner? Don't u know that Naija is the giant of Africa

No one ever solved anything by just complaining about it.
What are you doing in your own little way to make Nigeria better?
What is your contribution so far in your own little community or circle?

Everyone has a mouth that can complain or fingers that can type loads of rants regarding Nigeria, but it's only very few people that try their best to implement change...the change they seek.

I'm not a fan of Nigeria too, I also have a lot of disgust for the system but I don't make noise about it cos that would make me just like everyone else.
You're guilty of the same problem by trying to exempt yourself... you just complained about people in offices acting like gods, when you just did the same thing by making yourself feel bigger than your country.

Really what is the point of this thread of yours?

Why is Nigeria useless? Cos u do not reside here anymore? You seem to forget u originated from this same ''useless country''.
What makes a country? Buildings,roads,structures? No. Humans like you and I.
You do have family members still residing in Naija,right? Have they turned out useless?
You are what you make of yourself.
The fact that u are far from Nigeria does not stop you frm being a Nigerian. It is in your blood. It is in you. It is YOU.
I carry my Nigerian badge proudly,not allowing peeps like u condemn me and my country. Imperfect we may be,but within the imperfections,u'll find strength and survival.
#Proudly Naija#
Overcoming challanges in Naija since 1900....big,strong,rugged!
You see negativity,I see possiblilty.
Many of us have turned out well. There is no excuse for one's shortcomings.

My experience at a police station

I went to see my parents in Owerri,spent a few days,on my way to Aba with the driver and my brother to see my parents in law,one dirty,sweaty and smelling police man with tribal marks flagged us down on the expressway and said the license plate was fake
Hinya
License plate on my father's car fake kwa?
The man insisted it was and wouldn't move
Before we knew it,he got into the car and commanded us to osisioma station
Everything was happening so fast
I couldn't believe my eyes,I have never been anywhere near a police station,ever,
We got there,the smelly thing asked us to park at the back,I said here is just fine,the driver stopped the car and the eediot reached in and snatched the car keys and the driver and my sibling followed him to one of the buildings.
I said Jesus!
Na so I waka come
My husband o
My children o
Even the one wey still dey suck bweast
Chei
Here I was at a police station in a strange land.
I called my parents
I said daddy I am at Ngwa o
Osisioma station and narrated what happened
The driver came out without the keys,I said Etim wetin
We need to leave here o
Quickly too
I don't trust these people
I am a woman o,we all know what they do to women,you people should get me out of here fast before they use me for rituals kpa kpaa
Then they went back and started haggling price
Came out and I gave them N4000, to secure my life and freedom

That is the Nigeria I am expected to be proud of?
Mschtwwww

you babymama sha dey always yarn nonsense... hehehe

crackhaus: No one ever solved anything by just complaining about it.
What are you doing in your own little way to make Nigeria better?
What is your contribution so far in your own little community or circle?

Everyone has a mouth that can complain or fingers that can type loads of rants regarding Nigeria, but it's only very few people that try their best to implement change...the change they seek.

I'm not a fan of Nigeria too, I also have a lot of disgust for the system but I don't make noise about it cos that would make me just like everyone else.
You're guilty of the same problem by trying to exempt yourself... you just complained about people in offices acting like gods, when you just did the same thing by making yourself feel bigger than your country.

Really what is the point of this thread of yours?

In what way can I help turn my country around
Tell me
Will I be the one to provide pipe borne water or electricity
Build roads and give jobs
Or am I the one that will stop bribery and corruption and pay salaries and pensions to workers instead of chopping it.
Is it baby mama that will stock your hospitals and provide health care

Another useless one surfaces...
@op do you mean you are useless since you are a product of Naija?
Uselessness runs in your entire family no doubt.
Smh for some ppl

Babymama1:

In what way can I help turn my country around
Tell me
Will I be the one to provide pipe borne water or electricity
Build roads and give jobs
Or am I the one that will stop bribery and corruption and pay salaries and pensions to workers instead of chopping it.
Is it baby mama that will stick your hospitals and provide health care

You could become an APC member and run for the Senate or Imo governor

Op I love nigeria wit all my heart, I can't imagine myself living elsewhere naija 4 life. Nigeria is d best place in d world
Op for calling naija useless u can go n die big foooooool

I just went through her posts and all this woman posts is something bad about her own country, if you hate naija nobody stops you from living if you already left nobody forces you to cum back. If this country useles then you are also useles cuz u are a product of it. I luv my country cuz it is the thing that feeds me it is her land that i sleep in. It is its water i drink and i nomatter its problem i will luv it and die for it

'Patriotic' Nigerians would soon come here to insult you. For Nigeria to be great again you have to eliminate the patriotic Nigerians. Yes I said it.

