A former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has said he wants Nigeria to “keep happening” to him, following recent online conversations about the phrase “Nigeria happened,” sparked by comments from late ARISE News correspondent Somtochukwu Maduagwu, who died after a robbery attack at her Abuja residence.
In the post shared on Tuesday, Omokri wrote, “May Nigeria happen to me and keep happening to me as long as I live!”
He criticised those who attribute unfortunate events to the country, arguing that such people often fail to acknowledge the good that happens within Nigeria.
“When bad things happen, enemies of this country are quick to say that ‘Nigeria has happened’ to them. But they take the good that occurs to them in Nigeria personally, without attributing it to our great nation,” he said.
Omokri maintained that hardship exists globally, noting that even developed nations face serious challenges.
“Every year in America, 20,000 people are murdered. That is more than twice the murder rate in Nigeria. Have you ever heard Americans badmouthing their country as a result of this? This is Earth, not heaven,” he stated.
He also highlighted several recent developments which he described as positive progress for the country, including increased power generation, reduced inflation, and economic expansion.
Nigeria broke its power generation record with a peak of 5,801.84MW and maximum daily energy output of 128,370.75 megawatt-hours — the highest ever attained in the history of the electricity industry in Nigeria,” Omokri wrote.
He added that Nigeria had become a net exporter of refined petroleum products, a development he said only three civilian governments, Yar’Adua, Jonathan, and Tinubu, had achieved.
Nigeria’s fuel imports have drastically reduced. According to the International Energy Agency, Nigeria has now emerged as the largest exporter of refined petroleum products in West Africa,” he claimed.
Omokri further said the country’s economy had expanded by $67 billion in two years, adding that the value of the naira stretches further than currencies in many African countries.
“$100 in Nigeria will buy you more than $100 in Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya, Ethiopia or South Africa,” he stated.
He concluded by urging Nigerians to embrace optimism and national pride.
“Nigeria is a great country, but it is not perfect because perfection is divine. We can choose to look at the negatives, but there are many positive things happening in Nigeria that we refuse to project because we love bad news,” he added.
