Guardian

RELAXATION. Holiday. Needless to say these two form a crucial component of a good, meaningful and fulfilling life. For, not only do they determine the health and general wellbeing of individuals, they also contribute in no small measure to their productivity, which in turn decides how successful they become.

When compared to what obtained in the past, findings have shown that more Nigerians are now aware and understand the need for regular exercise and relaxation though the percentage of those that do so is still relatively small. The pertinent questions here, however, are: Do Nigerians really relax? Do they holiday in the proper sense of it?

Greg Nwoko, a top journalist says there is no doubt Nigerians relax and holiday. They only observe these the ‘Nigerian way,’ which serves the purpose all the same. “I have devised my own way of resting. Everyday after work, I lie on the bed for as long as possible, sometimes drifting off to sleep in the process. And on weekends, I switch off my phones after coming back from church and sleep for two hours or more. When I wake up, I go to a nearby joint to watch football. Of course, I drink beer, which is another way I catch fun,” he says.

Greg also loves travelling frequently to his hometown, especially to attend family meetings and do some other things required in his village.

For Fola Adebayo, a middle-class banker, the wherewithal to travel abroad for his vacation constitutes no problem. He has come to appreciate the need to take a break from his hectic profession and go on annual vacation with his family. So, every year, they travel to London or the United States where they stay with relatives. “I enjoy and always look forward to the yearly break because it affords me the chance to be with my family uninterruptedly, which I really treasure. The nature of my job doesn’t permit me to spend much or quality time with my family, especially my two kids.” On such trips, Fola and his wife seize the opportunity to shop for what the family may need till the next vacation.

Babajide Richards hasn’t gone on leave for over six years. A top executive in an oil and gas company, he simply has no time for such ‘luxury.’ “My job is so demanding that I can hardly spare the time to go on holiday. I can’t recall when last I went on vacation. I would have loved to do so though, but there is simply no chance. I often go to the club to relax with friends,” he says. He, however, ensures that his family don’t lack in this regard, as they frequently travel to different parts of the world and go to relaxation spots and amusement parks.

These three scenarios portray the typical form of relaxation and holiday of an average Nigerian who bothers at all. Greg, Fola and Babajide are convinced they are giving their bodies and mind the necessary break. But are they?

No, they are not says Wale Akinboboye, Founder, La Campagne Tropicana and La Campagne Beach Resort. Relaxation and holiday, in the real sense of it, goes deeper than this. “The basic problem in this issue is the concept the average Nigerians’ have of what holiday is. Perhaps we should start with the definition of what holiday is. In the general sense, holiday is putting behind you all forms of work and stress, which also involves leaving one’s environment totally for a different one. An average Nigerian’s concept of holiday might be to go to a party on weekends or go to the church to clap and dance. And even when they go on holiday abroad, they only go for shopping, which is a lot more stressful. Strictly speaking, however, all these are no way to properly holiday.

“The important point to note here is the need to go to an entirely different environment when the individual is desirous of having a proper holiday. Unknown to many, their immediate or familiar environment constitutes a form of stress. Going to another, more cheerful environment for holiday eliminates this. For instance, when people lose their loved ones, this tends to bring worries, depression, sadness and negative memories generally. But when they go to another environment, they are able to put all the gloomy memories behind them and relax,” he says.

No less stressful is the human contact, which is attached to the regular environment. “This has an influence on people, especially where the extended family culture is practised such as Nigeria. You have relatives coming around to share and discuss their problems, which burdens and impacts your life negatively, especially when you cannot provide solutions to their problems. This puts a lot of pressure on you.”

This is where going on holiday in an entirely different environment becomes imperative; as people are thus able to avoid both the human contact, work pressure and other routines. “The whole family or the man and his wife can disappear for two weeks and go to another place and come back. By the time they come back, they are refreshed and rejuvenated.”

