"Everybody wants to go to heaven, no body wants to die" - Peter Tosh

nfortunately, Nigeria is that piece of harsh socio/economic cum political location where some of those in it would love to leave at the least chance. It is also an irony that those who leave Nigeria for one reason or the other, would sooner than later want to return. Yes, those who are in want to leave and those who are out of Nigeria (no matter how much they tried to mask this) are so nostalgic that they sooner than later, want to get back home - with the next available plane.

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Even foreigners who have not been to Nigeria want to visit, to at least fulfill a curiosity driven by incessant bad publicity or to get in to have a piece of the economic pie they hear, literally litter the ground of the Nigerian nation space. 419ers who write the famous Nigerian letter, it turns out are part of the informal positive publicity committee not set up for Nigeria by default. There are other attractions including inflated contracts and oil bunkering masterminded by the elite - most of them retired generals.

The hate Nigeria herd is headed by elements within the constantly "moving-ins and moving-outs" segment of the Nigerian nation. They have only seen the bad part of Nigeria. They have seen and lived through the good times of other nations and sadly concluded that in Nigeria, things could not be made to work better. Mind you, all their lives, (because of their itinerant disposition), they have not known or lived through any good times in Nigeria.

They thus have many comparisons to make - often stacking the negatives in greater proportions higher, against Nigeria, seeing Nigeria from the negative prisms of their yesteryears impressions. Most, are now, far removed from Nigeria, the scene of action. Having acquired so much foreign material wealth and education through formal education or by association, the "move-ins and move-outs" know all the book theories of how to make things work so that a nation like Nigeria and its people may enjoy the good things of life.

However, instead of return home permanently, to lend helping hands in the making of a new better nation in the mould of their present host foreign nations of abode, they have chosen to stay abroad, where life is a complete automation. From there, they constantly dish out portions of scathing criticisms against the Nigerian government and its good people. Regrettably, Nigeria is not improving and may have died before those who loved her so much begin to wreath in self regret of what may have been "had I jumped in to save her."

A member of this herd is unique. With strong family ties in Nigeria, he hates to love Nigeria. He has mixed feelings on the best approach. He hopes that Nigeria would one day be fine like the western nation, his present place of domicile. That Nigeria's democratic experiences though now tottering would grow robust soon to enable him return home to partake in a well-prepared political dish. Because of this hope, he begins to invest in Nigeria with the hope that others (the sacrificial lambs who stayed back) would make the place conducive for him to return. He buys into Nigeria's real estate. He buys chunk of stocks in the emerging fluid stock market but travels with American or United Kingdom passport. If he could change his last name or accent, he would pass for a non-Nigerian.

You may be tempted to call him an opportunist. In one sense, he is. On one hand, he is only an agent of a vibrant profitable symbiotic relationship, which disproportionally, benefits his host nation to the detriment of Nigeria, his land of birth. He wants to abundantly maximize all the fine attributes of both worlds - his host foreign nation and his native land where he has strong familial ties. He is convinced that the best way to make Nigeria work is to constantly point out all that is wrong with the Nigeria system from the outside. He sees himself as a finished volunteer consultant. Thus, year in year out, he is calling the Nigerian embassy in the country of his domicile to renew that renegade god-forsaken 'good for something passport' wrapped in a green paper back.

Go back to Nigeria he would not. Leave Nigeria alone, he would not. He is in a huge dilemma. Nigeria is good. It is a contradiction. Any where but Nigeria is fit to live - which is a sure oxymoron.

The tolerant, hapless, helpless and not so brave herd of humanity populates the "endure Nigeria" gang. This segment which is fit for study, endures enough to suffer or benefit from governments' constantly changing policies none of which their inputs are sought. They benefit or go down from irrational government policies, which some times, are churned out, retracted and or enhanced for no justifiable cause. He is a constant praise singer of the status quo in the hope that he does not upset the status quo. And or that in the hope that one day, 'things go better.'

The Love Nigeria, to death crew is festooned with diehards who know the Nigeria political terrain. A member of this gang will not die for Nigeria though. His love for country is utilitarian. He understands the Nigerian business terrain. He probably must have received all his education in Nigeria. He may have travelled out on one or two times. Some of these trips whether to Jerusalem for the JP Honorius or Mecca for its Alhaji counterpart, which usually are government-sponsored. He is sure that more government largesse will come his way if he laid low and said little negatives against government of the day. For him, his philosophy is anchored on the now anachronistic axiom of AGIP - Any Government in Power!

Above all, he is enamored with hope that with time and over time, his cultivated friendship across the spectrum of Nigeria's burgeoning thieving bureaucracy and the emergent private sector would yield positive dividends. He has seen hardship, which he thinks, is a way of life and is willing to endure through any future hard times. Hard times in Nigeria are amazing phenomena. Hard times, which are more than good times in Nigeria, come in phases and disappear before the populace had a handle on it. The love Nigeria crew are versed in the classic bedbug stoicism wrapped around the admonition to his threatened kids: "that anything hot shall come to be cold."

The home truth is that Nigeria is a great piece of place on earth, which could collectively be saved by those who own her or let to rot. With a huge landmass, inhabited by a vibrant population of over 140 million, it has a natural resource base that is the envy of most nations on earth especially her neighbors in Africa. Deliberately I have not mentioned crude oil as the reason for this envy about Nigeria because there are other untapped resources in Nigeria, which, if properly harnessed, any day, would tromp oil on the degree of relative import to Nigeria's economic potentials. Nigeria has so many abundant resources that if properly harnessed could put the per capita income of its people above many countries of the world who, we the owners of Nigeria believe, are enjoying better life than we do. In other words, the Nigeria nation has enough wealth to make its citizens happy.

