E GO BETTER
Ade woke up with a dull mien, discomfited and distraught about the current state of the nation. Though well to do by all indices, he still thinks within himself that things are not what they ought to be. The news about insecurity, the sheer cluelessness and lawlessness amongst members of the political class, the battle for 2023 that is 3years ahead, the economy on a downward spiral and so many other dismal circumstances running through his mind made sleep elude him. A happy yet unhappy man in his country.
His wife came behind him noticing the displeasure registered in his face. Though they are good financially and life has been fair to them, the husband feels within himself that self-actualization as the ultimate of all human needs as revealed in Maslow’s work might be impossible being a Nigerian. The wife in the usual demeanor of a woman came up with that line used to lull Nigerian into an impossible dogma, that popular cliche used to placate the masses that an Eldorado is possible while selling hell to them, that faux line of optimism meant to delude you into thinking that things naturally will get better, she muttered ‘e go better’
The rot in the system has festered for long and a thorough look at the writings of Chinua Achebe in 1983 gave a thorough exegesis of the trouble with Nigeria, a piece in which he chronicled the problems of the nation in simple terms. Replete amongst the problems is leadership which has cascaded downwards to others like corruption, insecurity, and tribalism that has bedeviled this nation for long. it is important to note that the problems we had back then are still the problems we have now and they are much worse.
Change according to Heraclitus is the only constant thing in life and to give more impetus to change, it has to be an upgrade. What was in time past, what is now and what would be in the future? These are questions we have to ask ourselves as citizens. But ‘e go better’ we chant at any attempt to reasonably analyze the woes that betide this nation.
You have money, it is yet understandable but there is a better life for us all. Satisfaction should be a luxury we cannot afford even in the face of these perils. We need to speak up more about what an ideal society is, talk to someone about what the state ought to be. With time when the consciousness is driven into all, the citizens will demand good governance but until then ‘e go better’