This Nigeria go better o. But first, special 4th of July congratulations to a budding number of Nigerian children who hold the now, very precious, very treasured and very important Blue passport 🙂
At a time in Nigeria, being born in the United States of America was not forced. If work, family or business took you there before or during pregnancy, well great. Now though, it is a calculated, plenty planning, money spending venture that we are willing to hustle out. That willingness to struggle and hustle for a child to be born there is why I earlier said Nigeria go better.

Many parents are looking for a better life than they had for their kids, I mean, thats absolutely the right thing to do, seeing as Nigeria is even somewhat upside down at the moment. Everything is difficult except perhaps you are from a super rich family.
Anyway so I wonder if later kids with Nigerian and American passports will be told about the reasons they were born in America. The savings that went into it, the midnight talks the parents had or the arguments maybe. Am guessing more than half will sound like this;
So you had to be born in America because mom and dad had had enough of all the wahala that was going on. Sorry you had to be born in America because we lost faith in the Nigerian health care system, including the private ones that require so much money. We thought ahead about Creche and Nursery and college for you and decided it wasn’t worth it to pay a million naira per term. So giving birth to you in America was a better plan.

Many are worried that in another few years perhaps this Nigeria as we know it may not be one nation, so America is a backup, a very stable backup. Atleast if they say war now, they package you and your passport, and off you go 🙂

They are thinking about all the days and stress it usually takes to get a visa to travel,or the scrutiny you face when you land in a foreign country, so you having that blue passport is BLISS.

No one can run away from death, but they are scared of untimely death for you. You know how people just die in a plane crash that could have been avoided? Or how people die on horrible roads that should have been fixed years ago. Oh wait there’s death from generator fumes too. No power. There’s the ultimate fear of Boko Haram. They can kidnap and kill. Never mind that random guys go on shooting sprees in America and claim mental illness o. America is still land of the free and home of the great.

Everything is still relatively easier.

Its sad. Really, think about it. If everything worked, if being Nigerian wasn’t so strenuous because believe me it is, I don’t see people planning and scheming to get away. I don’t think we know about the deep lengths that people go to. The risks. Oh dear, because truly not every one can actually truly afford having their kids there.

I am hopeful though that in the near future, Nigeria takes its place in the world stage, and that we find a solution to the corruption that has so eaten deep into every fabric of the nation. That our green passport becomes something to be proud of, that we are not constantly hearing bad news daily. That all our differences are put behind and concentration is majorly on the “betterment” of Nigeria. I hope that even after being born in stable America, parents will teach their children that there is indeed no place like home.

In the mean time though, Happy fourth of July to every American, of direct or indirect ancestry. Have fun barbecuing, parading and lighting up fireworks. Cheers to many more years of declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. 🙂