Our World

I can’t remember my first encounter with poverty but all I know is that like most people, I have been aware of its existence for as long as I can remember. From beggars on the road to classmates sent home for their inability to pay their school fees. As you grow older, you begin to see new dimensions of this poverty, like loss of opportunities or the inability to afford a proper meal.

Poverty is a stark reality of our world and it almost feels bigger than all of us especially because it has been in existence for so long. It is why people could be sold as slaves, it is why crime rates are so high, and it is why there is so much inequality. It seems that people with money have the ability to do and undo and poor people just move as the wind blows.

It takes varying forms and so what constitutes poverty in one society may look a little different in another community. But either way, I believe we have all seen the worst forms of it. I always seemed to have this inner struggle, poverty didn’t make sense to me and I just always wondered why we couldn’t find a solution. One prevalent thought I use to ponder on was why the government couldn’t give every citizen a million naira. This was around the time when Nigeria’s population was put around 150 million so in total all that would be needed would have been 150 million naira to end poverty.

Age and maturity have taught me that life doesn’t work that way. Even if every single person (including children) received a million naira, it still wouldn’t solve the problem. This is because aid at its very best is a temporary solution, like putting band aid when a person has a headache. We all know that a headache is something internal, it therefore requires a deeper solution, something to end it once and for all.

I don’t know if poverty is something that can be totally eradicated, I hope it could be, but I know for certain that it can be mitigated to the point where its impact on our world is minimal. So, this for me is a very big aspect of my life. I had wanted to become a politician so I could help society but then I realised that I wanted to move even closer to the problem. I wanted to have an immediate impact and not have to wait till I was voted into office or grapple with numerous bureaucratic processes.

Basically, what I have learnt is that change begins with me and you. No leader, no matter how great they are, can do everything that needs to be done. We as regular citizens must be willing to play our part, give back to society as much as we can, encourage small businesses, refuse to engage in any form of crime at any level and other small things. It’s just like the story of Nehemiah in the bible when he returned to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Yes, he was the one that led the rebuilding but it was only successful because everybody had a part to play and they actually played it.

I think all I’m trying to say is be the change you want to see. For me, it’s poverty alleviation, food security, job creation and educational opportunities and for you it could be anything. Today, let’s choose to join the fight for change, no matter what that looks like and life is either action or inaction. So, you may not have anything to add and that’s okay as long as you’re not joining to destroy our world. Don’t say everybody is doing it, don’t say it’s just how the world works, refuse to cut corners, refuse to cheat and bribe and other things that harm us as a society. It may be hard but please stand up for the right thing, let’s just do our best to create the world we all want to see.

Tess, in one This is us episode said, “silence in the face of injustice is complicity with the oppressor” (quote attributed to Ginetta Sagan). And the Yorubas in my country say “soro soke” which simply means “speak up”. So, I guess that’s what I’m doing today, adding my two cents to a topic that has undoubtedly been well covered. This is me saying, I’m going to join this fight too and with God helping me, I’m going to leave this world a much better place than when I met it.

will you join me too?