Lead us not into temptation, Nigeria - The frustrations of Brother Upright. P3

Did you read Part 2? 

 

Part 3: The Jinx

They say Nigerians are the happiest people in the world, or one of the happiest at least. But I haven't heard those who propose such a claim try to substantiate it. I believe that Nigerians are skilled at laughing at themselves and their problems, giving the observer the impression that nothing upsets them. We make light of even the most serious situations. The average attention span over even the most scandalous issues that make the news is just about two weeks. Afterwards, it's on to the next topic.

We defend such an attitude with statements such as 'I cannot come and kill myself.' We live only for the thrill of the moment. Perhaps this explains how diehard Lagosians survive the hectiness of life in the city.

You'll also be left flabbergasted by how skillfully government constructs defenses against questions arising from its actions. Between the media reports on the issues and the infrequent responses from the government in defending the actions from which the issues stemmed, there is never a clear-cut conclusion, on which one could say the matter has been put to rest.

And it goes on and on. Unresolved problems succeeding and even conflating newer unresolved problems, till we are all overwhelmed and tired from the effort of trying to resolve them. This is the story of Nigeria.

When Nigerians discuss the country's problems, 9 out of 10 occasions, the discussions conclude with a sigh of resignation, a shrugging of the shoulders and a 'may God help us' or 'It is well' or any other iterations of such sentiments.