3 Life Truths Nigerians Need To Accept

By Nkem Ndem

Nigerians in today’s times are different from those that existed in the past and that is understandable as the society seem to have changed with the times.

Aside from the fact that government officials are rarely within the coveted demographic of 18-34 as it was in the past and extended adolescence is now a very real epidemic as a lot of people are unwilling to really grow up anymore; a majority of citizens seem to have lost sight of the important things in life and so, they Ignore certain hard truths. There is no need for study or statistics; we see it with our own eyes every single day.

Life is full of ups and downs, but the best way to live through it is to fully appreciate the experience and face reality head-on. Jumia Travel, Africa’s No.1 online hotel booking portal,therefore, shares 3 life truths Nigerians need to accept.

Nobody cares about your excuses

Nigerians generally like to give excuses. Whether it is defending a mess they made, explain a shortcoming or to exempt them from a tasking duty, they always have what seems like the perfect excuse to give: “unforeseen traffic”, “economic crisis”, “no electric power”, e.t.c. Unfortunately, nobody cares about these excuses. Good reasons, bad reasons, it makes no difference. Your worth is inexorably connected to our ability to get things done. If you want people to value your opinions, your efforts and your time — especially if you want to get paid for it — you have to get things done. If you don’t, the reasons will not matter. Keep in mind that your excuses are about as valid as everyone else’s and rather than bemoan and give excuses, you might as well just get up and get on with what needs to be done.

You are living the life you created for yourself

A majority of Nigerians like to think they are victims of circumstances. They would rather apportion blame to other things than accept that they had any part to play in their own failure or “bad luck”. But the truth they need to realize is that they create the circumstances around them and they fashion their lives on their own. No one can actually force anyone to make decisions and take actions that run contrary to their values and aspirations. Others can try to persuade you, but they can’t decide for you. Everyone’s life is theirs alone and their future is entirely up to them, on their own. Rather than always blame other people and things, Nigerians need to learn to look within themselves and take responsibility for their lives and their outcomes; that way, it is easier for them to take the risks necessary to achieve their goals and live their dreams.

No one owes you anything

For some reason, Nigerians –poor or rich, young or old- seem to have an innate sense of entitlement. They generally tend to expect others to do things for them either because they were nice to the person in the past, they feel they deserve it or it is the “right” thing for them to do (tradition and relation). The thing about having this sense of entitlement is that they set themselves up for a lot of disappointments and eventually bitterness and hate sets in. They need to understand and accept the truth that people will not always help out because you have helped them out in the past. Helping them out was out of your own kindness of heart and unless there was a binding contract or an MOU specifying that they have to return the favor in future, they owe you nothing.

Nkem Ndem is a PR Associate at Jumia Travel.