Reyginus:
And that is a problem which I believe we will overcome some day.

What I don't really like is to stand and watch or evil men walk tall in the midst of good men. Buhari is Evil. Jonathan is Evil. I mean highly evil. A man who has no regards for human life until last week. How foolish can a president be? Or is it the careless talker whose utterance instigated violence. How inhuman? And Nigerians have forgiven them already. Is this Love?

I'm actually describing human nature. Humans follow people who have proved themselves regarding something.

Today what Nigerians respect is economic means and at least a pretense at charity. Utomi is not known for either. He is known for erudition. I don't mean that he is not wealthy. I mean that we don't know that he is. And we don't know him for charity although he may really be a very generous man. Nigeria's problem is, in one word, hunger. People are worried about how they will survive each day. That's why you find people who will vote a man who killed their mother simply because he paid for her burial too.

People like Utomi need to get into the simple man's reality and get involved. And he needs means for that. He has to become the people's champion or else it won't matter how good an administrator or leader he can be, he'll never be known well enough to be voted for.

Reyginus:
The problem is, you have consciously raised your idea of what is realistic to contradict what is idealistic. We are to aim for the ideal society. Your realism changes and thus not really true for any state.

The ideal society is a model written in our minds and on paper. We can only try to attain it to a certain degree but a perfect system is near impossible. About your preference for a Nigerian leader, what qualities do you think he should have?

ihedinobi2:

I'm actually describing human nature. Humans follow people who have proved themselves regarding something.

Today what Nigerians respect is economic means and at least a pretense at charity. Utomi is not known for either. He is known for erudition. I don't mean that he is not wealthy. I mean that we don't know that he is. And we don't know him for charity although he may really be a very generous man. Nigeria's problem is, in one word, hunger. People are worried about how they will survive each day. That's why you find people who will vote a man who killed their mother simply because he paid for her burial too.

People like Utomi need to get into the simple man's reality and get involved. And he needs means for that. He has to become the people's champion or else it won't matter how good an administrator or leader he can be, he'll never be known well enough to be voted for.

That is a pity. Hunger actually saps some mind but then I wonder what is the case with people online who don't get paid to promote these lies.
How can I decide to promote another clueless man because I have had enough of one clueless man? You see them in Politics Section cursing themselves because none agrees with anything proposed by the other. Most times I pity for them.

I don't mean to sound condescending but I think besides hunger there are lots of stupid people in this country. The leaders both past and presen have made sure the chain reaction doesn't end.

ihedinobi2:

I'm actually describing human nature. Humans follow people who have proved themselves regarding something.

Today what Nigerians respect is economic means and at least a pretense at charity. Utomi is not known for either. He is known for erudition. I don't mean that he is not wealthy. I mean that we don't know that he is. And we don't know him for charity although he may really be a very generous man. Nigeria's problem is, in one word, hunger. People are worried about how they will survive each day. That's why you find people who will vote a man who killed their mother simply because he paid for her burial too.

People like Utomi need to get into the simple man's reality and get involved. And he needs means for that. He has to become the people's champion or else it won't matter how good an administrator or leader he can be, he'll never be known well enough to be voted for.

#Gbam.
Speaking Queen's English or reeling sound ideas is not enough in Nigeria. People will still ask "is he my brother?", "is he a Christian/Muslim", "will he give me contracts?", "what has he done before now? Has he positively affected his immediate community/state? and so on...

This is the real Nigeria and while people are getting more enlightened we have this reality still haunting us.

An0nimus:

The ideal society is a model written in our minds and on paper. We can only try to attain it to a certain degree but a perfect system is near impossible. About your preference for a Nigerian leader, what qualities do you think he should have?

I don't think there is anything like a Nigerian leader except you want to tell me that the word is an adjective and how it deviates from your normal leader.

My qualities of a leader will be categorized into two:

Affection/Love/Sentivity: When I say love I don't mean what seems like Love. Something GEJ and MB seem to have but don't have. Patriotism falls under here. You must love your country.

