10 Nigerian Problems

Nigerian problems may be the subject of a lot of jokes, however, they are ugly and a constant battle. Some of these problems in Nigeria are economic, social and political. One way or another they come together to form a body of problems. They are called Nigerian problems because the combination is unique to the nation and its people. The problems in Nigeria and solutions are not farfetched, however, knowing the people it is. Some of these problems are as a result of the political problems in Nigeria and they eventually lead to the economic problems in Nigeria.

1. Table of Contents

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   Traffic

For those who live in Lagos, the woes of traffic would have been experienced in all forms. Traffic a serious Nigerian problem. Some will say compared to other problems, it is a minor one, however, this kind of traffic is peculiar to this nation only. Traffic in Lagos is so severe that it is a community all on its own. A community with a supermarket, pharmacy, carwash, driving school and more. As much as traffic can also be an economic problem in Nigeria, due to the time the average person spends in traffic, the pollution from exhaust fumes, the causes of traffic and so forth, traffic is also economically beneficial to traffic retailers as most of them depend on traffic markets for their livelihood.

2. Bribe

Bribe culture is deeply rooted in the system and it runs so deep that a lot of people are not aware of the right procedures and correct prices. Bribe makes a lot of things that should be relatively cheap, expensive. For example. international passports, though the average Nigerian may find the application fee expensive to pay, compared to the price most people pay for their passports, the difference is outrageous. Asides the fact that some people pay four times the original fee for a 32 paged passport, more monetary settlements are made to ensure an easy and speedy process. When embarking on daily tasks and quests, financial needs are considered and unfortunately, a bribe is a part of that consideration. Bribe is by far the biggest Nigerian problem.

3. Forgetting to bring food out of the freezer

Forgetting to bring food out of the freezer may not seem like a serious Nigerian problem, however, every Nigerian child knows how much of a problem it is. The essence of bringing the food out of the freezer for it to defrost. This takes a lot of time; therefore, it is important to bring the food out long before you wish to cook it or warm it. It is not uncommon in Nigeria your mum to leave instructions to bring the chicken, meat or whatever food it is, out of the freezer. This will make it easy and quick to prepare once she has returned. There is a lot of time on your hands but still, you forget, you only remember when mum returns. It does not only happen on mummy’s instructions, at times you forget to do it for yourself before leaving for work or daily activities. Such an occurrence can lead to heartbreak.

4. Bills

Everybody has bills to pay. It is part of life and other cycles intertwined in it. Bills in some country are properly outlined giving room for adequate planning, however, the Nigerian problem, as well as economic and social problem in Nigeria, is the fact that bills come unannounced. Bills in Nigeria remove stability from right under your feet without warning. The people work so hard to afford bills known and unknown. Saving is difficult because every month a random bill springs forth and it breaks you down. You may be getting an electricity bill of 5,000 naira and the one month you are prepared, the bill magically reads 30,000 naira. Just when you raise the money to fix the faulty radiator in your car, the fan belt cuts and they all cried woe.

5. Portholes

The portholes on Lagos roads can cause a miscarriage. Not all roads in Nigeria are horrible but portholes are landlords here. As annoying as they are, the people are used to it. So much so, they have been memorised by drivers. These portholes are responsible for a part of the horrible traffic, accidents. It is also a good and common subject of criticism. Even when the roads get fixed, it deteriorates in no time. It won’t be far fetched to believe the roads are being destroyed by vandals because some things do not look like erosion.

6. Scammers

Scammers are a big part of the economic problems in Nigeria and it is part of the reasons some people have grey hair at 35. Scammers are not just part of the economic problems in Nigeria, it also part of the social issues in Nigeria and its severity is a current issue in Nigeria today. The lifestyle scams afford looks glorious and to the youth, the end has begun to justify the means. You have more people opting and going to any length to partake in yahoo. Also, you can live in Nigeria scam free, you just have to understand how scammers work and recognise the red flags effectively. In every venture lies a possible scam, from the job offer WhatsApp broadcast to the good Samaritan who saw you looking lost in the market.

7. Soaking garri to realise there is no sugar.

Garri may be considered a poor man’s food but if truth be told, it is a national favourite. There is nothing like garri soaked in cold water and sometimes with a little bit of ice. The traditional way of soaking garri is it sugar, however, some people love to add milk, groundnuts or eat it with suya, fried meat, fish, hot beans or roasted plantain. Garri soaking is not done at random, there is a mood for it. It becomes a Nigerian problem when the garri has been soaked in good time to prevent swelling only to realise that there is no sugar, all efforts have automatically been marred. It hurts, and the rage can boil an egg.

8. Nurse Titi

Nurse Titi is a name given to every mean and nonchalant nurse in Nigeria. Sometimes, it is not the lack of medical facilities or skilled doctors that fails the people, but the negligence of all the Nurse Titis in the country. For some funny reason, there are numerous nurses named Titi and the majority are mean, hence the tag. A Nigerian problem is the high mortality rate. People die for simple reasons. Things that could’ve been saved easily only if they would’ve been responded to on time. You would think it is a 30-minute response window, however, a lot of tragic stories stem from response windows than span hours and surprisingly days. But where negligence is the order of the day, who survives?

9. Overpopulation

Overpopulation is every type of Nigerian problem. It is an economic, social and current problem in Nigeria. A little state like Lagos has an estimated 20 million residents and trust me, many of them do not have adequate shelter. The overpopulation affects the unemployment rate, even distribution of resources, the economy and it also contributes to the political problems in Nigeria. The population problem spills on to the housing problems, and mobility within the state. Too many people commuting, the roads become congested in no time. The population problem contributes to pollution because some communities are on the water, all refuse dumped in the water just to name a few. In total, about 180 million people live in Nigeria and there is just not enough to go around.

10. Inadequate facilities

The country is plagued with inadequate facilities. Not to say there are no good facilities, there are, however, they are private, which the average Nigerian cannot easily afford. These facilities range from hospitals to schools, water system, electricity, transportation and more. If such facilities are present it is either scarce or not functioning properly. This inadequacy has caused the nation a lot of setbacks and given the people more woes to cry about. It is a contributor to the rising death toll, illiteracy levels and corruption rate, making it a Nigerian problem.