Despite the economic downturn in Nigeria and the supposed progressive nature of the United Kingdom, the latter is ranked the 2nd most miserable country in the world according to the 2024 Global Mind Project. The country only scored one point below Uzbekistan. For your information, Uzbekistan is a country in central Asia battling with intense threats of terrorism, violent crimes, and civil unrest.

Nigeria on the other hand was ranked 83. This beggars belief because the UK is a top relocation destination for Nigerians. What is Nigeria doing differently? The Nigerian economy is as unstable as a pregnant woman's mood, unemployment is still a major issue. The minimum wage for workers is abysmally below $40 monthly, there is a high cost of living, infrastructural facilities are largely strained and unavailable, and insecurity still reigns supreme, amid other myriad of issues attributable to developing countries.

In the face of the aforementioned stumbling blocks, Nigerians create their happiness. Several factors play a role in the way Nigerians are wired. Religion is quite pivotal. It offers people hope and finds an explanation for the challenges they are facing. Apart from this, the mentality is different. The average Nigerian child is raised like a soldier on the war front where there might be power cuts, inadequate water supply, life-threatening accidents, bad roads, hostile environment, limited economic progress, brazen corruption, and scarcity of essential resources. This gives a warped view of life and thoughtlessly helps us develop thick skins. A former Nigerian bank manager I met in the UK puts this succinctly. He said: "In Nigeria, some of us were traumatized and abused unknowingly from childhood. We grew up to perceive this as a way of life".

To a large extent, the people in the UK appear to have everything. It is a developed country where you can come in as a slave in a boat and leave the country as a legitimate owner of a bigger boat. The UK like every other country has its unique challenges. You have to live here to know. But where the UK ranks on the development chart is like heaven to an average Nigerian. It is their mental image of perfection. The irony here is that the Brits are still largely unhappy.

Can we say Nigerians are genuinely happy? The answer is NO. We only look above our present challenges and practice mindfulness. At the end of the day, happiness is a choice. True happiness is achieved when we learn to appreciate simple things in life. Being healthy is a blessing, and having a nice meal is too. Being alive should be appreciated, the same thing with having a roof over your head or even having a family or friend to relate with. Attaching your happiness to material things especially money is a recipe for disaster. The truth is that the people we admire in the Global North are broke. Take away their credit facilities and social intervention programs for a month and they will be worse than those in the poorest African countries.

I recently bagged an Advanced Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), in addition to my master's degree in Psychology, and I have realized that Nigerians have been unthinkingly following the principles of therapy to stay strong. Mindfulness, verbal support, and distraction techniques have been deployed graciously by Nigerians in informal and unstructured manners. All these have been very effective.
The Big Brother Naija reality show, football, comedy skits, afrobeat music, social media, and social gatherings keep people going and help break the negative thoughts and feelings cycle. If you are sad for a long time, you might become mentally ill. I have seen people in the UK get admitted into inpatient psychiatric hospitals following the abrupt end of romantic relationships. The story is different in Nigeria; such people go on social media to mock themselves. In the local parlance, they be like: "Omo, I just chop breakfast oh, but we move"
The superstar singer, Burna Boy, emphasized this in his songs by saying: "Last last, everybody go chop breakfast"

As the Central Bank of Nigeria battled to save the Naira in March, the Nigerian youths were locked in social media dramas. There were many bitter altercations among celebrities. Bobrisky - a male crossdresser ridiculously won the award of the Best Dressed Female in Nigeria (Caitlyn Jenner model), the controversial social media commentator, Very Dark Man was arrested by the police. Social media engagements from these events were more entertaining than Netflix. It wasn't just about the news or the woes of the concerned individuals, it was more of people's reactions to them. The juice is always in the comment sections. This is why Nigeria is called a "cruise nation"

Even Nigerians who have 'escaped' abroad still want to reconnect with the social media trends back home to energize themselves. This is like their positive energy source.

uche87:



Osahon George Osayimwen writes from England.

uche87:



Osahon George Osayimwen writes from England.

uche87:

Osahon George Osayimwen writes from England.