As a young Nigerian reading this, take a moment to pause and think; what really is the Nigerian dream?
Does anything come to mind?
No, right?
That was Osakpọlọ's exact reaction when I told him I'll be writing on this topic. In his exact words, ‘very hilarious’. (This was supposed to be a private conversation but I have his consent to add it here.)
“How did you get here?”, you may ask.
I stumbled on a Twitter conversation (it's kinda normal with me these days), and the main character in the convo missed out on an opportunity because he lacked a US visa. Add that to the multiple opportunities that Nigeria takes away from rising talents. Interestingly, the guy made a YouTube video on how he's handling the whole situation, and in the video, he asked the same question: What is the Nigerian Dream?
You and I know that The American Dream says anybody can make it regardless of their situation. As popularised in his book, The Epic of America, James Truslow Adams defined it as:
that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. [...] It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.
I'll add The Chinese Dream and The British Dream for more context.
The Chinese Dream was crafted in 2012 by Chinese President, Xi Jinping. The whole idea is to ‘build a moderately prosperous society and realise national rejuvenation.’
Borrowing a line from China Daily, ‘The Chinese Dream integrates national and personal aspirations, with the twin goals of reclaiming national pride and achieving personal well-being. It requires sustained economic growth, expanded equality, and an infusion of cultural values to balance materialism.’
While there is an idea of what The British Dream is, Theresa May, who many would regard as one of the greatest Prime Ministers of the UK, gave a glimpse of what it should look like. In her speech in October 2017, she mentioned that she wanted to bring back the British Dream, which is a vision that ‘life should be better for the next generation.’
These ‘dreams’ have one thing in common: that anything is possible and not just for you but for the next generation.
Do we have this in Nigeria?
I like to think that there was a Nigerian dream. If you ask your parents or people between 40-65 (this age group may be flawed), the idea was to get a degree, hold a good job, and live a decent life, but somewhere along the line, that dream was lost.
The Nigerian Dream stopped existing at some point and I like to believe it was somewhere around 2015-2020. How do I know? Walk with me.
In 2018, Pulse Nigeria posted an article about the Nigerian Dream describing it as
a reflection of a society where justice does not prevail and where corruption is tolerated.
In 2021, Sakiru Adebayo on Africa Is A Country said, ‘the Nigerian Dream is to leave Nigeria.’
In 2023, Enyuiche wrote in a Medium post that
The Nigerian Dream is to attain a financial status that will comfortably afford you all the things that the government, under normal circumstances [is] supposed to provide for you and the things that even middle-income people can easily afford elsewhere; security, good education, excellent healthcare, consistent power and water supply, good shelter, decent living, etc.
Now, I sit here in 2025 as a 22-year-old, who just graduated from uni, working on my life plans and figuring out where my career would lead me eventually whilst having endless conversations about why the country decided to be this hard when I haven't blown yet. I sit and ask the very same question: WHAT IS THE NIGERIAN DREAM?
I need you to pause, think and answer that question.
How did we lose the dream?
Many Nigerians right now are either hoping to japa or hoping someone who has moved abroad helps them with japa plans, or better still, looking for ways to make as much money as possible to avoid depending on the government for the basic things. And while some people are doing this legally, a lot more people are doing it illegally.
It begs the question: na life we dey live so?
We don't have a country that works from top to bottom. Schools don't work [as it should], people are without jobs, fraud is on the rise, the politicians are looting, nonchalant, and just watching everything deteriorate.
The masses are more concerned about their own pockets now more than ever, and are willing to engage in the most dishonest or ineffable practices just to survive. We live in a society that is smeared with injustice, corruption, and anyhowness, and it has eaten deep into our thinking, processes, and structures.
Is there a Nigerian dream? Is there a collective ideal that Nigerians have for their future and the future of the country? If you stopped someone and asked what the Nigerian dream is, would they share the same ideals that you share?
If you're hoping for an answer, I don't have it, but I know that the average Nigerian wants to live an okay life, and there's no denying the fact that right now, this can only be achieved by leaving the country or being successful against all odds [by any means necessary].
Pick your antidote.
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My guy, this is deep. Not gonna lie, my mind went blank when I thought about the Nigerian dream. It's a foreign concept to me and nothing short of absurd but really the real absurdity is the fact that we have none. No dream. No aspirations beyond living a better life.
All we want is to be able to afford food and basic amenities whenever we want it and however we want it. Nobody is singing about patriotism anymore. I'm sure if any one of us gets an opportunity to sell this country, we'd do it in a heartbeat. Sounds funny, but it's true and very sad.
The funniest thing is that we actually love our country. The patriotism is still there. Just not to our country anymore. Watch videos of Nigerians finding themselves outside the country. They're instantly excited and so happy to see each other. Along side the scam image, we also have an image of excellence. Check the comments under videos praising Nigerians, you'll see our people assembled and proud of our 'country' but it's not the country itself. It's the people we're proud of.
It's sad that this is how far we've fallen but as a new generation, we can do better. Since the past generation and our leaders have failed us, we have to preserve our pride as people. As Nigerians.
funny how when i thought of the Nigerian dream, my mind went blank. then, i thought of the American dream and started visualizing opportunities, decent living, etc. we really are screwed as a country if we can't even visualize a better Nigeria.