By Amb. Dan Olaitan Dada ‘Prince’, Convener, SMEF
“FI ARA E L’OKAN BA’LE” is Yoruba wisdom that simply means “Rest your mind, be at peace.” Though rooted in Yoruba culture, this message belongs to every Nigerian – Hausa, Igbo, Ijaw, Tiv, Efik – because burnout, high blood pressure, and anxiety do not speak tribe.
There is a quiet epidemic in Nigeria today, and it is not kidnapping or inflation. It is burnout. It is the silent pressure of “jaan jaan” – endless struggle that is killing more citizens than bullets. We celebrate promotions to Grade Level 16, yet we ignore the BP spike that comes with it. We post duplex projects online, yet we sleep with anxiety. We buy cars we cannot maintain, yet we trek to work with chest pain. We push our children into expensive schools for status, yet we forget that character, not labels, builds the future.
At SMEF – Sanity Multi-Efforts Forum, we define sanity as knowing your limit. Eat food that sustains your body, not your ego. Rest before your body forces you to rest in hospital. Build what your pocket can carry, not what Instagram will clap for. If your marriage brings only war, protect your children and your mental health. If your office workload is crushing you, speak up and deliver within capacity. If your circle of friends turns life into competition, exit that race. Stay on your lane.
Money comes and goes. Titles expire. But life, once gone, does not return. EMI ISE GUN JU EMI ENIYAN LO – the job will outlive the worker if we are not careful. So let the job serve you, not bury you.
CONCLUSION – From the Office of the Convener:
From my office, I urge every Nigerian: Slow down to live long. As long as there is breath, there is hope. Do not measure your worth by another person’s clock. When your salary lands, eat good food, thank God, and sleep deeply. That is true wealth.
Nigeria needs living citizens, not burnt-out heroes. SMEF will keep preaching this message until sanity becomes our national culture.
Amb. Dan Olaitan Dada ‘Prince’
Convener, Sanity Multi-Efforts Forum – SMEF
