Was There Any Time Things Were Okay in Nigeria for Nigerians?

By Bola BOLAWOLE
turnpot@gmail.com 0803 241 0193

(Published in the TREASURES column on the back page of the New Telegraph newspaper edition of Wednesday, September, 16, 2026).

As I cruised along the Alfred Rewane Road, Ikoyi last week, I tuned the radio and the evergreen song of Dr. Victor Olaiya, one of Nigeria’s legendary highlife musicians, came on air. The lyrics of the song goes thus: “Ilu le o/Ko s’owo l’ode/Okunrin n k’igbe/Obirin n k’igbe/ Kaluku l’o n k’igbe owo.” Translated, it means: “Things are hard/There is no money anywhere/ Males are crying/Females are crying/Everyone is crying for money.” The theme is that of economic hardship, inflation, high cost of living, and the daily struggle of everyone in search of money or survival.

The second stanza speaks of how people can debase themselves to meet basic needs – that is to say, survival instincts has no elasticity level: “Bi sisi mura gege/Won a ka e m’ole/Mo bere e titi won o j’ise fun e ni/Iro l’o n pa o, owo l’o n wa lo.” Translated, it means: When a damsel dresses gorgeously and comes repeatedly knocking on your door/ Never think she does it for fun or for love/She is actually in search of money.” And the men who make themselves elusive, becoming adept at performing the disappearing act, are also doing so not because they hate the lady or do no need fun, but because their pockets are not smiling! When resources are lean, men cannot be men indeed!

Victor Olaiya originally recorded the song in 1983. It, therefore, must have spoken to the economic situation of the time. That was the period of the Second Republic (1979 – December 1983) when the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) of President Shehu Shagari and Vice-President Alex Ekwueme were in power. On the last day of that year, the military coup that installed military dictator, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, took place.

My mind then went to Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s “Suffering and Smiling” where the iconoclast blasted the ordinary Nigerian for allowing the situation. “Na your fault be dat”, he told us! The lyrics goes thus: “Suffer, suffer, suffer, suffer, suffer/Suffer for world/Na your fault be that/Me I say: na your fault be that/I want you all to please take your minds/Out of this musical contraption/And put your minds into any goddamn church/Any goddamn mosque/Any goddamn Celestical/Including Seraphoom and Cheruboom/Now, we are all there now/Our minds are in those places/Here we go/Amen!

“Suffer, suffer for world/Enjoy for Heaven/Christians go dey yab/”In Spiritum Heavinus”/Muslims go dey call/”Allahu Akbar”/Open you eye everywhere/Archbishop na miliki/Pope na enjoyment/Imam na gbaladun/Archbishop dey enjoy/Pope self dey enjoy/Imam self dey enjoy/My brother wetin you say?/My brother wetin you say?/My sister wetin you go hear?/My sister wetin you go hear?/Archbishop dey for London/Pope dey for Rome/Imam dey for Mecca/Archbishop dey for London/Pope dey for Rome/Imam dey for Mecca/Amen!

“My people dem go dey follow Bishop/Dem go follow Pope/Dem go follow Imam/Dem go go for London/Dem go go for Rome/Dem go go for Mecca/Dem go carry all the money/Dem go juba Bishop/Juba Pope/Juba Imam/Then dem go start to yab themselves:

“Every day, for house/Every day, for road/Every day, for bus/Every day, for work/My people, my people/Every day my people dey inside bus/Every day my people dey inside bus/Forty-nine sitting, ninety-nine standing/Dem go pack themselves in like sardine/Dem dey faint, dem dey wake like cock/Dem go reach house, water no dey/Dem go reach bed, power no dey/Dem go reach road, go-slow go come/Dem go reach road, police go slap/Dem go reach road, army go whip/Dem go look pocket, money no dey/Dem go reach work, query ready…

“Every day na the same thing/Every day na the same thing/Every day na the same thing/Every day na the same thing/Suffer, suffer for world…”

Fela’s “Shuffering and Shmiling” was recorded in 1977 but was released in 1978 during the Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo military regime.

Consider also Eedris Abdulkareem’s “Nigeria jaga-jaga”, whose lyrics goes thus: “Bros make I hear some reality right here/Turn up my microphone/ Nigeria jaga-jaga/Everything scatter-scatter/Poor man dey suffer-suffer.” Although prepared and recorded in 2002, Eedris officially released the record in 2004. For his temerity, Eedris reportedly was run out of town by the then civilian President Olusegun Obasanjo!

When I got home, I decided to find out if there were other Nigerian musicians who have waxed records regarding hard times in Nigeria. My findings, which you are about to read, will amuse you! It goes thus:

Sonny Okosuns, in his track “Let’s Save Nigeria,” sang about rising inflation and the deep gap where some people have everything while others have little or nothing. Okosuns recorded “Let’s save Nigeria, so Nigeria wont die in 1984 during the military junta of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. The lyrics ran thus: “Which way, Nigeria?/Which way to go?/ I love my fatherland/I want to know oooo/ Which way Nigeria is heading to.”

