Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has said he wants Nigeria to “keep happening” to him, taking a different angle on the popular phrase “Nigeria happened,” which has been trending after the tragic death of ARISE News correspondent, Somtochukwu Maduagwu, who was killed during a robbery at her Abuja home.
In a post on Tuesday, Omokri wrote: “May Nigeria happen to me and keep happening to me as long as I live!”
He criticised people who use “Nigeria happened” to describe negative events, saying they don’t give the country credit when good things happen.
“When bad things happen, enemies of this country are quick to say that ‘Nigeria has happened’ to them. But when good things happen, they take the glory personally without attributing it to our great nation,” he said.
Omokri argued that hardship exists everywhere, even in developed countries. He pointed out that in the United States, about 20,000 people are murdered yearly — more than double Nigeria’s rate — yet Americans don’t constantly speak badly of their country.
He also listed what he called positive progress in Nigeria, including record-breaking power generation, reduced inflation, and growth in the economy. According to him, Nigeria is now a net exporter of refined petroleum products, with fuel imports dropping significantly.
“Nigeria’s economy has grown by $67 billion in two years, and the naira stretches further than currencies in countries like Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and Ethiopia,” he added.
Omokri urged Nigerians to be more optimistic and proud of their country. “Nigeria is a great country, not a perfect one — because perfection is for God. We focus too much on the negatives and ignore the positives,” he said.
His comments follow widespread debates over the phrase “Nigeria happened,” which resurfaced after Maduagwu’s death. In one of her posts before the incident, she had prayed that “Nigeria never happens” to her or her loved ones. On ARISE TV’s The Morning Show, her colleague Reuben Abati also said, “When Nigeria happens to us, it is a sad thing.”
Since then, many Nigerians online have used the phrase to highlight the country’s systemic problems and tough realities.
