We Love Anyhowness

Maybe I’m on a roll right now: writing a second article in less than two days. I deserve a round of applause. So yeah, today I want to talk about something that has been sitting heavy on my chest: anyhowness.

Many Nigerians have become citizens devoid of excellence. We now bask in “manage it like that.”

A few years ago, I read an article here on Medium about the “[manage it like that](http://Many Nigerians have become citizens devoid of excellence. We now bask in "manage it like that.")” theory of Nigerians. Since then, it rings in my head every time I see something done half-baked. And please, I won’t sit here pretending like I’m innocent. I’ve said “manage it like that” too; I’ve done things that lacked polish. But I’m learning. I’m trying to be better.

The problem is: when you insist on excellence, people see you as an oversabi person. They’ll say, “he too get stress.” As if caring about quality is a flaw.

Yes, I know poverty is real; I know standards are expensive. But here’s the truth: in Nigeria, ten substandard things are often preferred to four that are well done. We chase numbers and optics; not substance.

Let me paint a few examples.

It is in our football stadiums: once fine structures turned to monuments of neglect. Something breaks, and instead of replacing it, we patch it with paper and prayer. “E go still work.”

It is in how someone builds a house and stops halfway: no plaster; no paint; no finishing touch, yet proudly moves in. We celebrate completion, not perfection.

It is in how shop owners spell their names wrong on signboards, mix clashing colors, and use fonts that look like quarrels. And when you point it out, they shrug: “as long as you get the message.”

It is in how a generator rope cuts, and instead of fixing it properly, you wrap it by hand every day like a ritual. We get too comfortable with inconvenience.

It is in how you can hardly find a proper tiler anymore. Many contractors now go to Togo just to get the job done right.

It is in how the government builds one side of a road and abandons the other to rot. By the time they return, the first side has already fallen apart. A perfect metaphor for our circle of carelessness.

It is in how people fling dirt from car windows, then curse the floods when the gutters overflow.

It is in how someone installs a door but never fixes the handle. Or paints a wall but skips the corners because “it’s not that deep.”

This anyhowness is not just in our streets; it’s in our spirit. It shows in how we work; how we think; how we lead. We rush to start things but rarely finish them well. We do not value details; yet we crave excellence.

We cannot build greatness on shortcuts. We cannot become a nation of excellence when we are content with “it’s okay like that.”

Progress begins when we choose to care again; when we decide that doing it well is just as important as getting it done. Maybe that’s where change starts: in fixing the small things; in painting the corners; in getting a new rope when the other cuts.

Because excellence is not a luxury, it is a habit. And we’ve lived without it for far too long.