I will begin this write up with a question to my friends and I will use their input to complete my story. My question is “is there anything naturally wrong with a typical black man with afro hair?” I mean black man from mainly Africa with the exception of north Africa.

To cut the long story short. I was in Nigeria for christmas 2016. On European airlines the cost of ticket from Europe to Nigeria was so hight. I started looking inward into African airlines. I was searching for Ghana airways and I did not see anything like it. I complained to my colleague whom I believe is a Ghanian and she was surprised that I did not know that Gnana airways has gone burst like Nigeria airways. Then I could only secure Ethiopean airline. However the journey from Ethiopean to Nigeria was almost eight our. I hated the ideas but then the time was running our if I were to spend Christmas day on the soil of Nigeria. In my head any where on Nigerian soil is good for me as long as I did not spend Christmas in another country. At the end I bought a ticket from Egypt airline. At least it is an african airline.

However, the theme of this article is not which airline brought me to Nigeria, though it is regretable that Nigeria as giant of Africa has no airline of her own. My journey began from east London to Heathrow. The road to Heathrow airport was smooth and the motorist behaved themselves at the traffic lights, respecting the pedestrians and obeying the rules and regulations guiding the roads. It normally take forty five minutes to Heathrow from east London. it was a continuous flight with a stopover at Cairo. We landed at Murtala Muhammed airport smoothly by Grace of God. To God be the glory, I spent my Christmas day in Lagos, though I am from Owerri but I felt the peace of being at home in Lagos. Well, until Nigerians go their separate ways and Biafran passport is given to me, I am still a Nigerian. I suppose to be safe at any soil of Nigeria be it Lagos, Kano, Enugu or Owerri. These issues I have narrating above are not even my point. They are not even the aim of my story. Sorry that I have been carried away.

Remember that I started my journey from London to Cairo, then to Lagos and Owerri both in Nigeria. This include four cities and three countries. Cairo almost has the same temperature as that of London, though London is colder. The airport was clean. Air conditions working. Life was normal and not chaos. People behaved appropriately. All the airport officials were doing what they were employed to do. None was asking fro Christmas gift, no tip, and no one was asking for pounds or dollar or do us christmas as it is normally said in Nigerian cities. Outside the Cairo airport to the city, the roads were paved, smooth and none was bumpy. My journey to my hotel was normal, the driver behaved, obeyed the traffic rules and kept to his lane. It is noteworthy that in every city of the world there is traffic congestion due to rush hours and road works, yet the drivers obey the rules and maintain their lanes. For this, I did not notice the difference between London and Cairo. Eventually we arrived in Lagos. Then every thing was different.

The chaos started at Murtala Muhammed Airport. Every one as behaving completely unnatural, strange, cheerfully, though officially and unofficially begging. Asking every passenger for dollar and pounds. Oga do Christmas for us now! They sell the use of trolley for N500 with help. The young man who took money from me for trolley disappeared, after I complained to all the authorities, he later emerged. At this time they were two and were behaving strangely. I perceived that all might not be well, so I paid them off and asked them to go so as to allow me to concentrate. In fact before them, the immigration officials asked for money, the customs checked my bag twice as I refused to give in. after that the airport was littered with strange people dragging your suit cases, your bag, and your hand. It was all madness. At the Nigerian airport and to the Nigerian officials, everything was normal. Remember that all these were happening in the heat of Murtala Muhammed airport. No air conditioners were working, no fans, electric cables hanging and lying about. Everything seemed normal to ordinary Nigerian in the midst of chaos.

Lagos roads were horrible, the traffic was uncontrolable. Everyone was doing what he liked. No obedience to the traffic rules. The roads were rough and bumpy. Everything seems strange compared to London and Cairo.Everyone in Nigeria, from the airport to the hotel is looking for a way to cheat you. Then came to the real issue about Nigerians and their ambition to acquire wealth. Arrangement was made for me to share a sienna with two passengers. I was to occupy three seats with my suit cases. The driver came to pick me at the hotel and insisted that I will pay him NGN36,000. I told him that I was going to pay him NGN30,000. The driver picked me and them went to pick a lady with wedding cakes, all sorts. The rate at the park was NGN8,000 per seat. I took the front seat, the lady took the whole back seats and another man took the remaining seat. My suit cases that were supposed to occupy three seats were kept in the boot. We did not go to Owerri direct. we first went to Awka, then to Owerri. The driver insisted that I will give him NGN36,000. To make way for the cakes, they forced my suit cases into the back compartment and at the end my £66 suit case was complete damaged yet at Owerri the driver was still insisting that I pay him NGN36,000 as was originally agreed before he brought in the wedding lady with the cakes.

Remember that what I was narrating above ws not the aim of this article. The road from Lagos to Owerri was horrible. No driver obeyed the rules. The drucks ignored the rules, the road was bad, rough and bumpy. In fact, only in Nigeria that drivers will driver on the opposite lane and no considerations for life. no wonder that there are deadly accidents on Nigerian roads. Everything was chaos. The police behave like the people they are supposed to be controlling. The Road Safety officials have no clue of their responsibility. In the heat of this, there is no electricity, there were road blocks, there are deep potholes, bumps and the menace of other traffic users. No one cares. One wonders why black man behave the way they do.

In Owerri no building was complete; the governor knocked down half of the buildings on the streets of Owerri as he claimed to dualise the city. There was a pedestrial footbridge built by governor Rochas Okorocha at IMSU junction (Okigwe road by Works Layout) less than two years ago. The same governor knocked the footbridge down to dualise the road. I was at home for christmas in December 2015 and there were redesigned roundabouts, very beautiful. By December 2016, the roundabout were destroyed to be rebuilt according to the taste of the governor, yet I heard the pensioners were duped by the governor of Imo State who asked them to sign for 100% payment of their pension, while indeed, he paid them 40% of what they signed. This is 419 of the highest order. Anyway, I was talking about roads, electricity and water. In Lagos and Owerri, there were none. To my greatest surprise, life was normal. The reason is that the majority of us have not seen anything better than what we have so far seen in Nigeria. Remember I travelled through London to Cairo and then to Lagos on my way to Owerri. Can a black man do anything good? My facebook friends said it is a mental issue. As a man thinks so he is. Black man is lacking in all departments of human development. Our mentality is poor; our way of life is very poor. We lack understanding apart from how to make money by duping others. Our mind is full of evil. We blame everyone for our mistake. We do not love ourselves, how can we love others? Black man is a disgrace to human race no matter whatever we may claim. We have let ourselves down. truth is bitter however black man with afro hair is not capable of ruling himself.

This is how I see it, however how do you see it?

By: Oguchi Martins Egbujor