Dr. Olufemi Fasanmade, an Associate professor, department of medicine, University of Lagos agrees entirely with Akinboboye’s stand on the issue. “In the third world, which includes Nigeria, people don’t relax. We don’t have a holiday culture and so, Nigerians don’t holiday in the real sense of it. This is due to several factors including economic, which sometimes makes people to keep three or even four jobs to make ends meet. Again, people working far away from their places of work also place their bodies and mind under serious stress,” he says.

No doubt, Nigerians live in very stressful environment occasioned by economic, social and other factors. And this is the more reason they should take good care of their bodies and mind through appropriate means to replenish what is lost through so much demand. “All these factors place the body in a state of chronic stress. While a little stress is good for the body in that it keeps it alert and energetic, too much of it leads to chronic stress with its resultant adverse effect on the hormones, nerves and heart.

“Stressed hormones leads to the accumulation of fats in the system. Then there is the problem of high blood pressure and blood sugar, which gradually rises. The individual in question begins to put on weight and diabetes develops. The cholesterol level also rises, which leads to heart dysfunction. The blood thickens and there is generally an increased risk of cancer,” says Fasanmade.

Akinboboye paints a sad picture. “The lifespan of an average Nigerian, which has been pegged at 45 to 50 years is tied to the non-observance of the required care and maintenance of the body, aside other factors such as polluted air and the likes. After undergoing so much stress from hectic traffic on his way from work, there is no electricity at home. He then reaches for a can or carton of fruit juice to ‘cool down’ after eating junk food, which he managed to grab on the way. Now, you can see the issue of malnutrition coming into the picture. An average Nigerian worker returns home from work as late as 11pm in the night and goes to bed around 12 midnight only to wake up at 5 o’clock latest in order to arrive early for work. It is a vicious cycle that weakens the system and kills.

“Compare him with his European counterpart, who lives in a better and more conducive environment, eats fresh foods and fruits, goes on proper holiday when due. An average Nigerian worker is more or less like a robot, working mechanically because his brain and other parts of his body are not functioning properly due to the enumerated factors. His creativity as well as productivity cannot be brought to bear on his work and society generally. He only works to earn salary.”

But this worrisome fact is not affecting only the individuals; the rippling effect is reflecting equally on the economy. “The productivity level of the average Nigerian worker is less than 25 per cent and even 20 per cent among those in the lower class. This should not be surprising because with all these problems, they simply cannot be creative or add value to their work.

“It is particularly sad because people in the age bracket of 45 to 50 years should be the job creators in the society. Having absorbed so much through formal education, work experiences, wisdom and maturity bestowed on them from youth to this period, they should be enhancing the fortunes and development of society and the country through plowing it back in terms of their wealth of experience and financial capacity. Unfortunately, this is when they drop dead. It is all so sad, making the future looks bleak.”

Akinboboye says everyone can have a proper holiday with good planning and determination. “In the tourism industry, there are the domestic and international. The latter is expensive and those that have the money don’t have the time while those that have the time don’t have the money. But people don’t have to travel outside Nigeria to enjoy a good holiday.

“There are so many interesting places in the countryside that can serve the purpose. For instance, people can travel to places as Idanre, Ikogosi, Ile Oluji and such other rural areas in other parts of the country. At these places, you can get a nice hotel for as little as N5, 000 to N6, 000. And aside the fresh unpolluted air, people can eat well-prepared pounded yam with fresh bush meat and palm wine at a relatively cheap price. In the morning, they go for sightseeing and walking and interacting with the natives. All these go a long way to refresh and rejuvenate the system and body.

“Like any other endeavour, however, it becomes necessary to plan and save towards a good vacation. A European can plan and save towards his vacation for as long as three years. So, people should learn to put aside a little of their earnings towards holiday.”

And because we don’t have a holiday culture, Akinboboye is of the view that individuals have to cultivate the habit of going on holiday, as it is a mindset. Government should play its role by providing a conducive environment that is less stressful for the citizens.

Fasanmade is, however, of the opinion that holiday and relaxation should not be restricted to an annual event. “Nigerians should learn to rest at weekends and as much as possible all through the year. They should also learn to exercise appropriately. A minimum of 30-minute exercise three to four times a week is all that is needed. Physical activities such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming and table tennis keep the heart pumping and the body and health in top shape. Then there is the issue of getting adequate sleep, which should be six to eight hours for adults. Children need even more,” he says.

