Until We Learn How To Do Them By Ourselves And For Ourselves

My opinion on why Africa is impoverished

Some are born with golden spoon in their hand, while some are born without any spoon. That there are some without spoon from birth doesn’t mean that there’re no spoons around, it could be that there’s no one to drop the spoon in their hands.

Opportunity remains for everyone to pick a spoon of his choice. Blacks or Africa has grown to discern between good and evil, and to know what’s best for them.

This is how I see some countries of Africa; I see them as people without golden spoon in their hands from birth, but they have gold. Now, some of this countries are expected to to have known better by now, but yet they’re playing oversight with their future.

If you have gold, go ahead and make for yourself a golden spoon of your choice. Most countries of Africa are rich with natural resources but yet they’re still impoverished.

We black people refused to see life from the right perspective. It’s my earnest desire to see this narrative changed. An average black man thinks that his problem is just money in his pocket. Poverty in Africa has changed many people’s perception of life; an average black man thinks that his problem is poverty. And anytime he sees money around him, he think he has arrived.

So an average number of Africans are only trying to escape poverty, so escaping poverty has become our main reason for living. This is not right in my opinion. I think we need to change our view of life. Becoming economically stable starts the day we realize the importance of solving problems and not creating problems, producing more and consuming less, importing less but creating more to meet our demands.

Creativity and invention capabilities lies in bosom of the wise.

I went to a shopping mall to pick a toilet tissue hanger for my bathroom, and I noticed that it’s ‘made in China’ product. I also noticed that a piece would cost me $6 to secure; so I’ll need up to $24 to purchase 4 pieces that I need. I looked for ‘made in Nigeria’ toilet tissue hanger but found none.

I wept inside of me considering the fact that my country imports almost everything that they’re using, and yet producing millions of graduates each year on numerous professionalism. Those graduates ends up becoming consumers like their predecessors, no one produces nothing. I later picked just one of toilet hangers. My purpose was to take it home and examine it so that I can build the remaining 3 by myself seeing that there’s no spectacular thing about it.

I also went to pick some curtain hangers, and experienced same; I couldn’t find ‘made in Nigeria’ curtain hangers. All hangers were imported from foreign countries, and very expensive for that matter. It was a humbling experience for me, and I went home sad.

Coming back home, I decided to build curtain hangers by myself and for myself; doing such by myself could save hundreds of dollars for me considering the number of curtains needed in my house.

Having a creative mind is the beginning of prosperity in my opinion. So I looked for some pieces of aluminum offcuts from my workshop; yes, my house is my workshop, and it’s where I conduct many experiments.

Living life in some part of Africa could be so hard and expensive; especially in a country where almost all their markets is filled with imported goods. I’ve decided to solve most of my basic needs by myself without spending much in imported materials.

I realized that I needed just a few aworking tool to construct enough curtain hangers for my building need.

I went ahead and cut the leftover alluminum profile to the measurements that could form my desired curtain hangers.

After slicing the materials to my desired measurements, I formed the base by cutting some portion those profiles and bending the angle into 2 opposite sides. As shown from the picture, this base was drilled a hole 🕳 on it to enable screws pass through to the wall.

The next stage was the creation of spaces that holds curtain poles. I spent few hours and was able to form all hangers needed for my windows.

Life is meant to be lived simple, but humans decided to complicate many things; making things difficult for many. The ability to make and create things in Africa and use them in Africa is the same ability that can take us out of impoverishment.

I noticed that my own version of curtain hanger comes stronger than those imported ones. Though I still lack tools to make this as these smoother and polished products, but one can improve from doing it this casual way.

I’ll advise my fellow Africans, especially those in mismanaged economic countries to stand their ground and change many things to good. We should start thinking on ways to create and build wealth rather than consuming things all the times.

It’s unfortunate that our leaders has become so insensitive to honesty and genuine love for their people; they prefer enriching themselves with public money, and sending those money back to their colonial lords who ends up lending them back their money.

It’s unfortunate that some African people doesn’t feel good seeing their people prosper, they’re easily enticed by filthy lucre and selfish interests. He prefers to kill his brother instead of seeing him prosper.

If I were the president of my country.

I’m still surprised why the obvious things to do by the government which can turn our country around for good doesn’t cross the mind of our leaders; or is it that they posses seared consciences and becomes so stiff-necked.

If I eventually becomes the president of my country Nigeria, the first thing that I’ll do is to stop crude oil exports and foreign refineries work. It’s a shameful thing for me that my (rich) country doesn’t have working refineries, and our government prefers to sell our crude to foreign countries and end up buying it back from them. So if I were to make policies for my country, I’ll stop crude export and enhance refineries. Nigeria is a big market that can consume whatever that is produced in Nigeria, by Nigeria for Nigeria.

It’s ill not to be patronizing locally made products. Our leaders would prefer to spend billions on Medicare abroad instead of fixing our health care system. So if I am the president, I’ll put to a stop leaders going abroad for medical treatment.

Conclusion

Africa should unite and stop fighting each other. Africa should be ready to fight corrupt leadership. Africa should start thinking of industrialization and self reliance; building what they need by themselves, employing Africans, and stop importing and consuming foreign products.