Ahead of the turnaround year 2017

Let’s quickly make a pact with ourselves and with God that the year 2016 which is grinding to a halt was our annus horribilis. The dollar went to an all time high, air crashes, terrorism, jungle justice, communal clashes. For a long time 2016 will be hard to forget but the wise ones amongst us will understand that sometimes it will get worse before it gets better and nothing stays the same. And really nothing stays the same. We have spent the better part of the entire year mourning and groaning. It’s time to take another look at ourselves as we roll into a brand new year. A recession is a challenge and an opportunity. I have friends who say this recession is not their business and you can actually get what you want if you wish it, will it, work hard at it and pray for it. Nigerians with their interesting sobriquets have come up with all kinds of comments now including “recession doesn’t know my house”, “I wish you a recess free year” when they actually mean a “recession free year”. And there is “This is my year of opportunity, recession or no recession”. In fact there is an advert from an estate company on the streets of Abuja screaming loudly, “Buy a recession planned house. It will cost you very little”. Utterly hilarious! This is the reason I can never leave and live in another country with its cold, its warts, new problems and racism. Nigeria has always been an interesting country and will remain so. We simply need to pay closer attention to the things that matter to grow a nation.

Let me give you a few examples

a) I am not somebody who would have worked in a uniformed organization because I do not want to look like everybody else but I still try to enjoy our intriguing aso-ebi interests if the friends are close. However, how we react to the gift items at weddings and other social events these days still bothers me. Decent women who are comfortable by all stretch of the imagination have been known to come to blows over plastic trays, while I am looking for who to give mine as my store is now full of plastic trays from weddings. Madam you have more than 500 plastic trays in your house; why is your gele almost off your head in the struggle for one tray?! Something has to be wrong with a people who have a depravation mentality.

b) What manner of people break traffic lights because the traffic warden is not watching and kill a nine year in the process? Why do Nigerians want to be supervised to keep the law? In some parts of the world, people choreograph how they move in turns when the traffic light fails. If that happens in Nigeria, it is bedlam.

c) Customer service! Customer service! Customer service! Nigerians still do not understand the importance of these two words-Customer service. So people still walk around randomly at service points and act like they are sleep walking until you say “Excuse me do you work here?” and they answer “Yes. What do you want?” This is the worst thing you can say to a client especially if you were not paying attention. This person actually gets a salary at the end of the month.

Overall my belief is that we should continue to push the envelope as a nation to make us stand tall amongst the comity of nations. There is too much to do and we all need to support stakeholders to push Nigeria forward at the national level, at the state level, at the local level, at the family level and at individual levels. Nigeria is a beautiful country it doesn’t matter what anyone says. It is tapping into that beautiful energy that will make our 2017 better; from lifestyles to multiple streams of income, from families to communities. And we need to work on our ethnic relationships which are at an all time low. The amount of vitriol and abuse across ethnic divides online is unprecedented.

The 2017 lifestyle and related tips will be in three tranches starting from next week’s column. This is my New Year gift for my fans and readers. It is a collector’s item which you cannot afford to miss. Keep your eye on this page to pick up tips and ideas to keep us going in 2017 in selected areas of our lives.

Please use the following email to send us mails: abu_eugenia@yahoo.com.

As a columnist I have enjoyed the overwhelming support of my fans although I have not received mails for a while and I would be happy to hear from you.

I therefore wish each and every one of you a prosperous new year ahead. Let us think new positive thoughts for 2017. Let us not be part of the problem but part of the solution.

May 2017 bring forth good tidings Amen.

Eugenia Abu