Nigeria, a nation rich in culture and natural resources, a nation where beauty meets creativity and a place where power meets elegance and intelligence; and yet, all this and more remains untapped, not because we cannot or do not want to achieve greatness, but because we have decided to give up.

Nigeria has been blessed by God with endless routes towards wealth and prosperity, but we have allowed trivial difficulties to push us away from the path of greatness we were destined to follow. This wasn't the plan; there was once a dream, a dream where Nigeria became a great nation, and although foggy, that dream still remains.

The Nigeria we know is ruled by corruption: politicians promise us the world so we can vote for them to get into political offices, and the moment they get in, they forget about us. Even our officers are no longer trustworthy because the law we once thought to be supreme now only applies to those without influence or money to their names. The law once thought to carry power is now, at best, a joke, for criminals who commit crimes as serious as murder and rape can now get away with them because they "KNOW PEOPLE". It has gotten to the point where even officers now engage in criminal activities with inmates who are meant to be under arrest — the irony.

And then there is the Nigeria we dream of, a country that is the opposite of all this; a country where corruption and crime are fought with so much determination that they have no way to thrive. The Nigeria we dream of is one where criminal activities are not normalised but are seen for what they really are: a threat to society. A nation where criminals are made to pay for their crimes and where criminal and immoral activities are not overlooked or ignored.

The Nigeria we know is a nation ruled by uncertainty and regret. Many students struggle day and night, reading, praying and hoping to get into a good university, and when they finally get in, their joy is unmatched. But after graduation, the real problem begins. Questions about employment begin to pop up in their heads, questions like "Where will I work?" and "Who will hire me?" begin to bother them. Opportunities they thought they would get become rare, and doors they thought education would open remain locked, forcing them into more readily available options like theft and armed robbery. Later on, people begin to say Nigerian youths are the problem, as if they chose the path of crime over legitimate opportunities for success.

Contrary to this, there is the Nigeria we dream of: a Nigeria where unemployment is frowned upon, not accepted; a Nigeria where basic amenities are not seen as a luxury; and a Nigeria where students actually reap the fruits of their labour. The Nigeria we dream of is one where peace and unity thrive, where we uproot unemployment from its seedling stage instead of allowing it to sprout into a tree that has borne fruit, and where potential greatness is not overpowered by self-doubt.

In conclusion, the Nigeria we know and the one we dream of are separated by a thin wall called "DETERMINATION". If we, as Nigerians, come together with one determined mind and fight against the forces threatening to overpower us, we can overcome any form of trial. Let us not give up on our country and look at it only through the eyes of disappointment. Instead, let us combine our efforts and work towards a greater Nigeria. I assure you that one day, "the Nigeria we dream of" will become a reality.