It can’t be disputed that Nigerians are some of the most intelligent people on earth. Academically and otherwise, our citizens are flying the flag high. That is why its name has been written in gold or on the sands of time depending on whether it’s for good or bad.
One of our talents is making way where there is no way. The story is told of a Nigerian who was denied an American visa several times. But somehow manages to find his way to America by crook. At the end of his visits, it was said he would present himself at the embassy where he would be deported back.
After doing this repeatedly, it was reported that America decided to employ him to help in the fight against illegal migrants. The crook accepted it after they fulfilled the conditions he gave them. This included allowing his parents, siblings to relocate to America. These people know the value of paying for valuable service.
For some reasons, Nigerians perform exceptionally, academically in developed climes than anywhere in the world. Have you heard of the Imafidons in London? It’s a family based in London who is acclaimed to be the smartest. It is made up of 7 people. The father is a renowned professor and each of his offspring is making waves in academia. The first is a girl- Anne Marie who speaks 6 languages. She graduated from high school at the age of 10. At age 13, she was granted a British scholarship to study Mathematics in John Hopkins University, Baltimore. At 17, she obtained her Masters Degree from Oxford University. She was named a serial world record breaker in 2011 in the September edition of Higher Education Digest.
One of the Imafidon’s daughter- Christina, was the youngest student in history to attend a British university – The United Kingdom University, now working as an intern with the Citigroup Corporation.
Samantha Imafidon also has an interesting track record. She had passed 2 high level Mathematics and statistics examinations at age 6. She became the youngest girl in the UK to attend secondary school. She was the one who tutored her younger twin siblings to pass their Maths secondary school test when they were also six.
The Imafidon twins- Peter and Paula, nicknamed wonder twins are Great Britain’s highest achievers. At 9 years, they made history to attend high school. They were the youngest to ever pass the University of Cambridge Mathematics examination after participating in the Excellence in Education Programme.They set world records when they passed the A/AS-level Maths papers.
You could say that this family is legendary. Our problem is that we don’t celebrate Nigerians or Nigeria. We see nothing good in what is ours.
Others are spread all over the world, excelling in all matters. Is it music, academics, they have got it.
In some cases, greed, poverty and or blatant wickedness is the reason that Nigerians use something good for bad. A car dealer in Jos had a memorable day some time ago. Three men in an expensive car came to his stand to purchase a car. Considering the type of car they drove in and the fact that Oga was sitting in the car demolishing suya, the other two men were allowed to have a feel of the car.
Just at the point that the car dealer was walking towards Oga to complain to him that his boys were taking too long, Oga started doing some weird things. First, he took the paper that his suya was wrapped in, and began to eat it. At that point, people gathered around the car. Oga then started jumping around and tearing anything in sight. In the process, his cap fell off. Oga’s hair solved the puzzle. His hair was thick brown as a result of lack of washing.
Oga was an ignorant accomplice to a robbery. His part was to sit in the car and eat the mountain of suya before him. And he did it alright until the suya was finished. That was when he realised that he was caged and he wanted out.
The car dealers wanted to hold on to the certified mad man who must have been picked and enticed with suya to dress in babban riga complete with cap but the police told them that he has committed no offence. The guys that came with him disappeared with the new car. It was later discovered that even the car the mad man was left in at the car stand, was a stolen car.
Nigerians have committed cyber crimes that were thought to be impossible. They have succeeded in crimes where others couldn’t. All these take intelligence. Our problem is channelling it the right way.
It is not easy to remain unemployed in the face of daunting challenges. It is not easy to burn the night candle and yet, someone with no qualification gets a job you are qualified for. The change begins with you, if Nigeria will be better.
