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HAPPIEST PEOPLE ON EARTH?

igerians were recently said to be the happiest people on earth by an international body based in the UK that surveyed 65 countries of the world, I�ve not seen the details of the study or the criteria used to make such conclusion. I�m personally a happy go lucky guy (if you don�t put your hand in my mouth, I don�t bite), so the news about the survey and my personal attitude made many of my non-Nigerian (Christian) friends ask how come we as a people are happy, to which I honestly did not have a good answer considering all the problems in our country.

Unemployed Lagosians napping in wheelbarrows

Knowing that I was heading to Nigeria for a couple of weeks this month for both family and speaking engagements, I decided to conduct my own unscientific survey of why we are the happiest people on earth.

My method of survey was subjective, asking people and my personal observation. After speaking to a few people from folks inside the plane to folks who attended my conferences, observing events happening around me, and watching local television stations (AIT showed the senate and house deliberation in Nigeria on the Third term issue and I hear they are being persecuted, they were off the air when I left home on May 22nd 2006 � I think we should all write encouraging AIT and telling the agents of government harassing them to stop), I came to my conclusion of why we are the happiest people on earth.

I believe two key reasons among many others make us the happiest people on earth, first we are a group of people with absolutely NO EXPECTATIONS of anything or anyone in government and secondly being religious (different from having a personal relationship with a savior), the teachers of the predominant religions Christianity and Islam allows for MEDIOCRITY which is often attributed as an �act of God� this is why a messenger brought tithes that rivaled a CEO�s salary and the pastor said nothing until the messenger was caught at work.

NO EXPECTATIONS

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It�s been 46 years since we gained our independence and successive governments have taken Nigeria backward, like President Obasanjo himself said while declaring the African Finance Ministers Summit open, that in 1960 Nigeria was well positioned financial, humanly and in other ways to be a better country than South Korea, but today we are at least a generation behind them in development.

After years of bad governance Nigerians have come to expect nothing from their government, in-fact we are so used to lack of performance that any little thing is a big deal, like the President going to states to commission the accountant-general office, the house of assembly office complex and a hurriedly tarred road with no proper drainage system (meaning a lifespan of a year or less) and declaring that the governor has done well.

Our roads are death traps, Lagos-Ibadan expressway is now taken over by churches and other religious organizations causing huge traffics on event days, and they get away with it because they are Christians, law enforcement officers don�t want the wrath of God so they look the other way. Traffic caused by these events have claimed lives and has affected the Nigerian economy negatively. I want to use this medium to recommend to the Christian organizations especially to widen the roads (by at least two lanes) leading to the exits of their different camps and have huge car parks, we know the government is not going to do anything, we need to lift Christ up, not only in the ministration but in our attitudes to unbelievers, a smooth running expressway during an event is a testimony to the name of Christ.

I�m a 40 year old Nigerian and I have never known electricity to be regular in Nigeria, changing NEPA to PHCN has not solved anything, instead of not expecting power now they withhold power. Most Nigerians now have generators because they don�t expect power, one guy actually said on TV that he has not paid his power bill in months because PHCN sends bill without reading his meter and he is waiting for the person that would come and disconnect his light. President Obasanjo promised regular electricity six years ago � Mr. President, may we ask what happened? When politicians are campaigning they beg for votes once they get in, they become the big boss who don�t need the voters anymore because incumbents have the power to spend and influence things, the only election is the nomination from the right party. Gov. Gbenga Daniel reportedly visited every village in Ogun state to win in 2003, for 2007 he is said to be buying a bullet proof car for 300 million naira for protection, from whom? the people he has served? Gov. Bola Tinubu reportedly told pensioners that have not been paid for months that their children should be taken care of them? While he drives around Lagos in bullet proof cars and have time for social functions in Delta state on state expenses, and building the deputy governor�s house, yet state workers (not even pensioners) are not paid yet. In one of the local government in Lagos (or perhaps all the local government), some idiot in power decided all salary be paid from one bank (Skye Bank) in cash, and workers take the �whole day� to collect salary (many in arrears).

This lack of expectations is why former military leader like Babangida who spent eight years stealing (his government in my opinion took corruption to another level institutionally) and was forced out, and the likes of Abubakar Atiku (on record to be a terrible and corrupt leader at Nigerian Customs), and other morally bankrupt people who want to rule Nigeria.

The only expectation we have of our leadership is them taking care of their own when they get to power and stealing enough for when they are no longer in power, DSP and Dariye were unlucky because they got caught (OBJ needed a scapegoat to show that Nigeria is fighting corruption). A good leader in Nigeria is one that did little work (which already exceeded our lack of expectation) and stole moderately (Like Gen. Marwa former governor of Lagos). The education sector which used to be the pride of Nigeria is now in ruins. There are two institutions noticeable everywhere you go in Lagos, churches and schools, I hear a good school cost about 50,000 naira for primary school and secondary costs 90,000 naira per term per child. Can the Minister of Education and state commissioners please regulate the cost of these schools (including Bell Schools) so that average Nigerians can afford good education for their kids as well, it will also make a huge sense if money is spent on elementary education instead of bullet proof cars (infrastructure and teachers) � I hear no kid wants to be a teacher in Nigeria anymore!