Knowledge/Wisdom/Understanding: I don't mean the amount of information you have stored in your brain but your ability to get the information outside your physiological environment using the information stored in you and others.

The rest will fit in. I can break these two but it will be long, boring and tiresome.

Reyginus:
You got it all wrong. I was refering to how Muskeeto pursues the argument. I am not saying we should remain patient of bad leadership.

It is a statement I make when I seriously intend to pursue any argument. You get me now?

Yes...sigh of relief.

Reyginus:
I don't think there is anything like a Nigerian leader except you want to tell me that the word is an adjective and how it deviates from your normal leader.

My qualities of a leader will be categorized into two:

Affection/Love/Sentivity: When I say love I don't mean what seems like Love. Something GEJ and MB seem to have but don't have. Patriotism falls under here. You must love your country.

Knowledge/Wisdom/Understanding: I don't mean the amount of information you have stored in your brain but your ability to get the information outside your physiological environment using the information stored in you and others.

The rest will fit in. I can break these two but it will be long, boring and tiresome.

Ok I drop the 'Nigerian' qualifier.

Do you think someone that has the above qualities alone can win a presidential election in Nigeria?

Reyginus:
That is a pity. Hunger actually saps some mind but then I wonder what is the case with people online who don't get paid to promote these lies.
How can I decide to promote another clueless man because I have had enough of one clueless man? You see them in Politics Section cursing themselves because none agrees with anything proposed by the other. Most times I pity for them.

I don't mean to sound condescending but I think besides hunger there are lots of stupid people in this country. The leaders both past and presen have made sure the chain reaction doesn't end.

Rey, I actually meant that a prospective leader should be able to enter the reality of the people they intend to lead. You can't say you want to lead a bunch of hungry people and your priority is neither feeding them nor showing them a plan to keep them fed.

The vast majority of Nigerians are living on the edge of survival. They cannot afford the sophisticated thinking that some leaders like Pat might want to sell them. They're simple people with simple needs. If you can guarantee their survival then they will listen to anything else you have to say. This is why these unscrupulous politicians have been ruling. They keep the people dependent on these occasional handouts and divide them up along the lines of their scrambles for survival.

If better people acquired the means and took time to go to the grassroots and connect with these people at the point of their needs a lot will begin to change. The people need a reconditioning and it will not be given by rogues or by sophisticated thinkers who don't find a way to connect with them.

An0nimus:

#Gbam.
Speaking Queen's English or reeling sound ideas is not enough in Nigeria. People will still ask "is he my brother?", "is he a Christian/Muslim", "will he give me contracts?", "what has he done before now? Has he positively affected his immediate community/state? and so on...

This is the real Nigeria and while people are getting more enlightened we have this reality still haunting us.

Indeed. I myself can identify with people like Utomi. The tendency is to treat people like you're sitting in some high-powered conference with fellow sophisticates. Then you get disappointed that they don't seem to appreciate the effort you are putting into giving them a better life. You totally miss the point which is that you're speaking a language they don't understand.

When people are hungry give them food. When they're afraid, give them security. You don't talk all smart and stuff, just meet them where they are and when you've convinced them that you're on their side, they'll start asking what else you have to say. That's how these crooks have been getting poor people to kill each other.

An0nimus:

Ok I drop the 'Nigerian' qualifier.

Do you think someone that has the above qualities alone can win a presidential election in Nigeria?

Of course, Yes. It is simply time. The people will first have to denounce mediocrity by their actions.

I noticed something. When you say Nigeria you seem to be suggesting that the inhabitants are some unique set of backward beings with a rigid mentality of how a republic is meant to be run. We are not that people. I am not like that.

Humans live here and there are intellegent or refined and stupid people. Enlightenment is sweeping across. Elections are not usually what they used to be.

Yes, it is possible.

ihedinobi2:

Rey, I actually meant that a prospective leader should be able to enter the reality of the people they intend to lead. You can't say you want to lead a bunch of hungry people and your priority is neither feeding them nor showing them a plan to keep them fed.

