Nigerians And The Nigeria Project (Part 2) By Bolaji O. Akinyemi

My experience of the rotten system powering Nigeria is daily but a new level of it began with sourcing fund for ART Conference. I took an online loan to activate our preparation and on due date, I couldn’t pay because my banking platform was down. I ran to my bank and nothing could be done, except I withdraw to go pay to the bank of my online creditor’s bank, Palm Credit, who were by now ready to put my breasts on the lantern. “Komu le lantern” is the phenomenal hardship small Nigerian traders are subjected to at funding their businesses when they are left with the option of loans. Now, we know better that Market money was meant to buy votes for Buhari/Osibajo as Baba loja of Nigeria has refused to show up this election period to relief market men and women. No description is more fitting than the phrase market women chose for it. If you know the pain of torment that goes with having a woman’s breast on a lit lantern.

My breast was aimed at for routine barbecue roasting. Experience that has left many in depression. But trust me, I was ready for the heat. The silly fellow sent after me met his match, threatening in foul words without decency! Send one text message to any of my contacts and that is the end of your money, I promised him. You can’t damage my integrity and expect your money back!

He then said given the bank platform situation. I should go and pay through a POS since the banks platform wasn’t working. What wickedness! With a 100 naira charge on every 5k, imagine the price for me to pay for the failure of our financial system superintended by CBN and operated by Nigerian Banks!

The systemic rot for which CBN has no foreign exchange to offer Nigerian manufacturers for raw materials, but enough for currency traders and to fund terrorism. Crispy mint naira notes are sold as wares in open market and garages for easy access to our owambe parties while ATM discharges worn out notes. I went to their sister company and nobody will take responsibility to receive payment from me. How can such magnitude of financial transaction taking advantage of Nigerians be allowed to continue without any office nor faces to it!

The killing loan system in Nigeria is either operated or supported by the same banking system, who has no facility to give to their customers for impossible collateral demand and cumbersome procedures but are able to hide in the dark and offer loans without collateral under sudo names without offics!

That paid, I shut down on loans, because men without money in Nigeria are no men, no matter their content and contribution to the society. “Mammon” is the mark that tells the called from the not called in the folly of present day ministry in Nigeria and its voice is loud in our churches. The Priests of Mammon among us are busy on political party campaign platforms, they are the mouth piece of known rouges and robbers of our commonwealth. To read about a Bolaji O. Akinyemi who has “left” ministry for market place of politics to make money like their political benefactors will obviously twitch many ears and Nigerians loves such stories!

We are however not the same, what they do in their avaricious craving to satisfy their bellies, we do in honour to God’s Kingdom and His people.

Our concentration has been on first time voters, young Nigerians who turned 18 and we encouraged and assisted to register to vote, one of such is Ezekiel Zephaniah, who came to see me in the office being one of our volunteer media hands and we began discussing about funding our project and he went online while the discussion was going on, took a loan of 450k at 100% and transferred the money to my account. 450K to pay back 905K, that is the resilient spirit of the Nigerian youth. I wept for days over his action. May I not fail this generation. Let the generation that want to stand in their way be ready for the consequences! Ezekiel bought shares in the new Nigeria project, a major stakeholder, who staked for hope he sees without compromise of the possibility of a postponement of elections not to talk of cancellation!

Annulment is a word that died in 1993 and was buried! To them its resurrection is impossible. He is one among very many first time voters who sees hope in what we are doing. In their commitment, our passion finds inspiration. To them, and not politicians we owe our advancement!