Unpopular side with Thomas Oti
Email: thomasoti@qed.ng
The tipping point is that point where everything dramatically changes. I just “read” Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping Point. Not with my two eyes though. I bought the audio book and it’s easier than reading the paperback, that much I can say. I recommend it for you. It is a great use of your time while you are sat alternating your right leg between the accelerator and the break in Lagos’ punishing sometimes never ending traffic. Or whether you are sitting in a bus or taxi. You increase your knowledge rather than moan and complain and feel road rage. You are transported into the fantastic world of these amazing authors with voluminous books read so serenely yet excitedly by professional voiceovers who have the best voices in the world. Audio books are for me the best thing since sliced bread.
The tipping point is that peak point you get to and you and can roll your heavy load downhill with ease. We all know that point. The point where hard work has finally paid off and the hard worker is now like a magician; anything he touches turns to gold. That is your tipping point. You are at the top of your game and everything just falls into place for you.
The tipping point can also be negative of course. It could be the point where you manage to get to the top of the hill by any means possible, especially illegally, and then it starts going downhill for you. It is the point where your cup is full and it begins to overflow. When you get up badly, when you start tumbling down, no matter what you do, when you reach that tipping point, you are going down. And fast too.
Nigeria is at a tipping point. Her cup is filled with past years of mismanagement and corruption that any small push and it will tip over. Saraki is at the tipping point. Dasuki got to his own tipping point and is on his way down, fast. Buhari got to his own tipping point and things turned around magically for him and no matter how much money PDP looted from the treasury to keep itself in office for ever, the tipping point had arrived and all its plans and machinations fell flat. Same with Saraki, Dasuki and the lucky thousands more whose cup is now full and are at the tipping point. Some of them need a small push and they’ll go tumbling over like a pack of cards. Other are already being blown away in a strong Nigerian tsunami. Nigeria herself is sitting precariously at the precipice. One final push and we are all going down.
Nigeria’s tipping point is her darkest hour before dawn. All we need is that final push and shove and heave and we will all be fine. That final push to the top of the hill and then it’s easy for us no matter what our leaders do. We are at the tipping point now. Buhari got us here because he promised us change. We know that the only constant thing in life is change and we’ve also always known that change isn’t easy. Try changing a bad habit for instance.
Change is painful, hard and difficult. It goes against every grain in your body, soul and psyche. Pain isn’t easy. So yes Buhari promised change. It’s politics so he didn’t mention the pain of change. But that it would be change. Things would not be done in the same way. He promised that. And that we are getting. But we are human and we are impatient. These two go hand in hand. We want things to happen even before we conceptualize them.
So the change isn’t happening fast enough for us. But it is happening. And we are almost at the tipping point. When it will all change for good, for better, or for worse. We hope we don’t go downhill but we certainly want to smoothly enjoy the rest of the ride.
Things have been difficult enough. We look forward to the day naira will be 1:1 with the dollar. That day when petrol will be cheaper than pure water. And no I don’t mean pure water should be sold at N100 per sachet o!
It is darkest before the dawn. We are almost there.
PS – Tiwa’s tipping point
Social media was agog in the past week with news that Tiwa Savage’s former manager and husband wanted to commit suicide on the Lekki Bridge but he thought better of it and decided to commit the hara-kiri on Instagram instead.
He may have stayed alive in breathing matters but to all intents and purposes, he’s dead. He died on Instagram. No more life in him for sure. At least not as far as his marriage is concerned. Or Tiwa Savage too for that matter.
He called out his wife, his dad, his wife’s mum, his wife’s business partners or more like her bosses whom he said his wife had slept with. If you weren’t named as having banged Tiwa, you probably are not a big enough star. Big big meltdown.
He is said to have gone back online though and denied everything. He said his Instagram account had been hacked, etc, etc. Tiwa no waste time. She hit back swiftly. She did the couch thing with Azuka, Nigeria’s biggest entertainment journalist, who also brought us Olajumoke. The interview is everywhere online. You’ll find it here.
One thing was certain; Tiwa’s marriage had reached tipping point. And now it’s crashed. Big shame.
Did I mention though that I’m secretly gloating because me I love Tiwa? Don’t tell her o. She may think I’m potential husband material now that she’s out in the market again looking for another error. Sorry, mistake. Sorry, husband.
I will talk about Tiwa’s marriage another day.
