By Habeeb Olokooba
As a kid, my mom’s daily motivation has always been, Òógbémi lo ìlú Òyìnbó “You will take me overseas”. I grew up with this daily phrase of motivation from my mom, she believes in the perpetuity ahead and this always prompts my efficacy in the phrase ‘hard work pays’. Grace pays better though.
In recent times, everything I read about this country is nothing but a reflection of a failed system. A few weeks ago, Reno Omokri Instagram’s post read on why oil and gas companies request the importation of expatriates from foreign lands. This is because Nigerians showed little interest in the field and prefer studying courses that will further contribute to the sad quota of unemployment that marred our lovely country.
The post read: “Do you know why oil and gas companies operating in Nigeria have to keep applying for expatriate quotas to bring in thousands of foreign workers? It is because there are over 250,000 oil and gas jobs in Nigeria, yet Nigerians keep going to universities to read library science, linguistics, sociology, philosophy, and political science. Courses that cannot yield strong relevance in present Nigeria.
“Dangote built a $19.5 billion refinery and could not find 11,000 technicians to run it, because all of you have degrees in botany and philosophy. Google it. Dangote had to import 11,000 technicians from India. They are at Lekki earning one hour more than you make in a month because you wasted four years studying languages and linguistics. The next thing is to join Obidients to blame Tinubu for your predicament. I greet you o!”
While all Reno said is the whole truth. The steerers of this nation take the lion’s share of the censure. Of all the government-owned universities in Nigeria, less than 25% of all the state and federal-owned universities offer petrochemical engineering. Private-owned universities like Afe Babalola, Covenant, and so on dominated the list. Expensive.
For instance, an average family in Nigeria struggles to fetch three meals a day. With the tuition fees in government-owned universities skyrocket above average pockets. The courses Reno called ordinary are already beyond average pockets. You need no soothsayer, even the blind will tell you how crystal clear it is that the course in question (petrochemical engineering ) is for the extremely wealthy people. Sometimes, I felt like this whole thing was a plan to make the poor poorer because I see no reason why a government with a good heart would know of a groundbreaking opportunity that could heighten the living of its citizens and decide to reserve it for the rich only.
I don’t blame Reno. He was merely showing Nigerians another direction. However, the discovery unveiled how rotten corruption had plagued us as a nation. It takes a miracle for a common man to work at Chevron. It is for the potentates. The rich decide most of the things that happen to the poor in Nigeria but unfortunately, we are laughing it off.
On Monday, I was on a tricycle, heading out for my livelihood when this driver started a mystifying tale. If you are from Ilorin, (my hometown) you should know what a talkative ‘Keke’ man looks like.
The man lamented, “They (the Police) can’t arrest me for carrying a passenger at the hanging side. I left their boss with my chairman at the tarmac just now…and I know the amount they collected from the chairman. Why will they be billing our boss and be arresting us?”
Corruption in Nigeria is upon proper perusal, not a single-agency problem. However, the Nigerian Police Force has been known for this act many times. When I was a kid, one of the most detested jobs as a young boy was joining the Nigerian Police Force. Because of the corruptible norms inflicted on the job.
If I can not reminisce about any of the ancient phenomena, I won’t forget the trending Gistlovers saga. The police are contending that the three guys are the real faces behind Gistlovers. But the question here is, are there more than three? Who was behind the reaction the blog posted after the arrest of the three young men? Why is the Police Force reluctant to provide evidence regarding the relationship of the suspects of the blog? These are questions pleading for answers.