The Culture of Vultures: Nigeria’s Obsession with Mourning the Dead

 

.... a society that cannot process greatness until it is frozen in memory

In case the dead legends rise to watch, they will see their beautiful burials,  a mockery of the isolation they endured in life.

In 2010, Nigeria lost one of its brightest young rappers, Dagrin, in a fatal auto crash. His death shocked the nation, and within hours, images of the wreckage and his body spread like wildfire across social media. In that moment, a trend was born, one that has since grown into what can be described as a culture of vultures: waiting for someone to die before giving them the recognition, support, or attention they deserved while alive.

The cycle has continued relentlessly, from Goldie, Kefee, MC Loph, and Mohbad, to the most recent tragedy: Raji Samad Adetola, popularly known as Mr Sanku, a fast-rising skit maker whose burial in Osogbo drew public attention. Each time, the script is the same: silence in life, noise in death.

The cost of getting into the limelight in Nigeria comes with a painfully high price tag. Let’s pause and face reality: many young Nigerians are depressed, waiting endlessly for their dreams to break through. Yet, instead of solidarity, they are often met with indifference, until death makes them trend. This culture of vultures has gradually pushed people into envy, bitterness, and even hatred for those who manage to climb the ladder of success. Nowadays, some wait for their friends to die just to mourn them in a mockery of tribute.

But this is not only about individuals. It reflects our larger reality as a nation. Our apathy, our careless choices, the curses we rain on our land, and even the contempt we show for our own national flag have all conspired to make dreams in Nigeria fragile like sacred lamps struggling to burn against a storm. For many, the pursuit of destiny has become a Herculean task.

To the young, talented dreamers still pressing on: guard your destiny with prayer and perseverance. To those already reaping the fruit of their labor: do not wear your success like an armor of pride, for the culture of vultures is ever waiting to devour, as though you were victims of a system that resents your survival.

The truth is bitter but clear: in Nigeria today, it often seems easier to trend in death than to shine in life. But we must resist this decay. We must break this cycle. We must learn to lift one another up in life, not only in death.

For if we do not learn to honor the living, our tributes to the dead will forever remain hollow echoes.

Abioye Tosin Lawrence is the Publisher of Oriontimes Online Newspaper and the frontier voice of the HATE-AGAINST-NIGERIA Campaign.