The media and entertainers made plenty money and riches look like the most important thing, hence many people started going for the money and not so much the respect and dignity of a technocrat or a corporate guru.
Rating and rankings of billionaire in Nigeria took the front burner in our thinking and inspiration as Nigerians, not how competent, skilled, knowledgeable or intellectually productive you are.
This vile orientation accentuated greatly, the menace of corruption and beyond individual corruption, the Nigerian system became highly infected with the virus of corruption.
In both private and public sectors, both employers and employees boldly lived above their legitimate means with impunity and disdain, and rather than being questioned or criticized, they were in fact applauded and celebrated by the vocal society. Cutting corners, taking bribes, inflating contracts, extortion and non-performance on contracts attracted no criticism or penalties whatsoever. An inexplicable era.
Thieves, treasury looters and criminals were celebrated as smart people who knew their way, they were called sharp and envied by many especially the deprived. And many people followed suit in looking for ways to steal from their employers and the government and even innocent people, some would cheat their clients, refuse to repay loans and suppliers, and internet fraudsters also began to trend big time.
Ladies and gentlemen, these two eras were quite prominent in the last three decades but guess what, a new day is here. To think we would ever return or revert to an era where stealing, looting and embezzlement would be celebrated and go unchecked is an illusion.
This I must say, has little to do with the effort of the current administration in fighting corruption as you may begin to assume that’s what I’m implying, the era of materialism and high level corruption is wounding down and will soon elapse based more on the transformation in the thinking and mindset of the people. The masses, the electorate. Ladies and gentlemen, people are tired!
Many Nigerians have changed and many are still changing. We are fast recovering from the suppression era of the military and many have today, found their voices and are questioning everything. I have hundreds of thousands of contacts and followers on social media and people are courageously expressing themselves. Nigerians are now bolder, asking questions and criticizing people, public officials, policies, developments, institutions and performance. Public outcry against anything negative, unacceptable and vile is trending and growing. Many Nigerians are now aware and the youth population – 45 years old and below that number over 100 million people, are becoming more interested, involved and enlightened when it comes to our national issues and the way forward.
There is a new normal, not driven by the government directly but through self-awareness and general enlightenment. There is a massive paradigm shift in our thinking as a people and our society, unfortunately only a few can recognize what is coming.
In a few years there is a specialist prediction of another global depression that will be quite severe and incidentally will be oil led. It’s called the T junction depression. Oil producing nations would be worst hit leading to job losses and all other attended consequences of a global depression.
If you’re not aware, getting ready or preparing for this development, you may be suddenly shocked.
Times have change, seasons come and seasons go, about 20 years ago or so, I used to work with Nitel, and I remember then there were less than 1 million lines in the country both official and private lines. We would conduct meter reading in my department, send out bills and cut off lines of customers owing. Customers would come to the office, pay reconnection fees and beg for their lines to be restored. Technicians will go out in that blue and white pickup van with ladders and tools to fix telephone cable lines and other installations after major rain falls. To get a new telephone line was a big deal then. But just 2 decades after, nearly every Nigerian has a phone.
Just three years ago, phones with key pads were everywhere, today, nearly all phones is touch screen. Desk top computers have given way to laptops, laptops to iPad and tabs and tabs and pads to very sophisticated GSM phone devices. Cyber cafes now exists on every one’s handset device. Cassette players gave way to CDs and today you have thousands of music saved up on your phone through virtual realities.
Change is the only constant thing in life, change is change whether it’s a good one or not it’s a matter of your opinion, perspectives, expectations and personal implications. How the dynamics of the environment serves you personally is what will qualify your change as a good one or otherwise.
Ladies and gentlemen, can’t you see it? The millennials are here! Impatient, high expectations, aggressive and very informed generation! Our digital natives are growing fast and wide, creativity, multiple skills, competence, capacity and entrepreneurship are the new normal, these days.
The era of paid employment is declining my friend. No matter the effort of the government and some citizens is creating jobs, improved technology replacing humans efficiently in the work place will keep frustrating the efforts. When a single app or software can replace hundreds of employees, do the job faster and more accurately, and come at a much cheaper rate, my dear friend, the massive employment era is over. Entrepreneurship is now the new normal.
Business ideas, solution mindedness, creativity, multiple skills and excellent competencies will rule the new normal.
The respect for plenty money and plenty possessions is about to lose its power, fresh respect for young, creative and aggressive entrepreneurs based on what they’re doing, creating and building will dominate the new normal Dear friend, Can’t you see it?
My dear friend, don’t get stuck in the thinking and approach of yesterday, don’t be too comfortable in today’s comfort zone either, if you do, tomorrow could shock you. It’s time to invest in what will make you relevant and valuable in this new normal if you feel young enough and still need income. It’s time to prepare your children not for how things are today, but how things would be in the near future. Many hitherto, respected courses and subjects and professions would become valueless and pay peanuts in the nearest future.
It’s time to acquire relevant skills, business capacities, entrepreneurship abilities and digital expertise. You can’t keep doing the same thing the same way and expect great results in a changing world, normal has changed!
Spend wise, spend right, spend on your mind; build your brain. To avoid being a victim in the next decade, embrace the new normal.
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