Our society is lawless because those in power break the law themselves, more than five times (in two weeks stay), I saw black vehicles without registrations with police escorts going the wrong way in traffic (I hear they ask ambulance to wait for them to go), no wonder the rest of the populace ignore rules as well (even the federal government have ignored rules because it did not favor them). I was to visit an aunt in Ojota and the journey was going smoothly on Kudirat Abiola Way (Former Oregun Road) when suddenly, a van was driving straight at us instead of on the opposite side, in my American �we must make this country work attitude� I came down from my car trying to talk some sense into the guy (my brother tried stopping me), when I noticed other cars coming down the same way, frustrated I look up and saw a huge crowd approaching us with weapons, I quickly jumped into the car and we made the turn ourselves going the opposite way, we eventually saw a guy in a danfo gushing with blood from his mouth area being taken perhaps to a hospital. I later learnt that the �Agbero� and �Danfo drivers� had been going at it for some time now and nothing has been done about it. This should not be surprising because we now have two �agberos� in the state house in Oyo state. I watched an interview of Gov. Alao-Akala, he was asked why the huge difference (several millions) in his budget and that of Ladoja his predecessor, his answer would make someone with any expectation puke, he said �there is not much difference ke, it is just a different agenda� among other stupid things he said on TV.

Rather than have expectations of our leadership, we have resorted to being a big man or big madam to ourselves, one of the most common phrase in Nigeria is �do you know who you are talking to?� or �don�t you know me� especially when stopped by a policeman, everyone have the need to feel important. On one of the call-in TV program I watched, every single person that called introduced themselves as Engineer this, Architect that, Lawyer this. I have a problem convincing people that while I�m in full time ministry, I don�t have the title of pastor and actually preferred to be addressed as Bro. Femi Awodele, I don�t think the title does anything to the calling or the gift of God on my life.

Our religions or better still the leadership feeds into the lack of expectation and actually would rather feed peoples emotion and have them come back for more instead of teaching them sound doctrine and principles so that can also be fishers of men. This is not scientific but I believe Christians in Nigeria would not be less than 80 million people; we have churches on virtually every street in Lagos, with all of this spiritual �acrobatics� why have things not changed? In my own opinion, many of the religious leaders don�t actually have programs that challenge people to grow spiritually with in-depth study, letting sound biblical doctrine be a guide to people on a daily basis (like in the Scripture Union days), what they have is night vigils, all night prayer where the enemy will be defeated and they can come and get their miracle, many adverts I saw in Lagos (one was on TV) actually promised people miracle, like it is the pastor that hands out miracles. These pastors with big title actually require there congregants to worship them, pastors (or other religious leaders) have become the intermediary gods we left behind in Ogun and Oya and many seem to enjoy it. To foster their posture and keep people coming (ensuring job stability and flow of money), events that feeds more of the emotion, �come for your miracle�, �today your enemy will die�, �anointing service� are promoted over principles that will teach the people how to stand on their own, like Christ did with His disciples. These actions breed babies who are forever dependent on the parents.

When things happen in our life we are quick to attribute those things to the devil or as �amu wa Olorun� when in reality we need to check our ego (God resist the proud), live a life that is pleasing to God (as much as we can) with the help of the Holy Spirit. I wish we will start preaching the power and the awesomeness of God rather than the power of the enemy, I wish the leadership of the church would stop the worship of leadership, I wish the all night vigils would be about praising God all night rather than prayers to kill even a known enemy (the Glory comes down when praises go up), I wish Nigerians will go to church more to glorify God rather than to receive anointing from a man or woman, or fear of the devil or an enemy.

In my opinion we are the happiest people on earth more because we have no expectations hence we are not disappointed with anything, also being very religious we attribute our short-comings (both individual and government) to the devil and God, never really taken responsibility to fix things and demand better from ourselves and those who govern us.

As a people we have to start by making expectations of ourselves, don�t settle for just anything that is thrown your way, have goals that are way higher than what you can see, it is called faith, then have expectations of your family � don�t let them get used to the same old thing, have expectations of those in leadership over you � I don�t see anything wrong in correcting someone in leadership as long as it is done in private and without a prideful mind. We need to have the same level of expectations for our politicians; the days of becoming a politician to steal money should be over.

Having expectations helps us understand unmet needs (unrealistic expectations is what we need to watch out for), as I read my Bible, I see a God that has expectations from us His children � �they that must worship me, must worship me in spirit and in truth�, �no one would approach God with a an unclean hand and filthy heart� � God does not lower His standard for us and we should not for our politician, what He does is give us the grace and help us to do what He has commanded.

I believe we can still be the happiest people on earth even when we have expectations of those who rule over us.

Home Improvement Series would continue next week!