Patience: The Missing Ingredient in Nigeria’s Progress

Patience is often said to be a virtue. It means the ability to wait, to delay reaction, or to restrain oneself despite provocation or desire for quick results. Patience is a very important quality in life and one of the key characteristics every individual must develop.

Today, one can argue that there is an epidemic of moral decadence in our society. Many reasons can be pointed out — from poverty and weak leadership to social pressure — but at an individual level, lack of patience is one of the major forces driving our youth into ruin.

Many young people live as if they have only today. You often hear them say, “You only live once.” They live fast and, sadly, die young. Nature itself teaches patience to the wise; when we look around, we see that everything develops in stages. Plants do not grow overnight — they mature through structure and process. But many young people are rushing through life, putting themselves under unnecessary pressure and chasing vanity. They hardly take time to focus or master anything. They want results without putting in the necessary work.

Unfortunately, our parents sometimes make the situation worse. Many Nigerian parents see parenthood as an investment that must yield returns quickly. They often compare themselves with their peers — “If Mummy Kunle is driving a new Lexus her son bought, why shouldn’t I?” — without caring how their children get the money. This mentality encourages shortcuts and impatience among the youth.

This lack of patience reflects in nearly every aspect of Nigerian life. We struggle to maintain queues — whether at banks, malls, or bus stops — because everyone wants to be first. On the road, we drive impatiently and break traffic rules. Parents rush their children through school: pupils take entrance exams in Primary 4 and write WAEC from SS1. Even our Ghanaian neighbours now know us for our impatience.

We dislike due diligence and are quick to cut corners. One can even argue that Nigeria’s biggest problem is not just corruption or bad leadership, but lack of patience. If we learn patience — to follow due process, to build steadily, to wait for proper results — our nation will improve significantly.

Even our politicians lack patience. They cannot wait four years before campaigning for another term; they begin planning for re-election right after being sworn in. Likewise, the citizens are impatient with government policies — we demand immediate results and lose hope too quickly.

If only we could cultivate patience, follow procedures, and observe due diligence, Nigeria would surely become a better nation.