The pews at churches are filled every Sunday with people who have one goal in mind — to receive blessings that will make them rich. Not necessarily about living a godly life.
Walk down the streets and you’ll see people hawking, pilfering, extorting, engaging in all kinds of menial jobs and it’s all about hustling to make it big.
Then there’s the almighty Yahoo-yahoo where unsuspecting victims are swindled of their hard earned money through advance fee fraud. It’s gotten to the extent where all Nigerians are now profiled and declared criminal until proven innocent. Nigerians now carry a negative stereotype and this all came from what seem to be a practice where people are willing to do anything to become rich.
The burning question that arises from all of this is, why do Nigerians want to be rich so badly? Is it about opulence or just a necessary human endeavour like people from everywhere else?
It goes deeper than that. The Nigerian society is structured in a way that you need a lot of money to live comfortably. Nigerians love to live their lives to the fullest and that comes with a price.
Imagine having a decent house, a car, and some savings in the bank. And when you get back home after a hectic day, there’s light, you turn on your tap and water rushes out and you put on air conditioning to combat excruciating heat while you fix yourself to a good meal. Your kids are able to attend a nice school and the hospital is reliable, and there’s just a feeling of peace of mind.
The amenities and opportunities to make such life as listed above possible is scarce in Nigeria and to achieve it, you need millions of Naira. Nigerians are out to make it happen and the obsession is real. It’s a daily struggle and some of them don’t mind doing irrational things to have a reprieve.
The burden is one that makes all Nigerians appear to be money lovers who can do anything for money and it often raises the question, why do all Nigerians want to be be rich?
Well, to put it all together Nigerians want money to live a good life and most of all to show off their wealth to earn more influence. Think about Champagne, G-Wagon, Rolex, Luxury Mansions in Lekki, Ikoyi, Maitama, Asokoro and the Power to do whatever you want.
But in the end, becoming rich can always be achieved by doing a legitimate business that yield a more satisfying outcome on the long run. If all Nigerians pursue money in the right way, then there won’t be any need for the question; why do all Nigerians want to be rich because being successful is something to be admired.
