The checking out feelings has nourished overtime with intensifying cost of living and other challenges which have made life difficult for the hopeful youth who wants to make his parents proud like Kanu Nwankwo, Phillip Emegwali, Wole Soyinka and other Nigerians who have won international laurels in their chosen fields.
However, with the erratic glimmer of hope every Nigerian youth sees via the crystal ball of the present situation of things in the country, the checking out thoughts come in with much more constancy than ever.
A clear indicator is this; an undergraduate of a public Nigerian higher institution may only be able to determine his matriculation date and not his graduation date. Hence, he will definitely graduate later than his supposed graduation date, no thanks to strike actions by the various unions working in the educational system.
I was also (am I sure, I’m still not?) a potential checking out youth but thanks to God for the opportunity (sometime I regard it as privilege) to work; the challenges were so much that one of those days I had the motivation to write a story. It is has no personal connection with any person but, it reminds me without a doubt of what the Nigerian youths are going through. Enjoy it.
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I looked at the man and smiled.
“I am”, I said with glee.
I have been praying for this day. The day when a man in blue from the British High commission would come asking for me. To give me the message that I have been waiting for, the message that would turn my whole life around, that would make me be better appreciated by Papa and Mama including my siblings whom I have become a sort of icon of educational disaster and feminine failure. To them, I am regarded as a waste of Papa’s resources; a colossal loss to Papa’s 35 years in the Nigeria Railway Corporation.
However, all that was about to transform, my life would never remain the same and even theirs, if what this man has for me is what I have in mind. I looked at him and told him to come inside but he declined.
“No problem”, he said, “I’ll stand. Can I please see some ID?”He asked
“Sure”, I said, “Please hold on, Let me go and get it, I have many” I said with gusto
“I’ll prefer your international passport if available please”
“No problem” I retorted, “I’ll go get it”
I dashed into the house to get my international passport which I earlier got the Ghanaian visa embossed on. I obtained that for a visit to Ghana for 6 months training on African Unity organized by the International Peace Movement. Although I did not attend the training, I was glad I had the visa on it as a prelude to the “big one”, The UK or the American visa. And now the big day has come, the day of days, the day that the passport was gotten for, when the story of my life will finally start from its original beginning. I got into the room and opened my box, there; underneath the neat pile of clothes was the green book, the book that I have always known would be my gateway to Uhuru. I picked it and gave it a kiss and said to it.
“Today, na today!”
I rushed back to the man.
“Em...sorry... Well, here it is” I said stretching my hand to the man.
“Oh no, its Ok” he said.
“Oh thank you” I said with a smile
He opened to the data page of the passport and a book he had with him. He looked at the book and back .He did this for about 15 seconds and for a second I thought I saw him shake his head.
My heart skipped a beat.
What, What if the man made a mistake and he was meant to go and see some other person? Some other person that shared same name and he’ll just say,
‘Sorry girl, I was meant to see some other person and not you’
Gosh, I would faint... Faint? No, I will die! No way! That would be the only way out. How would I live after all this 3 minutes of joy that the presence of this man has implanted in my life?
I got jolted from my thoughts by his voice
“Okay er, here you go miss”
I collected the passport.
“Please sign here”, he said to me pointing to a spot on the book he came with.
“Well er...” I hesitated. “What I’m I signing for?” I asked.
“Oh sorry, miss” he said bringing out from the bag with him a big brown envelope which thrilled me.
“I am sorry” I said,
I guess I said that in appreciation of the size of the parcel from the UK high commission to ordinary me.
“Where sir?” I asked
“There, here and here” He Said
I did as instructed and I handed over the book to him.
“Thank you sir “I said again with big smiles that were somehow also laughs, my joy knew no bound. And like the song in my church goes;
“This is the day that the Lord has made”
I could say Hallelujah to that!
No sooner had the man stepped on his motor bike he came with that I dashed straight into the room to open the parcel. Sealed like it had millions of dollars in it, I had to tear it nearly into shreds before I could get at the content; a 4 paged A4 type paper, something like a newsletter. As I read, I could feel my heart beat quickly.
It was addressed thus ‘Dear Applicant’
I smiled. And read on and on till I got to a part I term as the main deal.
“... I am not convinced that after your stay in the United Kingdom, you will return”
I felt my eyes pinched with tears and it was painful. That was another money spending era that resulted to nothing. I had invested nothing less than half a million Naira, on the quest for the UK visa.
I ruminated on how I got the money for the visa acquisition venture; I could have used invested it in some business. Now the thoughts my siblings have of me seems true, I have wasted Papa’s 35 years of work.
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Indeed that has been the lot of many Nigerian youths who have tried to check out legally and many times they end up wasting hard earned resources because of cause, they do not have enough document to substantiate their reason for intending to leave Nigeria and enough documents to prove that they will return if allowed to travel.
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| PASSENGERS READY TO CHECK OUT AT THE NNAMDI AZIKIWE AIRPORT |
Changing this country will involve a lot more to be invested into areas that directly impact in the lives of youths like in Education, jobs, loans facilities and more. The average Nigerian youth is hardworking, I have seen them exhibit when given the right motivational conditions. Nigerian youths have shown class in various fields like in writing; remember Ngozi Adichie, sports; remember Jay Jay Okocha, Mary Onyali; music, the likes of Tu face Idibia comes to mind; in business, science and lots more.
The checking out syndrome will reduce and our ideas which we export to other countries will remain with us and contribute positively to the development of the country.