Another stanza asked this question, the answer to which is still blowing in the air: “Many years after Independence/We still find it hard to start/How long shall we be patient till we reach the Promise Land/Let’s save Nigeria/So Nigeria wont die.” That was 42 years ago! Have we started on the road to development yet? Do we even agree that we are heading in the right direction? And is Nigeria not dying in installments in our hands?

Veno Mariaghaee during the economic crisis of the 1980s released “Nigeria Go Survive,” offering an anthem of hope and resilience to struggling citizens. The 1980s witnessed the governments of Shagari, Buhari, and Gen. Ibrahim Babangida. The lyrics ran thus: “If dem thief our oil oooo/Even if dem burn the oil ooo? Nigeria go survive/No matter how dem try ooo/Nigeria go survive/Our roots dem strong for ground ooo/Ancestors no go gree ooo/The god of thunder and lightening unite to shield Nigeria/Nigeria go survive.”

She the pleaded with “Andrew” not to check out from the country! Remember, those were the days of the proverbial Andrew checking out, a euphemism for and precursor of the JAPA of today! Veno must have been a prophet or another Nostradamus who saw the future! Was it not said that during the President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and Buhari administrations, oil thieves ran rampant and nearly brought the country on its kneels? And what do you say of today’s JAPA syndrome that has emptied our hospitals and schools of quality hands?

“Andrew no check ooo/Stay and build your country/Na who go die for you ooo/Blood is thicker than water/If Andrew dem do dem work ooo/And me I do my own ooo/Nigeria go survive.” Veno then went on to list the country’s natural endowments: “Cocoa dey for West ooo/Palm oil dey for East ooo/Groundnuts dey for North/Hides and skin dey for North ooo/Nigeria go survive.”

How I wish Veno’s patriotism will mean anything to our leaders who have not only abandoned the natural resources listed by Veno but have also stopped the drive to develop IGR but now relies solely on monthly allocations from Abuja! The Nigerians abandoning the country in droves for greener pastures should also listen to Vero – that is, if Veno herself has not joined the JAPA train! Is she still in the country? Or has she followed “Andrew” to JAPA?

Onyeka Onwenu co-produced the 1984 documentary “Nigeria: A Squandering of Riches” and used her music to call out the misuse of our national oil. That was during the regimes of Buhari/Babangida when billions of US dollars oil money developed wings like the eagle and flew away; and when Gulf Oil windfalls could not be accounted for!

When contemporary and modern artists like P-Square released “E No Easy” in 2009, a hit track addressing the daily financial struggles and hard realities of life in Nigeria, President Umaru Yar’Adua (to some extent) and Goodluck Ebele Jonathan were in the saddle.

Burna Boy’s 2019 hit song “Dangote” uses Africa’s richest man as an example of why people must keep working hard, pointing out the constant economic pressure and hustle required to survive in the country. Buhari was in the saddle.

Asa’s “Fire on the Mountain” and “Jailer”, released in 2007/2008, served as deep commentaries on societal neglect, injustice, and economic inequality. Yar’Adua and Jonathan were in the saddle.

Falz’s “This is Nigeria”, released in 2018, addresses the rising cost of living, corruption, and the daily survival struggles of average citizens. Buhari was in the saddle.

Ire Richie’s “Grace”, released in 2024, indicated how the country’s present economic realities under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inspired the track. (Source: Google).

There could be more! So, apart from the First Republic and the Yakubu Gowon era, both of which, in varying degrees, laid the foundation for the present economic rot, is there any Nigerian leader, government or epoch that has escaped scathing remarks from Nigerians over the same complaint of economic hardship?

It would appear as if there was no time Nigerians were satisfied with their situation except when they compared the present with the past. Our best, usually but sadly, is in the past. Each succeeding government is taken as worse than its predecessor ad nauseum, ad infinitum!

That being the case, it should be clear to everyone that our problem is foundational or structural and not necessarily the superstructure we have fixated our attention on. For as long as we ignore the core of the problem but grapple only with the periphery, trimming the branches instead of dealing with the root cause, for so long shall our best continue to remain in the past.

God forbid that the Tinubu administration will be better than the one that will succeed it, be it in 2027 or 2031! Did I hear you shout a roaring “Amen”?

Then we must do the needful! Restructure Nigeria for equity, fairness, productivity, effectiveness, and good governance before it is to late!

• Former Editor of PUNCH newspapers, Chairman of its Editorial Board and Deputy Editor-in-Chief, BOLAWOLE was also the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Westerner newsmagazine. He writes the ON THE LORD’S DAY column in the Sunday Tribune and TREASURES column in the New Telegraph newspaper on Wednesdays. He is also a public affairs analyst on radio and television.