There was a particular time we had like four mango trees in our house and mango season was what we always anticipated for.
Although the mango trees served as wind break for our house and also aids excellent ventilation. However, the fruit from the mango trees was our major concern in the season, we made sure we ate enough of the mangoes in its season to ensure there is enough memories when mango are out of season.
The mango trees made us had so much friends visiting and they had good times with us and sometimes even enemies joined because Daddy did not like the house unkempt.
There was a season when I had a running stomach because of mangoes and my Father stopped me from eating mangoes yet there was mangoes all around but my Daddy didn't allow me eat.
I was in midst of plenty but I couldn't enjoy.
The sadness and gloom for me for that period brings me to a consciousness of having so much in Nigeria yet the citizens in the midst of plenty suffer so much hunger and lack.
There is a shocking, perplexed paradox of the Nigeria situation where there is plenty the average Nigerian citizen suffer hunger lack and want.
Reports has overtime shown that Nigerians who are living below and within the borders and huts of poverty are so much.
The youth unemployment is on the rise continuously.
Although the promising Nigeria rich Oil wells the paradox is crystal clear that we are a very rich nation who has so much average people who are poor.
In simple terms
"we have so much yet we suffer."
While there is a rich oil economy the country Nigeria has not effectively harnessed other forms of earning for herself and fully maximize these other sectors to be able to earn productively from this other streams like Cocoa, groundnut, coffee , palm oil and cassava, etc. If the cash crops are effectively harnessed there will be an upgrade in the Lives of the average Nigerian.
Talking about palm oil: It is popularly believed that Malaysia palm oil production has a learning history from Nigeria as a country however Nigeria now even import Palm oil from Malaysia.
The Malaysian economy enjoys robust income from her palm oil and has become exporters of this oil.
There is unarguably poverty in the midst of plenty, The rich Nigerian economy has a wealthy oil resource yet reports from statistics always have shown that despite the rich oil economy that the Nation has its citizens do not benefit so much from their wealthy resource of the Nations oil.
It is no doubt that my father prevented me from eating mangoes while we had surplus mangoes, the Nigerian citizens do not enjoy their rich oil economy.
Shall we now begin to pray that our nations oil would dry up because what seems to be more of a blessing is now gradually looking like a curse to the common man in Nigeria?
Although some few Nigerians may be enjoying the ultimate good so many Nigerian's happening to suffer much in the midst of plenty, they suffer hunger and lack and want while there is plenty enough to both eat and be fully satisfied.
There is really a glaring opposite situation in Nigeria where there is plenty and the citizens are in so much lack and hunger because the statistics always portray Nigeria citizens as poor.
The wealth of Nigeria does not really reflect in the average Nigeria citizen yet there is always massive flow of income from the rich oil sector.
Conclusively, we must join hands together both government, individuals and organizations to fully harness the potential of Nigeria.
