In the Nigerian Perspective, Success Belongs to Everyone Else Except the Owner

July 28, 2023

Every country has unique things and cultures about them that make them interesting. They are aware of most of them but blind to a lot simultaneously. Having lived in Europe for over four years, some of the things most Nigerians would have seen as typical are now counted by me as one of the unique-interesting things about Nigeria.

One of these cultures that I loved when I was still in Nigeria, then hated at some point living in England but gradually falling back in love with, is the phenomenon that Nigeria is A Place Where People Buy Money!

If you follow Nigeria news, you may think I am referring to the Naira Redesign And Cashless Policy. The Naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (”CBN”), aimed at driving the objectives of the country's ongoing migration from a cash-dominated economic environment to an electronic payments market, otherwise known as a cashless economy, which was recently reintroduced on December 6, 2022.

This later turned into a nightmare for many Nigerians until around March 2023. Because not enough of the newly redesigned currencies denomination were in circulation at the deadline for the old ones' expiration. Nigeria almost returned to a country of trade-by-barter, where the cash of N1,000 in hand is worth more than N100,000 in bank account balance.

Owing to the challenge of obtaining physical currency, cashless ATMs became a common sight, and those that were loaded attracted massive queues, leading to disarray in banking facilities. This situation resulted in a considerable loss of customers for many Point of Sale (POS) agents, as they could not access cash.

The ones fortunate enough to procure cash had to resort to selling the Naira at exorbitant rates, sometimes with fees as steep as 20% to 40%. To procure cash, POS agents were forced to turn to places like fuel stations, where POS machines conveniently 'failed' to function, incurring high costs.

Nevertheless, I am referring to Nigeria, where people buy newer currency notes and pay a commission – to the level of paying up to 20% to 30% of the money purchased to give it all away by spraying it on people while dancing at ceremonies and parties.

Isn't that weird? It was only for me once I came to England for studies. However, I still admire the view and the sensation I feel when I attend such parties where people spray cash on others. For this reason, I rewired my mind to learn how to love it again.

Suppose you are new to cultural learning/cross-cultural theories. In that case, you will appreciate Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory, developed by Geert Hofstede. It is a framework used to understand the differences in culture across countries. Hofstede's initial six key dimensions include power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism-collectivism, masculinity-femininity, indulgence-restraint, and short vs. long-term orientation.

Nigerian's visible cultural distinction, which separates success and how it is celebrated, falls well under individualism-collectivism and power distance Hofstede's cultural dimensions.

In Nigeria, no personal success belongs to the individual that achieved it. All success stories should and must reflect Nigeria's greatness and how Nigerian you are helped in achieving it. You probably must have heard the phrase, 'Nigeria to the world or Naija to the World!'

In most parts of the world, success means that you can now have an identity that almost separates you from your entire country. With the West in mind, I consider how big famous names like Bill Gates, Michael Jackson, etc., are.

I find it interesting how all Blacks and other minority ethnicities are categorised as one – but not the famous ones that emerge from them. Success in the West seems like a way to own your name and individual identity (Barack Obama, Beyoncé, Rishi Sunak, and Oprah Winfrey).

However, in Nigeria, both at home and in the diaspora, you are a Nigerian in two ways. For example, you are an ordinary Nigerian in whatever you do. Maybe writing, singing, sports, etc., until you become famous, then you switch to a True Nigerian, reflecting the strength and carrying the spirit of every other Nigerian. This I state having people like Burna Boy, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in mind.

Perhaps, a general advice to Nigerians, both young and old, could be to win so big as we always have done and do so that it will be enough for every member of your family to start with. Then your state, your tribe, every Nigerian in and outside Nigeria. But still will remain enough leftover for you.

Photo by Snapwire on Pexels

Many thanks for reading my perspective and giving feedback.

My fervent wish is for the personal growth of everyone and the success of all young professionals who put their hearts and souls into finding their purpose in life.

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