©️Abonyi Hyginus Ebuka
We must have heard that popular saying in a broken-english or what Nigerians call Pidgin English. It simply implies that a good soup or food if I should add, is made possible if a good amount of money is brought out to buy everything necessary for the soup making.
You cannot compare a soup made with two thousand naira (#2,000), with one made with one thousand naira (#1,000). Let us now assume that the cooks or chefs are skilled in cooking for one might argue that even though a reasonable amount of money is brought to make a good food, if the cook is not skilled in cooking, the soup will not be good.
Where am I driving to? Let us apply that saying to human development. Often times, I hear people who are motivation speakers saying that one can make it in life only when one is determined to making it. This is no true if there is no money. Not only money, but enough money.
How can one go to Nigeria university if there is no money? Even if you survive paying school fees, how can you survive without money to buy text books, money to buy food stocks (a hungry man is an angry man and a hungry man will be thinking only on how to feed first), money to do assignments, money for project, etc.
I have a friend who got admission in UNICAL (University of Calabar), managed to pay tuition fee and first year school fees. When I saw him in 2019, I asked him how is school going? He began shedding tears. I was really confused! Then, I sat him down and I was asking him what is the matter. He said and I quote:
" It was not easy for me at first entering UNICAL, it seems I am curse in life, I have to drop out because there is no money to continue and I have tried my best to source for money from my relatives and friends, no one agreed he or she has".
I was really touched by his narration, although, I was not moved immediately because I wanted to confirm if his stories are true. Later, I realized that he is the first son of the family, his father died earlier, leaving his mother, and five children. His mother fell sick prior to him getting admission..... problem continues 😭
What am I trying to say? There are thousand upon thousand people who want to make it and be useful in life but there is no money to carry out their dreams. I know someone from my secondary school, who is very brilliant but after school, what next: no money for university education.
Sometimes, we condemn people of putting hands in bad things but we need try to inquire why such a person is behaving like that. Nigeria at the verge of 2021, was pronounced the poverty capital of the world where citizens live below one dollar ($1) per day. It will interest you to know that some do not even get any money a day: People are going hungry everyday, many promising young people are school drop outs.
In a country where education cannot be afforded, what is the future of that country? The quest for survivability in a country like Nigeria, has pushed many people in doing all sorts of bad things to see that life goes on: turning man to be a wolf to his fellow man. Cyber crime, yahoo plus plus, kidnapping, stealing, robbery, etc are all product of the quest for survivability where nothing or small opportunity is provided by the government.
The ugly part of the story is that the rich gets richer while the poor gets poorer. From the research I made, the five richest men in Nigeria, is able to lift up 95% of Nigerians from extremely poverty, yet, they accumulate more money for themselves and for their 15th generations.
"Beta soup na money kill am". If you want to make profit in any business, you have to first invest in that business. What you sow is definitely is what you will reap and if you sow sparingly, you will reap sparingly but if you sow bountifully, you will reap bountifully.
Can you help send someone to school? If yes, please do that with pleasure and do not say, he/she is not my daughter or son. Many promising brilliant young people (I know some) are lavishing because no money to go to school and the only option left for them is to fall to the street😭😭😭
As I write this, I know how heavy my heart is, seeing the future of tomorrow becoming the evil of today. It is never a spilt milk, there is still hope, we can correct this. Let us join hands together to make the world better for us all.
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