Back in Ibadan this time from Abeokuta, taking the Old Road. From Abeokuta to Odeda, the road is not that good, but from Odeda to Ibadan, it’s very good. A scenic route you pass Olodo, Kila Ilugun, Bakata & Omo Adio to Akpata Ibadan
Ibadan is bigger & busier than Abeokuta; you can see that once you enter the city, everyone is in a hurry, hustling to make a living like most Nigerian cities. Ibadan is well laid out with wide dual carriageways. We passed Dugbe & Cocoa house on our way to Bodija.
I’m having a great time with family and friends in Ibadan, a city I recommend. It’s not as bustling as Lagos & more lively than Abeokuta but I will fill you in on Abeokuta Nightlife in my next episode
The cry Ebi npa wa can still be heard in Nigeria but is mostly made by the poor & destitute, who you see begging on the roads up and down the country. No different to those one sees up and down cities & towns in the UK, US, & Europe.
The cost of living crises is real for everyone. Food banks are becoming a staple for many families in Britain. The US Fed Bank reduced interest rates by 5 basis points to 4.75% as inflation rates fell closer to target.
With the fall in global interest rates, we look forward to CBN loosening the tight rope on the economy by lowering our interest rates to boost investments & affordable borrowing to the real sector.
In Nigeria, if you see someone driving a big SUV luxury car living in a mansion, one may wrongly assume they are part of the elite that ruined Nigeria. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
I stayed in a sumptuous mansion in Bodija, which I describe as Fort Knox. The father of the house left Nigeria for the UK in 1959 to study at a private public school, where he was one of just 5 black kids in the elite school. He went on to study medicine and is a meritorious assistant professor who has given back so much to Nigeria both in the medical field and in philanthropy & personal investments at great costs, with many successful positives & some inevitable costly setbacks, but remains an ardent patriot.
Where you are born. or ones circumstances are a matter of fait, not privilege. You may be like Egbon, privileged to have the opportunity to japan or go to the best schools in Nigeria. It doesn’t necessarily follow that you will remain privileged. Some are born with a golden spoon but squander everything.
You could’ve been born in a small village in the interior rural part of Nigeria but can find yourself in a room with the best of the best from around the world in the US, Dubai, Singapore or London and all eyes will be on you as they admire your exceptional Talent.
Talent is a natural gift, harnessed through hard work determination & the pursuit of excellence. Not necessarily synonymous with your circumstances or place of birth.
Politics of envy is destroying Nigeria, keeping up with the Agbekoyas Wazir”s & the Chukwudi’s will make some do the unthinkable in pursuit of rags to riches by any means necessary.
That’s why overnight political appointees or those privileged to win elections legitimately or by hook or crook seek to enrich themselves often illegally with riches beyond ones imagination which de no go chop finish.
How else do you explain the excessive riches in cash & assets of politicians with no professional home address.
Old money lasts a lifetime & delivers a legacy which many seek to emulate. A lot of new money circulating in Nigeria is unverified & built on shady foundations. How many estate owners, property developers, land owners, hotel owners & business owners are languishing in foreign prisons for one crime or the other.
There remains a phalanx of Nigerians who work hard for their money, through employment, savings, Investments & loans who are investing $Billions annually in Nigeria’s real sector. We must continue to praise & Encourage them afterall their success will be success & sustenance for millions of Nigerians.
Can your source of wealth be verified & stand the test of time, leaving a lasting legacy, let me know, what’s your view? Please share thanks.
Femi Oke Betta9ja