The vast majority of Nigerians are living on the edge of survival. They cannot afford the sophisticated thinking that some leaders like Pat might want to sell them. They're simple people with simple needs. If you can guarantee their survival then they will listen to anything else you have to say. This is why these unscrupulous politicians have been ruling. They keep the people dependent on these occasional handouts and divide them up along the lines of their scrambles for survival.

If better people acquired the means and took time to go to the grassroots and connect with these people at the point of their needs a lot will begin to change. The people need a reconditioning and it will not be given by rogues or by sophisticated thinkers who don't find a way to connect with them.

I get you. If I may ask, why have you decided to vote for one of these men even when they have failed in their words and actions to promote the survival of people in this country?

The both of made statements that the last election will be their last but betrayed the words. Why would you choose an evil over another evil? What has buhari really done for us and not for himself?

texanomaly:


Yes...sigh of relief.

Good for you.

Reyginus:
I get you. If I may ask, why have you decided to vote for one of these men even when they have failed in their words and actions to promote the survival of people in this country?

The both of made statements that the last election will be their last but betrayed the words. Why would you choose an evil over another evil? What has buhari really done for us and not for himself?

I can hardly vote for a candidate that's not there. Those are the only two I know.

ihedinobi2:

I can hardly vote for a candidate that's not there. Those are the only two I know.

Okay.

Reyginus:
Of course, Yes. It is simply time. The people will first have to denounce mediocrity by their actions.

I noticed something. When you say Nigeria you seem to be suggesting that the inhabitants are some unique set of backward beings with a rigid mentality of how a republic is meant to be run. We are not that people. I am not like that.

Humans live here and there are intellegent or refined and stupid people. Enlightenment is sweeping across. Elections are not usually what they used to be.

Yes, it is possible.

Lol thank God you said 'seem'. Ihedinobi's last reply has pretty much covered what I wanted to say. Out there on the streets Rey the average Nigerian is not a fan of too much fancy talk. They prefe you to show working and other reasons I've listed before.

On enlightenment I agree more people are waking up to smell the coffee.

An0nimus:


Lol thank God you said 'seem'. Ihedinobi's last reply has pretty much covered what I wanted to say. Out there on the streets Rey the average Nigerian is not a fan of too much fancy talk. They prefe you to show working and other reasons I've listed before.

On enlightenment I agree more people are waking up to smell the coffee.

The average Nigerian is corrupt and that is another problem. Not only stealing alone but other moral corruptions.

This makes it difficult for them to know what they really need. This corruption is also responsible for not recognizing a morally eroded candidate when they see one. I think hunger is blown out of proportion in this country. I don't agree that up to 50million Nigerians feed on less than a dollar a day. Even a street beggar makes more than that in a 6hours.

Corruption makes it difficult for the man to draw close. Because to draw close to them you may have to soil your integrity. Two must agree to work together. I think we have more foolish people than hungry people in this country.

Reyginus:
The average Nigerian is corrupt and that is another problem. Not only stealing alone but other moral corruptions.

This makes it difficult for them to know what they really need. This corruption is also responsible for not recognizing a morally eroded candidate when they see one. I think hunger is blown out of proportion in this country. I don't agree that up to 50million Nigerians feed on less than a dollar a day. Even a street beggar makes more than that in a 6hours.

Corruption makes it difficult for the man to draw close. Because to draw close to them you may have to soil your integrity. Two must agree to work together. I think we have more foolish people than hungry people in this country.

Foolish is a bit extreme but you're now seeing the real Nigeria as it is today. Things are changing for the better hopefully. One by one in our different fields we can choose to do things right instead of the generally accepted way.

Reyginus:
The average Nigerian is corrupt and that is another problem. Not only stealing alone but other moral corruptions.

This makes it difficult for them to know what they really need. This corruption is also responsible for not recognizing a morally eroded candidate when they see one. I think hunger is blown out of proportion in this country. I don't agree that up to 50million Nigerians feed on less than a dollar a day. Even a street beggar makes more than that in a 6hours.

