WHAT #NIGERIA CAN LEARN FROM POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY | I am a fan of Martin E.P Seligman. A champion of #PositivePsychology, he is a strong advocate for going beyond traditional psychiatry and psychotropic drugs for the treatment of mental or emotional maladies. 
He believes mental health therapies should not only relieve suffering, but also help individuals to achieve well-being. They should be given the tools to flourish by embracing meaning, positive emotion, engagement, accomplishment and great relationships.
The Nigerian nation can learn from this. We are so behind the developmental curve, that we have not even scratched the surface of delivering citizens from misery. Helping them to achieve their dreams and enjoy fulfilling lives is still further down the road.
The suffering in Nigeria is symptomatic of deeper evils. A shocking paucity of leadership & political will at many levels. A system that mocks righteousness & excellence. That overwhelmingly subdues the good & noble such that the corrupt appear to outnumber those called to serve
Meanwhile, those who desire to do what is right have been so browbeaten, that they have shrunk into tiny corners of light to do good in their immediate vicinity and no more. Others have left for other climes.
All the while, a government that seems to have forgotten the basic tenets of effective communication appeals to us to "understand" and to be "patient". We hear you.
One evil often breeds another.
Some years ago, a TV network ran a story about how Police recruits were fed from metal buckets. They showed their deplorable living conditions. We were also informed, of how a former IGP absconded with salaries meant for thousands.
Some years ago, a TV network ran a story about how Police recruits were fed from metal buckets. They showed their deplorable living conditions. We were also informed, of how a former IGP absconded with salaries meant for thousands.
I remember hearing all of this and concluding that the remuneration system in the Police Force had been transformed into a Tipping Economy.
In the US, some restaurant workers earn little and have no benefits, therefore, their main income is the tips they make daily.
In Nigeria, it would appear that our checkpoints are where the Police earn their bread and butter. It is a business for them with many levels of "settlement". And in a business transaction, you either pay or are denied your rights. No long story.
Let's take a walk to another branch of law enforcement - Prisons. It is hard to comprehend how years after we became aware of the disporportionate number of inmates awaiting trial versus convicted crimininals, the status quo remains.
This evil extends its branches to the inefficiency in our Judiciary.
Everyone is tired and so the wheels keep spinning and not much changes. Not enough "mad" people exist to shake tables. Good men and women are afraid of the consequences of sticking out their necks.
And, it's almost like we live in a country where religion has been so demystified and many political prophecies proven false, that our citizens are more afriad of stolen pants than God.
To be sure, a remnant remains. Many waiting in the wings who need a cause they can believe in or risk their lives for. Leadership evokes followership. We greatly underestimate the number of leaders we have in Nigeria. We wouldn't be a ruinous nation if we had an abundance of them
Anyway, back to Positive Psychology.
To make Nigeria work for citizens, we must first relieve the suffering caused by blatant oppression. And we can only do so by reforming agencies like our Judiciary, Police and Prisons.
Then, we must help our people flourish through adequate Healthcare, Education, Infrastructure and the enablement of free Enterprise.
A young man must be able to predict when he will have light. He should be safe to play our roads and trains. He ought not to be one sickness away from poverty. He should have access to the very best of education and training for a modern world.
When he conceives an idea, he can start a business, obtain the necessary support and even export to other nations via clear, credible and well publicised processes. Processes that are transparent and accessible to all.
The Nigeria that I need is one that relieves suffering and helps me flourish. I deserve a nation like that. Don't you?
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