My definition of a patriotic Nigerian
He lives in a bubble.
He is anti public and private angst towards the government.
He pretends to seek for solution instead of admitting he hates criticisms with passion.
He forgets that his job as a member of the biggest arm of government which is 'the people' is to demand that his government is accountable to him and it is not his job to provide solutions. What then is the essence of electing officials if the people have to provide solutions?

I believe these sets of Nigerians need to be taken off the face of the earth! There is absolutely no need having any conversation with these lots. They are a hindrance to the progress of Nigeria.

I will not be a slave in a white Mans country! Nigeria is my home and I will be famous and heard of across the world from here. After my morning prayers I place my right hand on my chest and say "I pledge to Nigeria my country
To be faithful, loyal and honest
To serve Nigeria with all my strength
To defend her unity, and uphold her honour
and glory So, help me God." I Love Nigeria and Bleep what you say about her.

Speaking of health care,biko hear this story

My family member was admitted to the best federal government hospital in Nigeria ,right there in the capital that is supposed to be the center of excellence
My eyes saw things

Ladies and gentlemen,if your beloved family falls sick and you take them to any hospital in Nigeria,no matter how great,you better hire someone to stay there 24/7 because if the illness doesn't kill your family member,the nurses or doctors and their shoddy way of doing business will.

It's only in Nigeria that a nurse will give a patient the prescribed dose and not document it anywhere but in her coco nut head and you will be arguing with the second shift nurse that you saw the morning nurse with your korokoro eyes give the injection and no one believes you
No be family dey buy the medicine ke
You know how many you bought and how many given and yet an mgbeke nurse wan kill ya family with overdose because of Naija factor
This happened
Not once or twice
Na so dem dey kill people

Do you know for blood transfusion,na family go carry bucket dey find blood to buy
True story o
You will get a cooler with ice,enter car begin go far far away to buy blood at the address given
That is Nigeria for you
Make sure you send someone smart to follow them to the lab with your family member's blood for cross matching or else they may give them the wrong blood.
Someone says I shouldn't complain,na me go change this blood issue?
How?

I was there and they wheeled a burn patient,a young man whose tanker exploded and he got burns all over into a hospital room and the nurse came in and commanded the porters to take him elsewhere
I was horrified
Very heartless
She repeated" please you people should take this man away to another place o,we can't keep him here,see no oxygen,please take him or else you people will be taking his body"
Kai and the man was not deaf o
I say make I tok,my sibling say make I keep quiet
I say make I say as e dey me for chest,dem holl me
I keep quiet

Then another day the same nurse made a comment regarding my family member and how she wasn't going to help with what I asked,I drank acid.
I told her to quit and go work in a poultry,she was only good to work with chickens and not humans
health care workers in Nigeria are very heartless
They are incompetent and care nothing about their patients instead they want to milk the families dry.
Naija just dey annoy person
What has that place done for any of us
What?
What is it about Nigeria that gladdens anybody's heart?
Absolutely nothing

b3llo: I will not be a slave in a white Mans country! Nigeria is my home and I will be famous and heard of across the world from here. After my morning prayers I place my right hand on my chest and say "I pledge to Nigeria my country
To be faithful, loyal and honest
To serve Nigeria with all my strength
To defend her unity, and uphold her honour
and glory So, help me God." I Love Nigeria and Bleep what you say about her.

And who told you we're slaves? A cliche to make you feel better?

Have you been to other countries apart from Nigeria and the one you reside in now? Your conclusion based on your little experience makes me question your capability of sound judgement. Our problems may be many but which other country doesn't have problems? What we need at a time like this is the morale, will and encouragement to become a better people and not this your pessimistic blurting. And please don't ever return to this useless country again unless indeed you are also...#oh forget it! this debate is pointless!#

Stillfire: 'Patriotic' Nigerians would soon come here to insult you. For Nigeria to be great again you have to eliminate the patriotic Nigerians. Yes I said it.

My definition of a patriotic Nigerian
He lives in a bubble.
He is anti public and private angst towards the government.
He pretends to seek for solution instead of admitting he hates criticisms with passion.
He forgets that his job as a member of the biggest arm of government which is 'the people' is to demand that his government is accountable to him and it is not his job to provide solutions. What then is the essence of electing officials if the people have to provide solutions?

I believe these sets of Nigerians need to be taken off the face of the earth! There is absolutely no need having any conversation with these lots. They are a hindrance to the progress of Nigeria.