Let us say it for as many times as we risk sounding repetitive - that Nigeria's abundant human and material resources have been badly managed over time. This is self evident as we everyday look around in Nigeria to see poverty and want stare us in the face, amidst plenty. Let us admit that electricity supply is almost gone comatose in Nigeria and that the roads in Nigeria are ill maintained and pothole ridden. We ought to admit it right away that Nigeria's health care delivery is gone to the dogs; that the nation's ill equipped universities are annually churning out ill-equipped youths who are eagerly embraced by an equally ill-prepared society typified by unemployment; that corruption is Nigeria's second nature; that its industrial base is almost on the verge of extinction.

Nigerians worry most, when they notice that most of their leaders, from the days of independence to date, have unfortunately been the worse breed of the human species and that, that has disproportionally, made the place one piece of a living hell on earth.

Agreed, Nigeria as a nation has not loved its children commensurately. It is an understatement to opine that no child born of Nigerian in or out of Nigeria has any sense of pride or belief in her. If you compare the degree of commitment to nation, of the average Nigerian, with his counterpart from other lands, you would notice to your disappointment that an average Nigerian sees his nation from the prism of his ethnic origins. I have not seen any Nigeria that would die for Nigeria. I have seen hundreds if not thousands of Nigerians who are prepared to die for their tribe. Beginning with my very humble self, I do not think that Nigeria has done enough for me to warrant hara-kiri for her.

Are the foregoing reasons enough to forsake Nigeria? The answer is yes and the answer could be no, depending on the individual's subjective frame of mind and his psychological make up.

In my mind, Nigeria is reclaimable. Nigeria for those who harbor any thought of reclaiming what bits of its tattered images that are left, should be taken, from now to resemble an aged parent who had no input in his/child's education and up bringing. Those parents, in spite of everything, remain parents. Other than Michael Jackson who openly confessed hatred for dad, can one conditionally love one's parents? The answer is No. No sane person does that. You cannot conditionally love your nation. Michael Jackson hated his father, because he hated himself. Love for country should be unconditional and as strong as love for self and parents.

Nobody loves self conditionally. If you are hungry, you go get food to eat, else you die of starvation. If you are sick, you visit the physician or go to the hospital. If you are thirsty, you get yourself some water. If you are cold, you take some protective/ preventive measures to remain warm. Nobody loves himself conditionally. If you do, you die. In times of peace and in times of war - you work on your healthy well being and safety, bearing in mind that your good health is your greatest asset. In times of economic upturns and in times of economic down turns, a good citizen should be seen to stand up in defense of self and country.

This defense comes in varying degrees. For example, if it were election time and for any strange reason you were not available to vote and the wrong candidate is voted, it behooves you to recline in self-pity to think that may be your vote would have counted "if I had voted". If you thought the election was rigged, you do not fold your arms in self-resignation and contemplate voting with your feet as a panacea. You stay there, patiently waiting and working towards the next election time to have an opportunity to right some wrongs done. If you folded your arms (which most Nigerians do) in self-resignation, the same electoral calamity would have been elongated, may be without you being conscious of what you did contribute or what you did not contribute.

Unfortunately, most Nigerians, from the proletarian rank, that is, do not have the balls to love self, talk less love Nigeria. Look at what is happening in Iran right now. An election has been held. The popular candidate has not won. There is protest galore all over Iran. Students, market mammies, professors and the middle class are up in protest. Using modern information techniques, they have been pressuring the electoral system to cancel an election whose outcome they believe does not represent the wishes of the people.

As we write, the protesters have won a partial battle. There have been recounts in some of the places under voter fraud speculation. Other than in western Nigeria, where we have such occasional flashes of bold protests against electoral fraud, the rest of Nigeria seem to be in deep coma when protests against wrongs done by rulers are much needed. Whatever little success recorded have been on individual basis and a' times circumstantial? Why can't the rest of Nigeria, imbibe the spirit of spirited protest including sit-ins and other forms of civil disobedience, to right electoral wrongs in Nigeria?

Why is the Nigerian populace so happy and yet so docile? Why are pressure groups such as trade unions and reputable organizations like the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) not be the first to take to the streets to protest election malpractices in Nigeria? What has happened to the nation's once vibrant and reliable student unionism? What has happened to the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities? What has happened? Where are the second generation of Tai Solarins and Aminu Kanos? Where is Gani Fawehinmi re-incarnate on the Nigeria political scene? Where are the young Edwin Madunagus and where are …

If you are a Nigerian living in foreign land, you do not constantly mount the soapbox to dish out profanities everyday against the rulers of your country. What you do is - for example gather the little stuff you materially have. Jump into the airplane with your certificate and nationalist instinct to go back home and fight for a befitting shirt in the struggle to make your nation whole or better. It will definitely not be easy. In that battle, there must be some bruises. Starting from bruised ego, to bruised personal economy and well being. You, no doubt would encounter several obstacles. You could even lose your life in that struggle. Nevertheless, these are obstacles needed to make the Nigerian land space a safe and better place than you met it.

After all, any education or personal solid achievement, which piece is not donated or geared towards the service for country and humanity, is almost wasted. That was why people such as Dr. Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe, Gani Fawehinmi, Chief Obafemi J. Awolowo and the Mbadiwes of this world returned to Nigeria to take up "arms" to fight for Nigeria's freedom and nationhood. I am also sure that, that is the reason people like the Odumakins and the Falanas are still in the trenches in Nigeria. Get back home for sake of country or forever remain silent - example, they say is better than precept.