“We Are So Used To Substandard Living”- Woman Laments Nigerians’ Obsession With iPhones And Luxury Cars
- A Nigerian woman raised concerns about the celebration of expensive gadgets and luxury items in Nigeria.
- She highlighted that the country’s economic situation makes ordinary possessions seem like extraordinary achievements.
- In a viral video, she questioned the attention given to acquiring luxury items like expensive phones and cars.
A Nigerian woman has sparked reactions online after expressing concern over the way Nigerians celebrate expensive gadgets and luxury items, arguing that the country’s economic situation has made ordinary possessions appear to be extraordinary achievements.
In a video making the rounds on social media, the woman questioned why acquiring an expensive phone or a luxury car attracts so much attention in Nigeria, noting that such items are more accessible to people in some other countries.
According to her, the level of poverty and deprivation in the country has influenced what many Nigerians consider achievements, with social media further encouraging the display of material possessions.
“If you want to understand how deprived we are as Nigerians, just go on social media and see the kinds of things that we give attention to. Literally, things that are nothing, they mean nothing in other parts of the world, are things that we celebrate,” she said.
The woman cited the excitement surrounding the iPhone 18 as an example, pointing out that some Nigerians have been making videos to announce that they have purchased the latest device.
She compared the situation with other countries where even children use iPhones without necessarily treating them as symbols of wealth, attributing the difference to better systems and easier access to goods and services.
She also expressed concern that the obsession with expensive possessions has created an environment where people compete to outdo one another and use their belongings to make others feel inferior.
She said, “And you know what makes it even more sad? That we now start to use that to want to oppress other people. Say, oh, Na me first, na me first.”
Speaking about Lagos, the woman argued that the pressure to look wealthy and maintain a particular lifestyle has become overwhelming for some residents.
She explained that people who do not dress or present themselves in a certain way may feel left out, causing some to go to extreme lengths to meet society’s expectations.
The woman further argued that the growing emphasis on material possessions has made people focus more on appearances than on meaningful accomplishments.
She also linked the situation to what she described as Nigerians’ growing acceptance of poor living conditions, warning that lowered expectations could make basic responsibilities appear worthy of special recognition.
As an example, she questioned why politicians would organise ceremonies to commission hospital beds or distribute tyres to commercial motorcycle riders as empowerment initiatives.
“The bigger implication for something like this is the fact that politicians would have effrontery to say they are going to the hospital to go and commission a bed in the hospital or to give tyres to motorcycle riders as empowerment,” she said.
According to her, such practices reflect a situation where citizens have become accustomed to so little that relatively minor interventions can be presented as significant achievements.
She urged Nigerians to reconsider the things they celebrate, stressing that the country needs to move beyond a culture where owning expensive gadgets or displaying wealth attracts more attention than improvements in people’s living conditions.
Expressing sadness over the situation, she said Nigerians still had a long way to go in changing their expectations and demanding better standards of living.
“We are so used to substandard living that any little thing now becomes like a big achievement. It’s really sad. We have a long way to go,” she said.
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