One Million Ways To Die Quickly In Nigeria

By Mufida Isyaku,Bashir
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When you wake up each morning, do you have an idea what could be your possible cause of death? The catastrophic nature of Nigeria should make an individual wary of every step and move he or she takes for death is in every nook and cranny. It could rather be said that no one is safe in Nigeria when death counts. Even though death is inescapable, had adequate measures been taken, more innocent lives could have been saved from premature death.

There are million and one ways to die quickly in Nigeria. Worst still, none of these ways an individual could possibly dodge; as they keep revolving around. When you hit the road to a destination; don’t you smell death as you dodge and hit potholes? Issues like poverty, hunger & malnutrition, ailments, insurgency and kidnapping etc. claim innocent lives suddenly every blessed day. Escaping one among the aforementioned is not a guarantee to one’s safety come-what-may. The present status has come to a stage where Nigerian’s believe there are million ways to die quickly.

The rate at which Nigerians perish in road accidents is alarming because the roads are nothing to write home about. Road accident falls among the major cause of death in the Nigerian environment. Things happen on the road such as a fallen trailer on a major highway which elongates journeys due to congestion of cars, cars breaking down right in the middle of the road; sometimes in the thick darkness and in the middle of nowhere with nothing but flora and fauna. A speedy car could collide inadvertently with the said fallen cars because they are usually not taken away as soon as possible. With multiple potholes on the road, it is no wonder sometimes a trailer tips over, the whole vehicle shaking as it dodges potholes while some drivers fall into the holes predetermined; after all no driver can be able to miss every pothole because the holes are in abundance. A driver has to choose which one to hit and which to dodge. A small hole has a big effect, and a big pothole has a bigger effect. But Failure of successive governments in Nigeria to fix the death traps called roads has no doubt caused so much pain to transient and common road users. Road users should either be cautious when driving in danger spots like potholes or end of meeting ill fates.

Ailments such as malaria, typhoid, fatal sexually transmitted infections such as H.I.V/AIDS, Hepatitis B; the list continues, are sure other potential easy go ways for Nigerians. Mosquitoes, are everywhere even where mosquito net is being used. An individual finds it difficult to escape their bites. We have become so used to the bites that we endure it and our skins have gotten used to the bites too. Malaria is a life threatening disease on its own and everyday our clinics are battling with victims who are vulnerable to some extents. Sexually transmitted infections such as Hepatitis B, H.I.V Aids are killing Nigerians in the blink of an eye without most Nigerians noticing. Couples transfer these kinds of ailments to their spouses deliberately and subconsciously. Some ailments like Hepatitis B could be prevented with vaccine and be prevented even if there is an outbreak. Sad it is most people are ignorant that some ailments are contacted through sexual contact especially Hepatitis B which lags behind when awareness is being talk about. And worst still, most people are not aware of the affliction they carry alongside them and they die with their cause death unknown. It is sad that people die for diseases that are vaccine preventable in Nigeria.

Nigeria is a naturally blessed country but apparently appears to be in a state of hunger in the midst of plenty. Malnutrition together with hunger afflicts and snatch away many innocent lives with little or nothing been done in that direction. The poor always remain poor in that he can’t afford three square balanced diet meal. While the rich stays rich by eating more than he needs. Nigerian state of poverty is increasing every day. For a country with substantial wealth and a very large population, merged with well-developed economy and natural resources such as oil, good agricultural system etc. the level of poverty remains unsatisfactory. It has gotten to the stage where there is no middle class status; it is either the higher or the lower class. Two third of the dwellers are in lower class with abject poverty increasing by every breath. The most widespread causes of poverty could be corruption, unemployment, inadequate economic diversification, inequality, laziness, high rate of dropouts, underutilization of resources or rather mismanagement of public property to mention but a few. People die every day through one among two; either hunger or malnourishment. Children, especially are the victims of such unjust cause.

Poverty and ill health or diseases usually arises the question thus; which came first? Ill health drain up productivity and restricts business activities, thus diminishing possible kick in to the economy. This means that poverty leads to ailment and the other way round. With cases of malaria, HIV/AIDS and other afflictions destructing Nigerians, the current set back should not be least expected. If the government should make available necessary health facilities, poverty might be reduced to a significant number. Because of poverty, many Nigerians are frustrated, some children drop out of school, some commit suicide, some engage into social vices; armed robbery the major, many go begging for alms on streets, some hawk wares, others become slaves/maids/helps; the list never ends when poverty is discussed in Nigeria. Nepotism on its own is another major cause of poverty as appointments are never based on merits. A graduate with a second class upper honor awaits for a job for a decade because he knows no one as a for-frontier. But a graduate with third class honor could be employed with an awaiting result because of nepotism. This conduct usually frustrates an individual and makes them die before their times.

Hike in price of commodities in the market is another menace. Price of commodities in the market have shoot up and barely comes down. This is contrary to the law of gravity which says whatever goes up must surely come down. The outcome is commonly hardship, increase in theft, suicide etc. Most families faces financial distress to the extent that almost everyone bewails. The situation has but left many families in hunger and thirst. Many couldn’t afford their wards school fees, when there is no food, who is thinking of going to classes. Many male parents confess locking themselves in their rooms to cry out for the trying condition forwhy a man must provide for his family.

Insurgency and kidnapping proclaim lives of innocent people. Boko haram specifically have exert power over the entire Nation; this is quite a calamity. The group of people claim to operate on behalf of a religion which is negative. And they deliberately attack another religion and people from the same religion by punishing, at the same time torturing them through murder and extortion, bombings of places of worship, abducting guiltless children, kidnapping innocent people and demanding ransom etc. The continuous state of trouble and attacks by insurgency has transformed some Nigerians to act as predators plundering their prey; we all know the outcome remain savagery. This in turn has also created chaos thereby making more lives vulnerable.

What then should a Nigerian citizen do to die in peace? The government should improve the health sector as well as provide job opportunities and individuals should be up and doing to help themselves. Clinical investigations should be made upon marriages to avoid contacting deadly ailments. And people should embrace entrepreneurship as against fully depending on civil service.


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