Former Kaduna State senator and social commentator, Shehu Sani, has sparked reactions after sharing his candid thoughts on living abroad versus life in Nigeria, describing the country’s imperfections as strangely familiar and even comforting.
In a lengthy post on his social media page, Sani recounted his travels across several continents, expressing a lack of fascination with staying in developed nations for more than two weeks.
He humorously narrated how he once fled a quiet Swiss village out of boredom and abandoned a month-long government-sponsored trip in Kuwait because he grew tired of eating lamb and rice daily.
“In developed countries, everything works so perfectly that sometimes it’s boring,” he said. “We are used to getting angry when NEPA takes light and happy when NEPA brings light. I’m used to our daily troubles and problems—as we say in Hausa, ‘Mun saba da wahala’ (We are accustomed to hardship).”
Sani also touched on how the world views Nigeria—a mix of admiration and skepticism. In Brazil and Argentina, he said, Nigerians are respected for their football legacy, with locals quizzing him about legendary players. However, in the U.S. and Canada, he noted the dual perception of Nigerians as both “fraudulent (online scams) but intelligent, outstanding, and industrious.”
“Ours is a country where you will wake up to news of Boko Haram and a ‘Nigerian prince’ swindling millions abroad, and the next day, you’ll hear of Tiwa Savage, Burna Boy, or Davido winning Grammy awards,” he remarked.
“It’s where you hear of citizens arrested for drugs in Saudi Arabia, and then another wins the International Qur’anic recitation competition in the same country.”
Sani acknowledged Nigeria’s flaws but also its uniqueness, stating, “We are an imperfect country with imperfect people. I don’t know of any perfect country with perfect people.”
His post has since gone viral, with many Nigerians agreeing that despite the country’s challenges, there’s no place like home. Others, however, argued that the dysfunction Sani described shouldn’t be romanticised.
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