While Akinboboye says more Nigerians now patronise the gym, he laments the fact that majority of middle-class Nigerians still live a largely sedentary lifestyle, which does not augur well for their health and wellbeing in the long run. “They go from their air-conditioned houses to their chauffeur-driven air-conditioned cars, take the elevator instead of the stairs to their air-conditioned offices. The same process is observed again when going home. At the weekends when they should engage in workouts to burn all the accumulated stress and fats in the body, they go to church and owambe parties where they don’t even dance vigorously enough.“

But this lack of physical activities takes its toll on the heart, which is made to pump thickened blood to the brain and body and when the heart is overworked, heart attack is the result. Exercises lighten the blood and for this reason, the Europeans came up with the idea of Sauna apart from physical exercises. We in Africa are blessed with sunny countries and should make the best of it, as it is another means of making the blood light to flow easily through the veins thereby reducing the workload of the heart.”

For an effective holiday, people should be picky about their relaxation choices because it will be of no use if the relaxation or holiday spot is unable to free the mind and body from tension and stress. In this regard, the proliferation of bars and joints, where people go to watch their favourite football team may not be such a good idea after all. “Watching suspense, horror and adventure movies or going to football clubs may not serve the purpose of leisure or relaxation,” says Akinboboye. “All these have the power of transporting the viewer to their various locations, which may even put more tension and stress. For instance, someone who watched a horror movie during the day might end up having a nightmare at night. Is that relaxation?” he queries.

Why Nigerians Don’t Take Time For Leisure

Dr. Bamikole Fagbohungbe, a senior lecturer in the Department of Psychology, spoke to GBENGA SALAU on reasons Nigerians don’t take time for leisure.

Why do you think Nigerians do not see holidaying as leisure?

It is simply what they define as leisure. If you define horse racing as your leisure, that is what you do. If you define sitting down and gisting at a round table with alcohol in a beer parlour as your leisure, that is what you do. If you define womanising as leisure, which many of our men do, that is your own leisure. If you define it as visiting people, that is what you do. So, our definition of leisure here is different from what the average White person defines as leisure.

If you look at our environment, you see that it has a lot of things that makes the Europeans want to come to Nigeria for leisure. We have all of that but we do not value it. We define our needs and place value on the needs. Maslow says we arrange our needs in order of hierarchy so that the one that is of paramount importance to you is the one you accord your energy. So it has to do with the definition.

We can also look at it from the cultural background. For a very long time, Nigerians have lived in condition of inter-tribal war that does not encourage fluid movement, but restrictive movement. And so, in order to preserve that sense of security, people do not usually move about anyhow. There are a lot of constraints. Remember when Cynthia was murdered in Lagos, many people blamed her, asking why she would leave her parents to come to Lagos, whereas a White person would want to go to anywhere to fulfill leisure. Culturally, we are expected to cling to that attachment, do not move so far away from your people because of that collective preservation.

You may want to ask why do we still cling to that after so many years. It is simply because it does not fall into what we define as leisure here. In the village, after returning from the farm, people there eat pounded yam and drink wine. Afterwards, they tell stories within the family.

Does upbringing contributes to it?

Since we have a restrictive culture, the culture of dependency, it is part of it. The culture also covers upbringing. We are not trained to be independent. Others want to take decision for you; before you pick your wife, they must intervene if the family is the regular one. Most of the decisions that have to do with your existence are done collectively. We are not trained to think and act independently and through the process of cultural transmission, how our forefathers did it during their time, they passed it to us and then we also pass it on to the younger generation.

Is it the economic condition that makes Nigerians not to create time for leisure?

It is not. Even when the economy was buoyant, many Nigerians used to travel out on holiday but when they do, they go to do menial jobs to enable them buy things, which are shipped back to Nigeria. Those who enjoy travelling for holiday could be plan and save towards it for two or three years, but we do not do that in Nigeria.