The Fear of village life

Posted by Felix Okoli on Tuesday June 12, 2012 15:11:34:

There are more Nigerians living in cities for most parts of the year than those who live in the village or rural areas. This is mostly because they came in search of better life, to escape poverty and be successful in life. The best developments normally are available in such cities due to the fact that it's where infrastructures have been made readily available by govt.

People in Nigeria migrate from their villages for several reasons such as the quest for wealth, to escape persecution, banishment, education, marriage, avoid witchcraft and so on. For most people however, it is just the quest for wealth.

The funny thing is that even after most Nigerians who migrated from their rural villages have made good money, they no longer have the desire to return to their villages to retire fully there or invest there. Some may just go back to do some home development but they hardly stay there for most parts of the year. City life can be addictive once you get used to it and such successful migrants tend to also nurse a fear of returning to the village due to the fact they now see themselves as outsiders rather than insiders - They are no longer the villages they used to be.

One of the main reasons why I feel some people don't like to return to village life is because of lack on infrastructure. In the city, you easily know where to get access to a hospital, church, shopping centre, telecoms provider and good roads but in the village, it is quite lacking.

Another reason why most Nigerians who've lived most of their lives in cities don't like returning to village life is because of the fear of voodoo. Yes, Nigerians still are afraid of diabolic powers. They feel that every food they eat, gifts they receive or gifts they even give out could be used to harm them. Well, we can't say that these things don't exist but really should someone who really believes in God be living in fear of these lesser powers? So most people no longer trust even their relations at the village since they've witnessed series of strange illnesses, misfortunes and deaths as a result of interacting with village life.

A third reason why I also thing most Nigerians don't like staying for long at their village is because of the growing rate of insecurity especially kidnapping and terrorism. Most of the victims of these violence acts are those who live in such remote places. In the village, there is less government presence, less security and poor medical facilities even in the case of emergencies.

The truth however is that village life used to be much sweeter in the past than it is now and people who have gotten used to it tend to have a much higher life span than people who spend most of their times in polluted cities. This is because village life is peaceful, less polluted and mentally warming. There is a lot you can gain from big trees, animals and the environment in general when living in the village. Anyway, if you are a city guy, don't be so fast to migrate to the village if you are not used to it.