Breaking Free from Mediocrity: Why Nigeria Needs a New Way of Thinking

On December 30, 2022, I took a walk with my wife. Along the way, we met an elderly man using a walking aid who should be in his 70s. “Excuse me, please I’m looking for the underground station,” he said as he turned to me. 

Instinctively, I put my hands inside the pocket of my trousers and tried to feel my manhood as I muttered ‘Blood of Jesus’ under my breath. I wanted to ignore him.

In a split second, I realised I was not on the streets of Lagos but in London and quickly put myself together as I responded to the elderly gentleman respectfully. I showed him the way to the station. 

After the man left, I told my wife what was going on in my mind and we laughed uncontrollably. We discussed how the average Nigerian has been conditioned to be wary of any discussion with a stranger on the road. 

Your manhood may get missing. You can turn into a cowry shell—’owo eyo’. You may turn into a bird, tortoise or goat. Or worse still, disappear. We have heard stories of people hypnotised by talking to strangers and they were made to carry out unthinkable acts.

Nigeria's greatest barrier to real progress isn’t physical infrastructure—it’s the conditioned mindset of the average citizen. Time for a shift. #MindsetShift #Nigeria Share on X

Many years ago, I travelled to Accra for the first time. I rented a serviced chalet for my stay but I was very worried when I was taken to the apartment. The apartment was not fenced and it was on the highway coming from the airport. Ha! 

And to crown it all, the windows were not burglarproof. I asked my host why there were no iron bars on the windows but he didn’t seem to understand what I was saying. “Why do you need iron bars on the windows?”, he asked. 

I couldn’t sleep well the first night. I woke up every 30 minutes. The slightest sound got me alarmed. At one point, I was just praying for the day to break. 

Another incident I remember very clearly on that night was that I jumped up around 2am. I rushed to the wardrobe to pick a shirt to iron. My mind told me ‘NEPA’ could ‘take light’ anytime. I had picked my shirt before I remembered I was in Accra and not Lagos, and the city had power for 24 hours. 

An average Nigerian is miseducated. And unfortunately, miseducation is worse than illiteracy. The illiterate often knows how to address that problem but the miseducated hides behind the cloak of ignorance. This is why we pray for things we shouldn’t. 

When you’re conditioned to fear and mediocrity, you’ll celebrate what should be normal. Want to see true progress in Nigeria? Let’s stop glorifying small wins and start building for the future. Share on X

Buying a ‘tokunbo’ car is a ground for testimony. We even ‘wash’ it. People fast and pray for visa. We call a whole crowd to celebrate a 1 km bridge. We make a fuss over inanities that other climes take for granted. 

The other day, someone commissioned a Zebra-crossing and caused a huge traffic jam. This is not a fable. We have been conditioned to accept mediocrity. We tolerate poor service. There is a blurred line between right and wrong. 

The greatest barrier to real development in Nigeria is the mindset of the average Nigerian. We cannot grow beyond our mindset. We waste money building bridges and other infrastructure without building the people. This is why we don’t build for the future. 

This is why we build roads without drainage and without making allowance for expansion due to population growth. This is why we glorify and dignify abysmal leadership. Our minds just don’t get it. 

We cannot grow beyond our mindset. Real development starts from rethinking the way we approach everything—from leadership to everyday life. It’s time to reprogram our thinking. Share on X

We must do better. True change begins when we understand we deserve to live better than being sub-human. Each of us needs to begin to do the right things and demand the same of others. We also need to adopt global best-in-class practices.

If you’re running a business, benchmark your systems and processes against global best practices. Run a world-class facility or don’t run anything at all. We must declutter our minds and reprogram our nation with a new mindset that embraces innovation, creativity and excellence.

“Do not be shaped by this world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking…” (Romans 12:2a NCV)

Selah.