Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has weighed in on the viral “Nigeria happened” debate following the tragic death of ARISE News correspondent Somtochukwu Maduagwu, insisting that he would rather the country continue to “happen” to him.
He make his remarks in a post shared on X on Tuesday.
Omokri wrote: “May Nigeria happen to me and keep happening to me as long as I live!”
His comment comes amid renewed conversations on social media over the popular phrase “Nigeria happened,” which resurfaced after Maduagwu was killed during a robbery at her residence in Abuja.
Omokri criticised Nigerians who use the expression in a negative context, arguing that people are quick to blame the country when misfortune occurs but fail to credit it for positive developments.
“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.
He maintained that challenges exist in every nation, pointing to global crime statistics to support his argument. “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.
Highlighting what he described as Nigeria’s achievements in recent years, Omokri cited record-breaking electricity generation, declining inflation, and improvements in the economy. He also claimed that Nigeria had become a net exporter of refined petroleum products, significantly reducing imports.
Omokri further noted that the naira retains more purchasing power than many other African currencies. “$100 in Nigeria will buy you more than $100 in Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya, Ethiopia or South Africa,” he said.
He also urged Nigerians to focus on the nation’s progress rather than amplifying its failures. “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.”
It should be recalled that Maduagwu had once commented about the phrase on social media.
“I pray from the depth of my heart that Nigeria never happens to me or anyone I care about,” she said.
The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.
