The strike ended like a week ago,
I've been super busy trying to code my new video game and making some new comic strips and STOPPING A THIEF (more on this later), but here's the thing: the strike came and went. And NOTHING changed. At all. The fuel subsidy wasn't brought back, and people didn't really get what they wanted. Everyone thought that this was it: the end of corruption in Nigeria as the rebels overthrew the Government. But then like only a few days after the whole thing started suddenly, the strikers, the noble rebels, say "okay. That's it. We're done. Everyone, we're gonna give in so go and work for the Government that we were so against a few days ago." I know, makes no sense, right? Well, my Dad believes that the rebels who were so against the corruption, the gas, everything actually got paid off by the Government to shut up and be subservient. It was pretty sad, and honestly I really can't take the public Nigerian force very seriously anymore. When I tell this to other Nigerians who were so charged up a couple of seconds ago they just laugh and shrug and say, "oh well! We'll survive!" No, I think it's a more serious issue than just shrugging the whole thing off. I'm really beginning to think that now there will be even more corruption and stealing from the public because now the Government knows that Nigerians aren't going to do anything to stop them! So in other words, Nigerians might have lost the little power that they had once had just because they decided to give in. Or maybe I'm wrong, maybe there's going to come a day when Nigeria is once again for the hundredth time forced under new government (this has happened a lot in the past 50 years of the country). My Dad said things didn't used to be like this, that the people had a lot more power, that the places were cleaner, that even Naira had twice more value than United States Dollars. I think that these "golden years" was actually the country coasting off of the wealth and scraps that the British nation left behind when Nigeria became an independent country. I really don't wanna think that, I kinda want to believe that old Nigeria would be like how my Dad describes it even if Britain hadn't colonized it. I don't know. I really don't. But, there's still (hopefully) a long, loong way to go for this country. It's only been around for 50 years! A lot of empires started badly, and then steadied out. Worse case scenario, there's going to come a time when this country is so absolutely horrible that the people will not take it anymore, and they will revolt angrily. They're already angry, but not angry enough, even though their politicians steal money from their pockets, become multibillionaires (in Naira), go overseas to the US and stay there while their homeland is crumbling. It's gotten to a point when if you're talking about a governor, you don't say, "so what have they done for the country?" You say, "so how much have they stolen?" Here's the really sad part: most Nigerians complain complain complain about this, but I'll tell you something; if they were in the same position as the stealing politicians they would do the EXACT. SAME. THING. Because everyone wants to be like that, everyone wants to have power and money like this crazy billionaires have. To tell you how bad it gets, some politicians get so rich they honestly don't know what to do with the money. I've heard of one who sent their kids or something in the USA and let them take private jet rides. And then they'll be taking pictures of themselves waving bundles full of hundred dollar bills in the camera. They even do their weekend shopping in Dubai, more than 3 countries away! And they barely invest it in research organizations or anything like that. They don't do anything worthwhile with it! I mean, you can only buy so many Lamborghinis. It's absolutely ridiculous, and the most maddening part is that nobody does anything to stop it.
Signing off,
The Traveler
I've been super busy trying to code my new video game and making some new comic strips and STOPPING A THIEF (more on this later), but here's the thing: the strike came and went. And NOTHING changed. At all. The fuel subsidy wasn't brought back, and people didn't really get what they wanted. Everyone thought that this was it: the end of corruption in Nigeria as the rebels overthrew the Government. But then like only a few days after the whole thing started suddenly, the strikers, the noble rebels, say "okay. That's it. We're done. Everyone, we're gonna give in so go and work for the Government that we were so against a few days ago." I know, makes no sense, right? Well, my Dad believes that the rebels who were so against the corruption, the gas, everything actually got paid off by the Government to shut up and be subservient. It was pretty sad, and honestly I really can't take the public Nigerian force very seriously anymore. When I tell this to other Nigerians who were so charged up a couple of seconds ago they just laugh and shrug and say, "oh well! We'll survive!" No, I think it's a more serious issue than just shrugging the whole thing off. I'm really beginning to think that now there will be even more corruption and stealing from the public because now the Government knows that Nigerians aren't going to do anything to stop them! So in other words, Nigerians might have lost the little power that they had once had just because they decided to give in. Or maybe I'm wrong, maybe there's going to come a day when Nigeria is once again for the hundredth time forced under new government (this has happened a lot in the past 50 years of the country). My Dad said things didn't used to be like this, that the people had a lot more power, that the places were cleaner, that even Naira had twice more value than United States Dollars. I think that these "golden years" was actually the country coasting off of the wealth and scraps that the British nation left behind when Nigeria became an independent country. I really don't wanna think that, I kinda want to believe that old Nigeria would be like how my Dad describes it even if Britain hadn't colonized it. I don't know. I really don't. But, there's still (hopefully) a long, loong way to go for this country. It's only been around for 50 years! A lot of empires started badly, and then steadied out. Worse case scenario, there's going to come a time when this country is so absolutely horrible that the people will not take it anymore, and they will revolt angrily. They're already angry, but not angry enough, even though their politicians steal money from their pockets, become multibillionaires (in Naira), go overseas to the US and stay there while their homeland is crumbling. It's gotten to a point when if you're talking about a governor, you don't say, "so what have they done for the country?" You say, "so how much have they stolen?" Here's the really sad part: most Nigerians complain complain complain about this, but I'll tell you something; if they were in the same position as the stealing politicians they would do the EXACT. SAME. THING. Because everyone wants to be like that, everyone wants to have power and money like this crazy billionaires have. To tell you how bad it gets, some politicians get so rich they honestly don't know what to do with the money. I've heard of one who sent their kids or something in the USA and let them take private jet rides. And then they'll be taking pictures of themselves waving bundles full of hundred dollar bills in the camera. They even do their weekend shopping in Dubai, more than 3 countries away! And they barely invest it in research organizations or anything like that. They don't do anything worthwhile with it! I mean, you can only buy so many Lamborghinis. It's absolutely ridiculous, and the most maddening part is that nobody does anything to stop it.
Signing off,
The Traveler
