An example of negligence being very costly happened again in Nigeria recently when a building collapsed in Ikoyi, Lagos. However, what I want to call people’s attention to is “The Nigerian Way”. The notion of the Nigerian way is what is killing Nigeria since it is about doing things without fear of consequence.
According to reports, the person behind the collapsed building is a developer who has adhered to rules and standards in real estate development across continents in the world. After over 30 years’ experience in the sector and notable projects accomplished in other countries, he moved to Nigeria: a country he had feared moving back to, despite being a citizen, to enjoy his harvest and invest in the country from them. He gets to Nigeria and absolutely everything he had imbibed abroad, despite enjoying hassle free bureaucracy from the government (he said this himself), was put aside for the Nigerian way even though he was aiming for a world class project
Just imagine! Just three years in Nigeria, the first major project in the country by the above developer destroyed itself by itself because of the Nigerian way. From available reports gleaned, the issues associated with this calamity point to poor structural integrity, substandard materials, outright disregard for building norms or approved, documented blueprint for the structure. Except this is a dishonest pattern that characterize the nature of the developers, how could one build world class luxury buildings by cutting corners while expecting excellence or magnificence that is enduring? If the prevailing suspicion is the actual cause of the Ikoyi incident, an area with one of the most expensive real estate in the world, then imagine what could be happening in less fortunate parts of Lagos and across Nigeria. It is safe to say that many are living in death traps because of the Nigerian way. The “Nigerian way” is negligence that cost lives, property, and money. Negligence can be very costly.
Simply put, the Nigerian way is going mediocre and falling short of standards just because Nigerians can. It is an environmental energy that requires absolute strength of character, mind, and spirit to reject and consciously resist. And this is a deep struggle for many Nigerians because the “Nigerian way” is the sum of the behavioral attitude of a people and the system they operate in and sustain willingly. It is a culture. Like organizations have cultures, countries, and their systems, too, have cultures. However, despicable cultures of a people should be eradicated. Sadly, sometimes, survival or frustration will make even the upright and well cultured succumb to “the Nigerian way”. I call this lure selfishness at best, wickedness at worst.
Did you see children singing the Nigerian national anthem in filthy disease laden waters in a slum recently while government sycophants went about trying to absolve failed government institutions of the rot that falls squarely on them? It is the callousness that is typical of the Nigerian that makes people who are extremely intelligent, who schooled in the best universities and worked in the best firms in the world move back home and just instantly become dimwits working with government in public sector or the private sector. Their ugly transformation into savages is enabled because they deleterious imbibed the values of “the Nigerian way” that is embraced with impunity. Why people, who live in civilized and advanced countries obeying laws, get to Nigeria and enter lawlessness as a default mode is beyond logic. Their willingness to condone the unimaginable is more disturbing when one considers the foolish choices and opinions on leadership and governance for Nigeria that some of these Nigerians living abroad proffer for their fatherland: the same ideas that they won’t dare think of where they live.
The only antidote that will cure Nigeria of this malady is accountability. In life, there is always a margin of error. However, the goal for every forthright person is to minimize the error and its impact. In life, too, some people will be negligent. However, when it is a rampant occurrence, it means that there is a system failure in the community. Negligence will be a rare occurrence in Nigeria if accountability became an integral part of Nigeria’s national ethos and everyone is made to respect the laws that govern every aspect of life in Nigeria. Unfortunately, it seems the goal of the Nigerian government in making laws or limiting them is solely to extort the populace rather than promoting excellence. This is because the “Nigerian way” is steeped in corruption.
For Nigeria to become the country of our dreams, “We the People of Nigeria” must change. It is easy to always blame government, but “we the people” are the government. We are the government we choose and have, and we are the system we operate in. Therefore, if Nigerians are to blame for the country’s miasma, we need a mindset overhaul, a paradigm shift to fix Nigeria. Nigerians need to learn responsibility, consequence, and accountability.
Nigerians must realize that they can’t cut corners and expect excellence or just package their way to excellence. These are the hallmarks of mediocrity.
