We should never forget that the greatest source of happiness is to serve others and make them happy.I thank Allah for my new age. At 65, I am not a rich man, but Allah has given me the greatest of all wealth – abundant health. He meets all my needs easily, and I am a contented man. Contentment is a form wealth.

I turn 65 today. I thank Allah, (Subhanu Wa T’ala) for this favour, even though I can feel the weight of those numbers on my shoulders. Looking back, it feels like it was only a few years ago that I graduated from the university, with the future stretching ahead of me ad infinitum.

Sixty-five is a weighty figure. I acknowledge, I’m an old man now, though they say, ‘age is only a number’. But in reality, age is more than a number. It is experiences, battles fought, battles lost and won, and medals and scars collected along the way.

The other day, I was watching some young Nigerian artistes dishing out cool, world-class lyrics on the TV, and the thought of the ‘japa’ syndrome came to my mind. Would such creative geniuses ever want to ‘japa’?

Almost every young man or woman wants to ‘japa’ (emigrate) from Nigeria these days. The youths complain of the lack of job opportunities, electricity, water, and of everything that should make life meaningful. Emilokanomics has even compounded the situation now, asphyxiating Nigerians, old and young.

I believe Nigerian youths are right to want ‘japa’ to a large extent but they’re also wrong in many respects. There are abundant opportunities in Nigeria if only you will open your eyes and mind and look deeply enough. You must also so be ready to work hard, very hard.

These, I believe, are the best of times to be young in Nigeria, especially if you’re a creative – musician, actor, fashion designer, writer, etc. But it’s not just the creatives who are making a killing. I watched a BBC Yoruba news spotlight on a young woman, Monsurat Ololade, based in Osogbo, who makes bespoke foot wears for kings, superstars, and commoners alike. There are many like Monsurat. I wear bespoke half shoes made for me by a young man around my neighbourhood.

Opportunities abound in technology for coders, app designers, website designers, digital marketers, graphic and fine artists, etc, while online jobs are available for writers, accountants, teachers, and so on. Go to LinkedIn Jobs, Indeed, Jobberman, and many other job marts on the Internet. You will see thousands of jobs advertised every day.

The problem is that most of the youths who complain want roaring success now! They want to blow ‘lese kese’. Even if you ‘japa’, success won’t be immediate and you will have to face the grind for at least 10 years before you can find your level.

And let me tell you that the ‘japa’ syndrome did not begin today. When I was young, many of my colleagues ‘japaed’ (Biodun Asimiyu Ladepo, Yemi Ojo, Sola Raifu) at the slightest opportunity. I was tempted to do so too but decided there was nothing I wanted abroad that I couldn’t get in Nigeria.

Please hear me well, there’s nothing wrong with ‘japa’ if you feel that’s where your fortune lies. Emigration is part of human history. It’s as old as the first man created by God. After all, Adam emigrated from the Garden of Eden to the Earth. My parents ‘japaed’ from their small town, Igbeti, to cosmopolitan Kano for better opportunities.

But as Russell H. Cornwell said, “There are people who think that their fortune lies in some far country. It is much more likely to lie right in their own backyards or on their front doorsteps, hidden from their unseeing eyes. Most of our millionaires discovered their fortunes by simply looking around them.”

Beyond making money, you’ve got to do what you love, and love what you do. I repeat that, you’ve got to do what you love, and love what you do. That’s what will bring you success and happiness, whether abroad or here in Nigeria. After all, as John Lennon said, happiness is the goal of life.

John Lennon once said: “When I was five years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”

So, if you’re happy as a street sweeper and do your job with joy, you’re are a fulfilled person. And if it’s ‘japa’ that would make you happy, by all means do so; and if you find opportunities in Nigeria that make you happy, stay and explore those opportunities. Go where your happiness is.

But we should never forget that the greatest source of happiness is to serve others and make them happy. So, however we pursue a happy life, we should do it in such a way as to serve others by impacting their lives.

While I have lived my dream to be a journalist, a teacher and a writer, when I see how much fun hard-working young people are catching in Nigeria in their various endeavours, I wish it were possible for me to turn back the hand of the clock and be young again, start over and catch some of the fun all over again. But truth be told, I enjoyed my youth and had much fun, and I have enjoyed my journey so far. “So far, so good/koni baje…” as Kiz Daniel sings.

No matter how many people troop out of Nigeria, we cannot all leave and there will always be more Nigerians in Nigeria than there are outside. For those who remain, let’s work hard to make this country better and great. For those who ‘japaed’, continue to make Nigeria proud wherever you are.

It would surprise you to know that there’s now reverse migration going on. Some Nigerians who emigrated overseas are coming back. I just read of two such cases in Zikoko, an online magazine, and I know of a friend who can’t wait to get back.

One thing is certain though; there’s no easy life anywhere. My experience is that succeeding in life, whether in or outside Nigeria, takes time and hardwork. There’s no overnight success or sudden wealth. You need to commit yourself to a profession or vocation and put your nose to the grind. You also need to keep learning and improving yourself.

And it would take you a minimum of 10 years to start making it in that profession or vocation. The first five years would be a learning period. My observation is supported by a theory propounded by Malcolm Gladwell in his book, Outliers, that to master a skill, you need to spend at least 10,000 hours practising it. That’s an equivalent of about three-and-a-half working years.

After 10 years of doing the same job (not necessarily in the same way), you begin to make some money and a name for yourself. After 20 years you become a master in your trade. If our young men know that success requires patience, they would be less inclined to criminality.

I thank Allah for my new age. At 65, I am not a rich man, but Allah has given me the greatest of all wealth – abundant health. He meets all my needs easily, and I am a contented man. Contentment is a form wealth.

Alhamdulillah Rabbil-Alameen!

Muda Ganiyu, a journalist, writer, teacher and publisher was editor of the Nigerian Tribune.