Nigerians Should Stop Attacking Critics, Fix Country’s Problems — Banwo
Public commentator and founder of Naija Lives Matter, Dr. Ope Banwo, has urged Nigerians to stop attacking people who speak critically about the country and instead focus on addressing the problems exposed by such criticism.
Banwo made the call while reacting to the controversy surrounding an American woman who recently spoke about some of her experiences in Nigeria.
Rather than viewing the woman’s comments as an attempt to portray Nigeria negatively, Banwo said Nigerians should see them as an opportunity to reflect on some of the realities confronting the country.
He said it was counterproductive for Nigerians to become angry with the woman when some of the issues she highlighted were genuine problems that required urgent attention.
“I honestly don’t understand why people are dragging this American lady for speaking nothing but the truth about her experience in Nigeria,” Banwo said.
According to him, Nigerians should be more concerned about fixing the problems exposed by the woman than attacking her for speaking openly about them.
“Instead of us getting upset with her big mouth, maybe we should do something about the embarrassing truths she revealed,” he said.
Banwo argued that the criticism should not be regarded as an attempt to demarket Nigeria, stressing that the country has significant challenges despite its many positive attributes.
“To me, this is not demarketing Nigeria at all. Nigerian market is bad by itself in many respects, even if we have our great points. This is showing Nigerians the mirror of what she sees, and it’s not pretty,” he said.
He cited issues including poor public sanitation, indiscriminate urination, flooding and inadequate infrastructure, particularly in some of the country’s most expensive residential areas.
Banwo questioned the justification for paying millions of naira to rent or acquire property in areas such as Victoria Island and Lekki Phase 1, only for residents to contend with flooding, poor infrastructure and inadequate electricity supply.
He said such contradictions should make Nigerians demand more from their political leaders instead of defending the status quo.
According to him, governors and elected representatives are aware of many of these challenges but need to do more to ensure that basic infrastructure and public services improve.
Banwo maintained that Nigerians should channel their anger into demanding solutions to the problems confronting their communities.
He added that the American woman’s willingness to speak directly about her experience could ultimately prove useful if it encourages Nigerians to confront uncomfortable realities and demand change.
“Frankly, I appreciate this American lady for speaking out about her experience. These Americans are direct and don’t care, and maybe get us angry enough to do something about it,” Banwo said.
