A year ago, a Gallup poll revealed that Nigerians were the most optimistic people on the planet. This year, we have topped the poll yet again: when considering economic prosperity, Nigerians have only the sunniest of dispositions. My immediate response was: "Really? Again? How?"
Last year I placed the source of Nigerian optimism at having lived through bad times and surviving. Even so, after the 2011 we've had, it is nothing short of miraculous that Nigerians have maintained their optimism. The single biggest issue right now is probably the government proposal to remove the fuel subsidy on petrol. The finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has speculated that the price of a litre of petrol will jump from 65 naira (40 cents) to 139 naira a litre. The government says the money can be channelled more effectively into developing infrastructure; opponents worry that the prices of commodities will badly hit ordinary people.
This was also a landmark year for the Nigerian bank robber. Reports of gruesome robberies across the country forced banks to shut down branches in several states; during a particularly bad week in November, entire regions were left with no open banks. The Islamist terror group Boko Haram continued its campaign across the north-east and Abuja this year, launching a suicide car bomb attack on the Abuja police headquarters in June and bombing the UN building in August.
Then there was the story that shocked an entire nation – the gang rape of a young woman at Abia State University by five young men, who filmed their actions and distributed the recording until it found its way on to the internet. At the time, the governor of Abia rejected reports of the rape, saying they were a "satanic falsehood" and a "tissue of lies". Despite widespread outrage, no one has ever been formally charged with the rape, and the identity of the victim remains a mystery.
Last month, a bill to outlaw gay marriage and ban public displays of affection between homos*xual couples, as well as making gay organisations illegal, was introduced. When Britain and the US threatened to withhold aid to countries that do not respect gay rights, the senate president, David Mark, responded: "If there is any country that does not want to give us aid or assistance just because we want to hold on to our values, that country can keep her aid and assistance."
So, what the hell have we got to be so damn optimistic about? My father argues that "Nigerians live on hope. Belief in religion outweighs common sense. That's the key thing." A Nigerian friend Funlayo, who lives in Tunis, says simply: "We don't get angry like the Tunisians; we're mad for a while, and then we start to make excuses."
On the one hand, it's nice to write pieces on the legendary optimism of the Nigerian. But on the other hand, is it a sustainable optimism? Whether it's a question of cultural philosophy – a natural resilience or wilful denial – is moot. With 40% of the population under the age of 14, and the Arab spring less than 1,500 miles away, maybe it's time we started getting a little less optimistic and little more angry.
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