Gentle wind in Abuja

One more thing to be thankful for this blessed day! It is July 1st, a very joyous month indeed. Not only is it the first day of the week, it is also the first day of the seventh month and the first day of the second half of the year. How time flies you will say! Now is yet another opportunity for us to reflect and evaluate these past months and re-organise all that need to be adjusted in our lives.

A change of environment can also help you in achieving this… Travel to get a bit of fresh air into your lungs. Well, that was what I did. It is not that there is no fresh air in Lagos but I am one of those that got depressed by the aftermath of the strike. To put it in more practical words, I didn’t like the angry faces I saw around me each time I tried boarding public transport.

The uncompassionate way the ‘Danfo’ drivers and conductors flared up the already expensive local transport fare was one thing I could not condone. But since I was just an ordinary commuter myself, there was nothing I could do than to watch on in silence and listen quietly to others scream about the injustice. That didn’t help though; listening to the complaints of others without being able to do anything to change things can be as depressing as being in the helpless situation yourself.

So, here I am in Abuja . Spending the rest of my holiday and recuperating for the days ahead in Lagos . The interesting thing about this is having the chance to experience the effect of the strike on two extremely different part of Nigeria . So I asked around, looked around and came to a conclusion: Abuja was certainly not as shaken as Lagos was by the strike. What did you expect? The town dey kampe. After all, it is our capital city!

Don’t get me wrong, there are long queues in fuel stations, things are expensive, including transportation but on a sensible note. While Lagos seems to be on fire (not literarily), Abuja is all calm…a good feel of gentle breeze blowing through the town. If Lagos gets as calm as Abuja is, then Lagos will stop being Lagos , the chaos is part of its beauty but it is a smiling chaos.

The most regrettable thing about the strike was days of wasted opportunities that turned out to be a big blow on our educational, political, social and economic sector at all levels. The religious sector was affected, but positively, at least, more people turned out to pray for Nigeria and for the strike to happen never again. Righteousness should be a lifestyle for all Nigerians and we will have fewer things to worry about.

Like always, life must go on. Like they say, Nigerians have got a good surviving spirit. It does not matter which way the world turns this remaining half of the year, we must keep our vision clear and stay focus to achieve the goals we set out at the beginning. Explore opportunities, leave your comfort zone if you must but stay on the right path and see your value appreciated. We are survivals and we will eat the good of this land called Nigeria .