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You know, for a people that regularly complains about everything the government seems to be doing wrong that is responsible for placing us all in the squalor we’re currently struggling to get out of, we’re really lacking when it comes to recognizing that the blame does not lie with the government alone.

We spend all day ranting about the government and how they’re ruining the economy, we keep saying that if they do this and do that, things will be so much better. We forget to add the fact that we’re also willing players in all mess. If many of us were not selfish and greedy as well, maybe the country would have been in a better place by now.

With the persistent decline of the value of the naira against the dollar, the prices of goods and services keep going up. However, it’s beginning to do so at a rate that is quite illogical and just plain greedy for many of these service providers. The way they hike their prices at the slightest opportunity these days is just alarming.

As it stands now, there’s no regulation at all for the price of petrol. Some are selling a liter for as cheap as N750 while others are selling theirs for as high as N1000 to N1200. Everyone is doing whatever the hell they want, regardless of how it’s affecting everyone. Within mere hours, a particular goods can have a fifty percent increase in price and there will be nothing one can do about it because that might be the best price yet.

You could decide to investigate and look for other cheaper shops but you’ll be shocked to find none, every other shop you found had it more expensive than the previous one. And then, you return to the first shop, but to your shock, the price has gone up yet again to match that of others. It’s like the dollar is simply going up and up with no form of resistance at all and everyone is just capitalizing on it for their personal gain.

Funny enough, this happens not just in the economy but in all facets of our lives. People don’t obey the laws when it comes to paying bills, sanitation, and pollution. They do what they want to do and then go on to complain when things get ruined. The people who throw their trash into gutters and drainage pipes are the ones who will complain when the trash accumulates and blocks everything, causing floods to take over and eventually ruin the road.

People who complain of corrupt leaders are the ones who will refuse to attend to people in their place of work unless said people show them some financial “love” to grease the wheel. As long as it’s happening to others, then none of it concerns us. Then the minute we begin to feel the effects of the same medicine, we start calling on the government.

We have a lot of work to do, not everything should be done by the government. It’s our duty to keep our environments clean and make sure that all drainage systems are clear, throwing trash into them will only affect you in the long run because that is your area and when the road worsens, you’re the only one who will suffer for it. The government won’t.

As business owners, I can’t tell you how to run your business, but I do ask that you show some compassion biko. Let the poor breathe. You’re not the only ones going through this tough time, we all are. So, it’s not right that you’re punishing your customers for something that’s well beyond their power. No excessive hiking of prices, this unnecessary lust for profits has to stop, and let’s focus on how to move the nation forward.

We’re really our own problem here, and once we’re able to see past our selfish needs, we might finally have a shot at changing the status quo in the government. We need to be more compassionate and law-abiding, we need to be ready to consider others in the decisions we make, not just for them but for ourselves as well. And for the good of the country, at large.

I really hope that this message meets you well.

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_{Thank you for reading. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below, I would love to know what you’re thinking. Till we meet in the next post.}

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_{N.B: All images used in this post are mine. The thumbnail was designed using Canva.}

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