Ayo-Elesho@Ayoelesho
I saw this video as soon as Rinu posted it and my initial reaction was to criticise these Nigerians who are selling their future for as little as 2,000 Naira.
But I needed to quickly step out to buy fuel, and the first thing I noticed was how hot the sun is.
It occurred to me that I have not had any reason to open my curtains or step outside since morning. Not having to hustle during the weekend after going to work the whole week is a privilege that many Nigerians do not have.
In the 15 to 20 minutes that it took me to get fuel and return to my house, I saw no fewer than 5 women and children hawking different items like pepper, frozen fish, and cold drinks in the hot sun. While I complained about the sun, they had no alternative but to be in it if they must survive.
It again occurred to me that I can afford to buy at least 10,000 Naira worth of fuel at a go while these hawkers struggle to make 1,000 Naira a day in profit, and if someone offered them 2,000 just to sing the praises of politicians, they would gladly do so.
I got home and put my generator on, and as I sit now typing this tweet, it has again occurred to me that those hawkers that I saw definitely do not have generators at home, and will suffer from the same heat that I can afford to prevent.
Although I knew that I was more privileged than some Nigerians, juxtaposing my lifestyle side by side with those of the hawkers made me realise how privileged I am.
My point is that it is easy to judge these people from our privileged vantage points, but we must recognise that many Nigerians are victims of a system which is working efficiently to keep them poor and unproductive so that they can sell their future for as little as 2,000 Naira.
Conclusively, we should be more favourable in our criticism of them.
