Driving through Maitama in Abuja in the evening, I came
across quite a number of white people at different times taking a run, I could
not help but notice the physique of these people who needed to take this
exercise; tall and slim, with slim being a more constant appearance. Like a
typical Nigerian, I could not help but wonder why they needed it. “Wetin this
lekpa people dey find sef?” was a more apt expression. Still in my thoughts, I
came across my first black guy (supposedly a Nigerian) you could tell from his
build that our local carbs had done a number on him. Short and stocky, sweating
profusely as he struggled to get that frame moving.
As I drove on, I saw majority of my fellow Nigerians milling
around their office entrances (just closing from work), around eateries
(getting their evening meals), or just gathered together gisting and gossiping.
Then a thought struck me and immediately the situation presented me with the
reason for this disparity, all the white people I saw jogging where not doing
it because they needed a slimmer frame, they were doing it so they could
maintain themselves, while my Nigerian jogger obviously needed some long
overdue exercise.
The maintenance culture is one that is still yet to gain a strong
foothold in our society. We see a lack of it in government and privately owned
establishment and also in our private lives. We spend a lot of money procuring
items, cars, phones, and other gadgets only to allow these things fall into
misuse, disuse, and fall apart due to a lack of maintenance and or management.
It is so bad that even the small progress we make in certain aspects of our
lives, are soon lost due to mismanagement.
When was the last time you went for a health check that was
not necessitated by an un-well feeling? Many of us carry illnesses around that
we never know about until it takes its toll on our body, and we start fighting
an advanced stage. This hit home recently when I lost a friend to diabetes, a condition
he never knew existed; an avoidable loss of such a promising young fellow.
Every aspect of our lives needs to be maintained and managed
properly, its only in doing so that we can learn from our mistakes with a view to
not repeating them and also carry on to greater heights the progress we
occasionally make.
We have national edifices like the National Stadiums in
Lagos and Abuja, National Theater in Lagos, and many more, as relics instead of
icons; especially when compared with similar projects built at the same time in
developed countries. All these simply because we cannot spend the required time
and funds necessary for maintenance and or proper management.
Maintenance and management is even more relevant to us here
as it is better to pursue the prevention option than to chase the cure option
that is usually more elusive in our society.
If the older generation missed it, we cannot afford to
follow suit. Now more than ever it is pertinent to our continued survival that
we indoctrinate the maintenance culture in ourselves and our children. Our natural
resources and their application to us and the environment have to be managed
properly, this may be singing an old song but it’s a song that needs to be
sung. Global warming, environmental issues, socio-economic upheavals are just a
couple of glaring examples why this must happen.
Let us in this part of the world not think that the effects
are far from us, they are much closer than we think. We need to have a paradigm
shift and start doing what is necessary to adequately manage ourselves and
teach those around us how they too can do same.
We can do it.
God bless Nigeria.
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