30/04/2026
Ododo oro le so Mami.
When I hear people say, “If you have money, you’ll enjoy Nigeria,” I already know those are people who have not really seen money.
They are imagining wealth.
They are not speaking from experience.
Because the truth is simple, and many people don’t like to say it out loud;
Nobody is truly enjoying Nigeria.
Not the poor.
Not the middle class.
Not even the rich.
Let’s define “rich” properly.
Not social media rich.
Not “I bought a car once” rich.
I’m talking about people who genuinely have money. People who built wealth legally, people who run businesses, people who understand what it means to maintain value.
Even them, they are not enjoying Nigeria.
Why?
Because money can solve comfort, but it cannot fix a broken system.
Take electricity.
In many parts of Nigeria today, if you want stable power, you are either running generators or going fully solar.
Some households and businesses are spending ₦30,000 to ₦50,000 daily just to keep the lights on.
That’s not enjoyment.
That’s survival with money.
And even those going solar are doing it not because it’s convenient, but because the system has failed them.
They are forced to go off-grid.
Security?
Money can buy private guards, high fences, convoy, and gated estates.
But it cannot buy peace of mind.
People are still looking over their shoulders.
People still plan their movements carefully.
People still avoid certain roads, certain hours, certain places.
That is not enjoyment.
That is controlled fear.
Healthcare?
If Nigeria was truly enjoyable for the rich, why are the same wealthy people flying abroad for treatment?
Why are top politicians dying in hospitals outside Nigeria?
Why are medical trips a normal thing for those who can afford it?
Because deep down, they don’t trust the system they govern or live in.
Education?
If Nigeria was working, why are their children not in Nigerian schools?
Why are their kids in the UK, the US, Canada, and other countries?
Why are families relocating?
Because when it comes to the future, even they don’t want to gamble with Nigeria.
Let’s even talk about lifestyle.
Vacations? Abroad.
Medical care? Abroad.
Education? Abroad.
Real estate investments? Abroad.
So what exactly are they “enjoying” in Nigeria?
Even your kleptomaniac politicians who steal money from Nigeria are not enjoying Nigeria.
They are constantly looking for exits.
Because no matter how the money came, nobody wants to spend money without value.
No one wants to:
Pay high taxes and get nothing in return
Pay heavily for security in a country that should protect them
Pay daily for electricity in a country that should provide it
Pay for private solutions to public problems
That is not enjoyment.
That is expensive coping.
And then there is the deeper truth people avoid.
No one truly wants to run to another country to give birth.
No one truly wants to buy a second passport just to escape.
No one wants to plan their life around “how to leave.”
People want to stay where things work.
Where systems are reliable.
Where effort matches reward.
But in Nigeria, what we have is a system where;
You pay for everything twice
You plan for failure before success
You survive more than you live
So when someone says, “If you have money, you’ll enjoy Nigeria,” understand what they are really saying.
They are imagining comfort, not reality.
Because real wealth is not just about money.
Real wealth is about value.
Real wealth is about peace of mind.
Real wealth is about systems that work without you forcing them to.
And that is the part Nigeria is missing.
Until Nigeria becomes a place where basic systems work for everyone, not just those who can afford to patch it themselves, nobody is truly enjoying it.
They are just surviving at different levels.
- Iniobong Udoh II
