THE DILEMMA OF A NIGERIAN. - by Trixie Wrights

What if there was a blackout the night before Independence Day and the power was restored briefly so you could taste basic human rights? I didn't have to imagine it. "What if the national grid has collapsed again?" This thought comes up everytime there's no power supply. After all, the amount of times it happened this year is unusually often. Based on my experience, this isn't a mere claim. Why shouldn't Nigerians Japa? What does the word mean in Nigeria? To flee or safely escape from a difficult situation. If you had the chance to leave Nigeria right now, would you? I would. That leads me to my argument. What if leaving the country is a form of patriotism? But first, if patriotism is a deep love and sense of responsibility for one's country, how is leaving it patriotic? Simple, deconstructive love for one's country. This is when we break down, question, and analyse the flaws and biases of a country and choose the best option. This is what many Nigerians have done and are doing. As opposed to reconstructive love, which means to build or to repair a country. In my opinion, this isn't necessarily a citizen's job. Quite frankly, it shouldn't be. Both of them are forms of patriotism.Why shouldn't the former suffice? Nobody abandons clean water for the gutter. Nobody abandons freshly baked bread and fried akara for moldy ones and uncooked beans. Nobody wants to leave their own country without a concrete reason. Consider this scenario. Bola and Uche are Nigerians. Bola is in a foreign country and Uche is in Nigeria. Both pray and hope Nigeria will be better. If they're both patriotic, why do we assume Uche's presence in Nigeria makes him more patriotic than Bola? If Bola still employs Nigerians, sends money to Nigeria and advocates for Nigeria, isn't she patriotic? Perhaps patriotism isn't about where you are. It's about what you do with what you have. When a number of a country's citizens united by division and divided by unity agree that leaving is the best option, shouldn't we ask why? Nigeria is a place for far-fetched hopes. On the outside the country is like a beautiful fruit, on the inside, rotten enough for a large number of its citizens to consider leaving. When a country cannot provide its citizens the basic needs regardless of the reason, it shouldn't be forcing its citizens to rebuild it. In my opinion, patriotism should be earned, not given freely. Citizens should stay only if they want to, not because they should be forced to fix the problems they didn't create. Staying in the country forces us to let go of the reality we wish for and settle for the one we live in.Leaving, on the other hand, helps us choose the better option—a stable life. What if everyone who wanted to and who was capable of leaving actually left? That's a question we must also consider. Consider this: what if staying isn't inherently patriotic either. It's what someone does with their presence that matters. Believe it or not, the ones actively working to rebuild Nigeria don't necessarily have to be in Nigeria. There are also others who are actively doing so. They don't appear often on the news. They are the ones who make an honest living selling street food and spare parts. But what do we owe Nigeria? Since we're citizens, we owe our country something, not everything. If staying costs us our dignity, leaving gives us a taste of normalcy. Our citizenship creates obligations that should have limits. Now, what does Nigeria owe Nigerians? The basic conditions necessary to live with dignity. Why is leaving Nigeria patriotic? Again I ask. We love our country so much that leaving it could become a final act of love. Sixty-six years of independence and the debate is if leaving is helping. I say, we have bigger issues.<img alt="" src="/media/inline_insight_image/144464.jpg"/> Insecurity, poor infrastructure, not to mention the fact that some citizens have little to no access to good food. If that is an empty claim, what does that tell you at the very least? We have renowned surgeons and footballers in several parts of the world who do great things. Physical distance doesn't automatically cancel national identity or contribution. To me, leaving Nigeria is a form of patriotism. Leaving the country despite the possibility of being hated, judged, and stereotyped just for us to taste freedom is a unique form of bravery. Maybe the question isn't why Nigerians leave. Maybe we should ask why they feel they have to.

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