The only patriotic nigerian is in the grave
Nobody is
Even the ones that have a beef about this thread are pretenders
They know deep down everything I have said is the truth

We went home one Christmas and while in Port Harcourt,we went to the bank to get money
We sat there for hours and then were told the servers were down
The Children were hungry and in tears
It was hot and sweaty
No apologies,server down,come tomorrow,Nobody cares
How does one explain that to children born and raised in the USA but taught to be proud of their Nigerian heritage
How could such a child choose Nigeria the land of his fathers over America,the land of their sojourn
How do I explain the check points and the angry policemen with guns ready to shoot?
How do I explain the heaps of dirt and flies and stench at every corner
How do I explain the rotten corpse on the roadside that stays for days with flies all around
That is Nigeria
A place of frustrations
I could drive out now to get to the bank and it won't take me but 20 minutes or less inside the bank to make 4 transactions

Why is Ghana sane and Nigerians are going there to school while their country is supposedly the giant of Africa?
When I was in college,Ghanaians came to Nigeria to school
cameroonians trained their doctors in Nigeria
And I am not methuselah,I am talking about the late 80s and early 90s
Our own clock is ticking backwards and people are pretending it ain't so

hydeka: Have you been to other countries apart from Nigeria and the one you reside in now? Your conclusion based on your little experience makes me question your capability of sound judgement. Our problems may be many but which other country doesn't have problems? What we need at a time like this is the morale, will and encouragement to become a better people and not this your pessimistic blurt. And please don't ever return to this useless country again unless indeed you are also...

That's exactly the problem. The problems the country has are too basic; water, electricity food, health, safety . . . . clean air; you wonder why Nigerians in Nigeria have yellow eyes ? The quality of the air.

BABE3:

And who told you we're slaves? A cliche to make you feel better?

I don't mean here in Nigeria! I won't go and be a slave in another Mans land, all those people going to the USA to stay are suffering just that they don't voice it out. In Nigeria we live as free people.

b3llo: I don't mean here in Nigeria! I won't go and be a slave in another Mans land, all those people going to the USA to stay are suffering just that they don't voice it out. In Nigeria we live as free people.

Babymama1, are you suffering? How many Nigerians can boast of eating chicken stew for lunch today?

Free people ? You're free? I don't think you're typing straight. Generator fumes are probably affecting you. No offense sir.

BABE3:

That's exactly the problem. The problems the country has are too basic; water, electricity food, health, safety . . . . clean air; you wonder why Nigerians in Nigeria have yellow eyes ? The quality of the air.

My friend came home and said every Njgerian was a hemp smoker
I said how
She said the eyes
Everyone had yellow eyes and looked sick
I told her it wasn't Igbo aka Indian hemp but pollution
Another went home and ran back because he couldn't breathe well
The whole atmosphere is filled with polluted air
The smell of combustibles filled the air
The place is a huge mess and people are dancing skelewu

BABE3:

Babymama1, are you suffering? How many Nigerians can boast of eating chicken stew for lunch today?

Free people ? You're free? I don't think you're typing straight. Generator fumes are probably affecting you. No offense sir.

You will find it hard to admit it. I can see the oyinbo junks you get served is effecting some changes in you. No offence intended.

BABE3:

Babymama1, are you suffering? How many Nigerians can boast of eating chicken stew for lunch today?

Free people ? You're free? I don't think you're typing straight. Generator fumes are probably affecting you. No offense sir.

Let them say what they like,if that makes them feel better

I am probably one of the most patriotic Nigerians here
If you hear me boast with Chinua Achebe and Fela when such conversations come up you would think I knew them personally.
Any one that talks ill about naija where I am gets corrected fast but in my quiet moments I weep for my country.
Why is our place the way it is and no one cares?

My father and mother are pensioners
As we speak,he hardly gets his pension paid
If my parents didn't have other means of livelihood,they would have died of starvation and curable diseases etc like many pensioners their age.
The pension people at the office pays him a few hundred Naira short of his pension when they pay it
Someone decided to take that extra bit and rounded off his pension to an amount they decided
I don't know exactly what but something like if he got N543,he only gets 500
The change belonged to the pension office people and they do same to every pensioner and no one says a word.
That is Nigeria for you,they owe you for months and when they pay,they still steal from retired people without shame
And on Sunday the same people will sit in Church and give testimony
The robbery is at every level

Okay I think I'll just sit this one out...keep the stories coming mama.
Thread bookmarked for when next I log onto NL, most probably tomorrow.

Cheers.

The hospital episodes are truly heart-wrenching . In fact, that can give one serious nightmares.

CFCfan: The hospital episodes are truly heart-wrenching . In fact, that can give one serious nightmares.

I said I was going to document and write an article and try to get it published by an American newspaper when I returned
Perhaps it would shame the Nigerian government to do something
It was the same thought of showing my country in a bad light that stopped me
In the whole of that hospital floor there is not a single wheel chair to transport patients
Not a single pressure relieving mattress
We bought ours
We paid for the room and paid for every single supply including Panadol
Every injection,every cotton wool,we bought
All the safety support railings on the bed that keep patient from falls,gone and sick patients fall to their death,nobody cares
It was an experience that made me detest Nigeria with all of my heart
You have to bribe the cleaning people to clean the rooms
Nothing works
They can't even tell you when the consultant comes for ward rounds because no one knows
If you talk too much,they may even show your patient pepper
So to ask the doctor a question you wake up and get to the hospital early morning and hope he shows up that day and not just his disciples
It is a frustrating place,that country