[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n Finland, the household’s that earn 2,900 euros/N1.23 million and below per month are classified as poor households.
In Israel, those households that earn less than $920/N330,000 per month net income after tax are classified as poor .
In these two economies ( Israel and Finland) above with some of the best health care facilities and universal health insurance schemes that covers all citizens irrespective of societal standings, basic qualitative education to secondary school level is free .
In Finland, you can acquire any level of education you desire even if you don’t have money. These are countries with world class infrastructure. You don’t produce your own power , security, road, water etc . You will never read anywhere in the pages of the newspapers or electronic media, where the prime minister or Mayor of the states or their foot soldiers bragged to be commanders of free and qualitative education or free qualitative health care.
We are talking about truly free and qualitative education and health care systems that ranks amongst the best in the world and not like the gboju gboju, the more you look, the less you see antics we have here in Nigeria.
Imagine the VP bragging of providing some kwashiokored one meal per day to phantom 7.5m kids at school with N150 billion as his governance legacy and achievement.
In this climes, you can never read anywhere in the papers or view it on telly a mayor or President cutting tapes to commission new roads, or borehole or class room blocks with dancers and fanfare. Never
Tufiakwa . Chineke mere unu Ebere.
BUT here in the jungle called Nigeria, those households on N330,000 to N1.2m gross income per month regard themselves as middle income or rich class. Even in the midst of this atrocious environment with absence of any basic infrastructure, poor health and education system, they still parade themselves as big men and are not one bit offended so much by the rot in the land to stand up and say enough is enough.
THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I DAILY ADVOCATE FOR DIASPORA NIGERIANS TO BE ALLOWED TO VOTE. This is why I encourage them to come back home to participate in politics and help redefine/reshape the focus of our political discussion and themes.
An Igbo adage says that Onye njefu ije Ka Onye isi awo ihe Ama. Roughly translated as. He that is widely traveled and exposed to better environments is wiser than the Grey hair man in one corner of the jungle.
God help us
Nnaemeka Onyeka Obiaraeri is the managing director of Taurus Capital, He resides in Lagos Nigeria, You could reach him by email HERE.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
