By Maryam Ogunremi
Yes, you read that right I am sure you ran to the body of that heading because you don’t agree with me on it. Just walk with me on this journey and you will understand why Nigerians are the most organised beings on this planet.
Well, you can argue that they are not as organised as some other animals like ants. I will say yes and no. We all know that ants work together for the greater good. When you see an ant eating some goodies, you will soon see a lot of them gather on that spot, not just to eat, but to carry whatever that thing is to a place where the others are. That kind of selflessness is worthy of emulation. Some Nigerians do this for the greater good of their family, clan and community. Now you get why I said yes and no.
Now, Nigerians are organised, but their organisation is quite different from what you think, and it’s not as close to that of ants. Then you wonder how I arrived at my headline.
A few days ago, I started my radio programme with words of encouragement for Nigerians urging them to hold on that things will get better. As we know, the current US-Israel-Iran war is biting hard on all economies of the world. Nigerians are feeling it really hard with the hike in the price of petrol as Dangote refinery keeps dancing ‘palongo’ – a back and forth movement to the rhythm of a song – with the way it increases and reduces its petrol price every eke market day. At some point, I stopped keeping count or reading anything that concerns Dangote Refinery’s price review.
Back to the radio programme, after I wrapped up my admonition, I opened the Whatsapp platform and also asked those on TikTok to join the conversation by telling me how they have been coping with the ongoing hike in food prices and transportation, an effect of the petrol price hike. Quite a number of them reacted by lamenting the amount of ‘shege’ – a street parlance for hardship – they have experienced in recent times.
There and then, someone asked, “How do the market women r traders and taxi drivers arrive at their pricing immediately after there is a tweak in fuel pump price? They always have the same price tag for their commodities and different locations the morning after the hike. How is that possible?!”
That got a lot of us wondering how that is possible because we never hear of a meeting being called by any of these associations or a kind of announcement made on a radio or TV Station. How do they arrive at that pricing system?
Well, that is our reality in Nigeria. It has always been an easy move for us to inflate our prices when there is a policy change, or a likely war in some parts of the world that affects the economies of the world. Petrol stations increase their prices almost immediately regardless of the product they have on sale when the hike starts. Some even hoard their old stocks, waiting for the price to skyrocket beyond the usual. Traders become gods and buyers, who were said to be kings, are left at the mercy of the traders.
Go to marketplaces or fuel stations around that time or now that the ongoing war between the US, Israel and Iran has gone beyond the plan of the United States President, Donald Trump, and you will see how helpless the buyers are. You will see how Nigerians organised themselves against their fellow Nigerians. Guess what? The buyers who are at the mercy of these sellers are also sellers to some other buyers and you see them get into their sellers’ cloak at their shops, offices and they do the same to other Nigerians. Then, it becomes a cycle.
This well-coordinated movement by Nigerians to inflict hardship on each other is what has never ceased to amaze me. Now think about how great this organised movement would have been if it were on the positive side. Imagine us organising ourselves so well and matching the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s office in our areas to participate in the ongoing voter registration. Organise ourselves so well that we completed the whole process and got our Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC).
Or maybe we channel the organised nature into getting up early on election days and participating in the process. Cast your vote, wait till it is counted and ensure the upload is done, where the network is good enough to do so, and go home to monitor other areas through our radio or TV set.
Why can’t we put the same energy into changing the prices of goods, due to one conflict or another, into doing something meaningful for ourselves and Nigeria as a whole? Why can’t we organise ourselves to pick the right leader for this country? Why can’t we organise ourselves to shape Nigeria into the country of our dream, instead of putting money together to fund our children to leave Nigeria?
You want the country to be better? Put in the same energy you are putting into inflicting pain on others into making things work well in your community and that will trickle down to every part of the country. ONE GOOD TURN DOES NOT ONLY DESERVE ANOTHER, BUT IT ALSO BIRTHS MULTIPLE GOOD TURNS.
Maryam Ogunremi is a broadcaster writes from Abeokuta
'
'Do you want to share a story with us? Do you want to advertise with us? Do you need publicity for a product, service, or event? Contact us on WhatsApp +2348183319097 Email: platformtimes@gmail.com
We are committed to impactful investigative journalism for human interest and social justice. Your donation will help us tell more stories. Kindly donate any amount HERE
