Hmmm! 🤐Na Nigerians De Do Nigeria… Abi Na Nigeria De Do Nigerians? I woke up at 4:30 a.m.Not because I wanted to.Because NEPA had finally brought light.I rushed to charge my phone, iron my clothes, pump water, and cook before the electricity disappeared again. By 6:00 a.m., it was gone.I laughed.Not because it was funny.Because crying had become exhausting.

—I boarded a bus to work.The roads were filled with potholes.Traffic stood still.The driver blamed the government.The passengers blamed the president.The conductor blamed fuel prices.Everyone blamed someone. No one looked happy.

—At work, everyone smiled.The smiles were expensive.Behind every smile was a loan.Behind every laugh was anxiety.Behind every “I’m fine” was another unpaid bill.

—By evening, I bought a loaf of bread.The same bread I bought last month had become almost twice the price.I looked at it.The bread looked smaller.My salary hadn’t grown.Only my responsibilities had.—I got home and opened social media.Someone wrote:> “Nigeria will be better.”Another replied:> “When?”Nobody answered.

—Then I looked into the mirror.The face staring back at me wasn’t old.It was tired.Tired of surviving instead of living.Tired of hoping without seeing.Tired of celebrating the bare minimum.And then one question escaped my lips…Hmmm! 🤐Na Nigerians dey do Nigeria…Abi na Nigeria dey do Nigerians?

I still don’t know the answer.But one thing I know is this:Despite everything…We still wake up.We still hustle.We still laugh.We still help strangers.We still celebrate each other’s wins.We still believe tomorrow can be better.Maybe that’s the strongest thing about Nigerians.Not that life is easy…But that somehow, against all odds, we keep going.

— Adanne Chukwudi Udejiofor✍🏾