“The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting, but diligence is man’s precious possession.” — Proverbs 12:27 (NKJV)
There is a distinct tragedy in starvation amidst plenty. In ancient wisdom, the definition of laziness is not always the refusal to work. Sometimes, laziness is the failure to process. It is the hunter who braves the forest, tracks the game, and makes the kill, only to leave the meat to rot because he refuses to light the fire.
For decades, Nigeria has been the hunter. We have hunted crude oil from the depths of the Delta. We have captured the game. But we have refused to roast it.
Through the lens of the African Diaspora, this biblical proverb sheds light on the economic paralysis of Africa’s giant, the sabotage of the Dangote Refinery. It serves as a critical warning for how we, the Diaspora, must manage our own resources.
The Paradox of the Raw
Nigeria presents a geopolitical anomaly that baffles the modern economist: it is a top-tier global oil producer that relies on imported petrol to function.
The “hunting” has never been the problem. Nigeria extracts millions of barrels of crude daily. The problem is the “roasting”, the refining process that turns raw potential into usable power.
Successive administrations have poured billions of dollars into the so-called “Turn Around Maintenance” (TAM) of state-owned refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna. These facilities have become monuments to waste, consuming vast budgets while producing zero output. Instead of roasting our catch, we sell the raw game at a discount to foreign nations, who roast it (refine it) and sell it back to us at a premium.
We pay for the privilege of our own incompetence.
The Sabotage of the Roaster
The recent saga surrounding the Dangote Refinery exposed the deep-seated rot in the system. Here was a private attempt to finally “roast” the game at home, a $20 billion industrial marvel designed to end the shame of importation.
Logic dictates that the Nigerian state would roll out the red carpet. Instead, the system fought back. We witnessed regulatory bodies questioning the quality of domestic diesel and International Oil Companies (IOCs) allegedly frustrating the supply of crude to the refinery.
Why? Because a “lazy” man, in the biblical sense, profits from the lack of processing. An entire economy of subsidies, arbitrage, and importation licenses was built around not roasting. When the fuel subsidy was removed, the pain was transferred to the citizens, yet the government continued to borrow, refusing to fix the structural defect of value addition.
The Diaspora Lesson: Are You Just Hunting?
This is not just a critique of the Nigerian state; it is a mirror for the Diaspora.
As members of the Diaspora, we are excellent hunters. We hunt for degrees in Ivy League universities. We hunt for high-paying jobs in London, Houston, and Toronto. We hunt for capital. We are arguably the most educated immigrant demographic in the United States.
But are we roasting what we catch?
If you earn six figures abroad but your only connection to home is sending money to be consumed (eaten raw) rather than invested (roasted), you are repeating the Nigerian mistake.
- Hunting is getting the remittance money. Roasting is building a business structure back home that generates profit without your constant injection of cash.
- Hunting is acquiring a PhD. Roasting is using that knowledge to build institutions or mentor the next generation, rather than just being a high-paid employee.
- Hunting is acquiring political influence in the West. Roasting is leveraging that influence to shape policy that favors our communities, rather than just enjoying the photo-ops.
The Akatarian Verdict
Proverbs 12:27 warns us that the game caught in the hunt is useless if it is not processed. Raw crude cannot power a car, and raw potential cannot power a nation.
Nigeria must learn that sovereignty is not just in owning the resource, but in refining it. And the Diaspora must learn that success is not just in acquiring wealth, but in creating value chains that outlive us.
To leave the game unroasted is not just poor economics; it is, according to the scriptures, the hallmark of a lazy man.
