FROM the young hawker offering to sell motorists a toilet seat as he snakes through the never-ending jam that is normal traffic in Lagos, to the legions of scammers who make their living writing thousands of e-mails in the hopes of conning a few people out of some cash, Nigerians cannot be said to lack optimism. Yet in a country where poverty is rife, even the world’s most diligent transformers of lemons into lemonade need some help to see a nearly empty glass as half-full.
The pastors of Pentecostal mega-churches promise their congregations God-sent fortunes in return for a 10% tithe. If that sounds a bit dear, then a cut-price option is to subscribe to a service that sends inspirational text messages to your phone. This includes pearls such as: “Changing a face can change nothing, but facing a change can change everything.”
Bookworms can read their way to success. Jumia, an online retailer, says that motivational and self-help books are its bestsellers. In the tiny airports of the north, vendors offer such handy literature as “Fat-Proofing your Children”; in Lagos street vendors hawk the same. “Everyone wants to become the...Continue reading
Source: Middle East and Africa http://ift.tt/24kJzwr
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