Global Whispers
We Migrate Smart — Smarter, Safer Migration
Join the conversation — from the latest whispers to the hottest stories, share, comment, and connect..
📌 TOPIC OF THE DAY
I once employed a driver named Abdul. His mother had pleaded with me to take him in, so I did, even though I already had a housemaid. From day one, Abdul showed little interest in presenting himself well — dirty clothes, unbrushed hair, and the kind of look that made you wonder if he’d even brushed his teeth. When I asked why he left his previous job, his answer stunned me: the aroma of stew and fried fish from his employer’s kitchen kept him from sleeping well at night. In my home, we had to wash his clothes daily. Each morning, he’d arrive wearing yesterday’s unwashed outfit, so my housemaid and I made it a routine to give him freshly laundered clothes before he started work. One day, I went to purchase goods for my business — cricket. Abdul was supposed to wait under a tree with the neighbors, but suddenly he tossed the car key on the table, saying he was tired of waiting and was leaving. I let him go. Not long after, I saw him walking along the road, and to my surprise, he waved at me to stop and give him a lift. I simply drove past. The next morning, Abdul came to resume work. I told the gateman not to open the gate. His job was over. With attitudes like this, can we really say Nigerian youths are not lazy?
Comments
STORY OF THE DAY
Some youths from Benin Republic traveled to Osun State, Nigeria, and humbly requested land from a local king. Impressed by their determination, the king granted them land to farm.
They quickly set to work, planting okra, ewedu, and other crops. Their produce became highly sought after in the markets, and the money they earned allowed them to buy motorcycles—okadas—which they discovered were cheaper in Nigeria than back home in Cotonou. They would sell the motorcycles for a profit in their homeland.
Every year, during festive seasons, they would take all their motorcycles back home to sell. On the farm, they had built a small place to live, free of rent. They ate well, enjoyed cool, fresh air, and lived without the daily pressures of the city. Their lives were independent, comfortable, and prosperous.
Now, compare this to many of our Yoruba children: when offered a similar chance to farm, they refuse. They do not want to go to the farm or put in the effort to grow, sell, and earn.
The contrast is clear. One group seizes opportunity and turns it into wealth; the other shies away. With the same land, the same chance, the same tools, the results could be just as rewarding.
So, again, who is really lazy?
Comments
Story of The Day
How idleness turned opportunity into resistance and levies
A reflection on missed opportunities, stubbornness, and misplaced effort begins with a true account from a friend of mine. He bought several acres of farmland with the intention of empowering young people. He sought local youth to work the land, but they refused. Instead, he had to travel to another region to hire laborers. These workers stayed year-round, harvesting diligently and returning during breaks.
When harvest season came, he loaded his trucks and trailers with produce to distribute in town. But the same local youths, who had earlier refused to work, blocked the roads with sticks—demanding levies of ₦50,000 before allowing passage.
The man shook his head and said: "How foolish—when you could have been the rightful owners of this harvest, you chose idleness. Now you collect crumbs with force while outsiders reap the reward of hard work."
This story highlights how misplaced pride and resistance to opportunity can cause people to miss out on long-term benefits. Rather than seizing a chance to work, learn, and own the fruits of their labor, the youths chose to demand instant gratification. In doing so, they undermined their own future while empowering outsiders.
It is a lesson in responsibility, foresight, and the importance of embracing opportunities when they are presented, instead of rejecting them only to later envy or fight those who took them.
Comments
Story of The Day
A desperate journey that turned into modern-day slavery
A young man, desperate to travel to Libya by all means, stooped so low as to steal from his parents—selling even his mother’s jewelry—in order to fund his journey. Driven by the promise of good jobs abroad, he followed a contact through Kano, determined to make his way across the desert.
The desert journey, however, was treacherous. Migrants were packed into Hilux trucks, speeding recklessly because stopping in the middle of the desert meant disaster. The terrain was unforgiving—sandy, dry, and devoid of water. Some people did not survive the crossing.
Eventually, he made it to Libya, only to face a shocking reality. A man who received him began moving him around like merchandise. He was then taken to a house filled with other migrants—only to discover that he had been bought like a slave.
Forced to work under the scorching sun on a farm, given little food, and stripped of freedom, his health and spirit declined. He was told that he must work for five years to pay off the cost of his purchase. The dream of opportunity abroad had become a nightmare of bondage.
This tragic story teaches us that desperation and laziness at home can lead to ruin abroad. In chasing illusions, he found himself enslaved in another man’s land, when he could have built a better life through honest work in his own country.