We worship the destination and mock the road.
Tell Nigerians you are struggling to build something — they pity you or give unsolicited advice. Tell them you succeeded — they love you, celebrate you, want to be associated with you.
But no one claps while you're still climbing. The congratulations only come once you've arrived.
And there's something darker underneath: the moment you show ambition above your station — especially without family connections or a foreign degree — people assume you are scamming. "How did he get that?" Not "What did he do to build that?"
Is this cultural? Is it survival instinct from a country where resources are scarce and people have seen enough fraudsters to be suspicious of everyone? Or have we created a society that makes legitimate success look like crime?
I genuinely want to understand this. Talk to me.
Tell Nigerians you are struggling to build something — they pity you or give unsolicited advice. Tell them you succeeded — they love you, celebrate you, want to be associated with you.
But no one claps while you're still climbing. The congratulations only come once you've arrived.
And there's something darker underneath: the moment you show ambition above your station — especially without family connections or a foreign degree — people assume you are scamming. "How did he get that?" Not "What did he do to build that?"
Is this cultural? Is it survival instinct from a country where resources are scarce and people have seen enough fraudsters to be suspicious of everyone? Or have we created a society that makes legitimate success look like crime?
I genuinely want to understand this. Talk to me.
