Opinions are usually formed through beliefs already submerged in prejudice but it is okay for everyone or anyone to own one. Facts on the other hand, have been tested overtime and have always proven to be true.
While it would have been very nice to do a comparative analysis on truth and opinion, today’s begging question is, can one have an opinion about the truth? Should it be limited to those experiencing such truth no matter how bitter? Or should truth be left alone to exist in the realm of holiness? I think we should check it out, right?
It is true that unemployment has increased in Nigeria according to data with respect to the fourth quater of 2020 by the National Bureau of Statistics, a fact. Some say that the country is already characterized by the rags which adorn poverty by being its capital, an opinion. However, would it be right in a hypothetical situation, for popular billionaires like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos to have opinions about the problems in Nigeria? I mean, why would very influential figures who probably have no Nigerian relations talk about such issues. How is it their cup of tea? It would be very easy to tell men who know nothing about such struggles to mind their wealthy businesses. Right? Maybe.
Another example is how the international community, many of whom have no business in or with Nigeria, helped amplify our voices during the #BringBackOurGirls situation in 2014 and recently the #EndSARS in 2020.
In 2014 government and citizens alike appreciated the action but in 2020 the leadership was not particularly elated about the stance of the international media and community and was quick to brand the move “meddling in affairs of another country”.
Quite interesting right? Talk about eating ones cake and having it. So what happens when Nigerians outside Nigeria have an opinion about Nigeria? Do we listen or do we tell them to mind the business that pays them?
The closest thing we have to answering that question lies in the staggering comments from the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Idris Wase during plenary last Thursday, when he rejected a petition from “Mutual Union of the Tiv in America,” saying Nigerians in the diaspora do not “really know” the situation in Nigeria and thus they are not eligible to file petitions.
Although Mr. Wase has made attempts to deny his own comments he did not make under duress, many have asked if one loses their citizenship after leaving the country, when in fact Nigerians in the diaspora are often judged by Nigeria’s status in the committee of nations.
Are these not the same Nigerians outside the country who remit billions of dollars into the Nigerian economy to help alleviate the sufferings of those who have been plunged into abject poverty due to the country’s volatile economic atmosphere?
Better yet, are these not the same Nigerians the Central bank of Nigeria hopes to woo to deposit more dollars in our banks in order to further help both the naira and the economy holistically?
How is it that we can know what is going on in America by watching television and reading news stories on our smartphones but a public official feels “out of sight means inability to understand the issues” in 2021?
At a time when we should be looking for ways to further make it easier for our families outside Nigerian soil to be able to have a say in not just our economic policies but also in our politics through ability to vote during elections, how is it that such a figure like the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives could even muster such thought? Or do we need to tell them that an American astronaut voted in space during the last U.S presidential elections for them to understand that voting in diaspora should be possible.
Nigerians in Lagos, Enugu or Zamfara should not be different from the ones in England, the U.S.A or even Mars. If we can take their money or claim them when they make remarkable success, then taking their opinions should not be a problem, right?