Corruption makes it difficult for the man to draw close. Because to draw close to them you may have to soil your integrity. Two must agree to work together. I think we have more foolish people than hungry people in this country.

Seriously where do you live, Rey? Were you born in VI and raised in Aso Rock?

Why does corruption exist at all? Which street beggar makes that much? Is it a street in Park View Estate that they beg on?

My brother, you have no idea the degree of disparity between the realities of the well-to-do and the struggling in Nigeria. You don't. Forget about the statistics in the news and come outside. Go to Oshodi. Or Aba. Make friends with the young men and see if you can get them to talk and come back and see if you can tell the same story.

I can tell you of 2.1 graduates in Nigeria without jobs. I mean, at all at all. They wake up everyday and go and look for menial jobs to tide them through the day. In the Niger Delta no less. The home of oil wealth, abi.

The average Nigerian is corrupt because that is how he can find food to eat and ensure some security for himself and his family. He will bend the rules and ignore propriety because he has been taught by the system that he will die of hunger if he insists on doing things the right way. It's a learned response that's become a culture for us.

That it can change and is changing is not in doubt. But it will not change merely because anyone dislikes it so much as to discount the reasons for its existence. Leaders have refused to lead properly and build confidence in our socio-political institutions because it serves them better to have a broken-down, desperate followership. And leaders may also be the way they are because of external influence in their lives.

Naija is a piece of work. But don't underestimate the need to properly understand what the work is. Or else you will only worsen our problems.

ihedinobi2:

Dude, happy new year, bro. Long time. Been wanting to email you. What's up? I'll try to do you one later today but it'll be from a different address. Have had troubles with my Nairaland email since last month or so. I hope you're doing good, bro.

No problem bro, I am waiting to receive it. Hope you read the last mail I sent to you...

dagr8:

No problem bro, I am waiting to receive it. Hope you read the last mail I sent to you...

Depends when you sent it. I am still trying to regain access to that email. As soon as I do I can be sure.

Sorry, last night didn't work. I'll try today.

The only way Nigeria can change is to have a billionaire that is a humanitarian who uses his money to get into power and fights the corruption.


The catch 22 is that to be a billionaire in Nigeria, one has to be a selfish evil genius. Why would a selfish, evil genius care about other humans?


You can't be a good person in Nigeria and be successful. The environment is lawless and only those who know how to exploit the law and oppress others will rise.




Maybe, we need a white saviour. Texanomaly?

AllNaijaBlogger:
The only way Nigeria can change is to have a billionaire that is a humanitarian who uses his money to get into power and fights the corruption.


The catch 22 is that to be a billionaire in Nigeria, one has to be a selfish evil genius. Why would a selfish, evil genius care about other humans?


You can't be a good person in Nigeria and be successful. The environment is lawless and only those who know how to exploit the law and oppress others will rise.




Maybe, we need a white saviour.

Nigeria already is plagued with lots of billionaire. Might I direct your attention to our pastors who have more than enough to spare.

Funny thing is when they give they only do it to gain publicity and get more members and still ripping from the members.

The genuine act of selflessness preached by them and Jesus is totally ignored.

Our country is a circle of rogues who only see it fit for them and only them to be rich!.

The only way to fight corruption is to make rigid examples of people who have been accused of acts of corruption, believe me, that will serve as deterrent to others.

ihedinobi2:

Seriously where do you live, Rey? Were you born in VI and raised in Aso Rock?

Why does corruption exist at all? Which street beggar makes that much? Is it a street in Park View Estate that they beg on?

My brother, you have no idea the degree of disparity between the realities of the well-to-do and the struggling in Nigeria. You don't. Forget about the statistics in the news and come outside. Go to Oshodi. Or Aba. Make friends with the young men and see if you can get them to talk and come back and see if you can tell the same story.

I can tell you of 2.1 graduates in Nigeria without jobs. I mean, at all at all. They wake up everyday and go and look for menial jobs to tide them through the day. In the Niger Delta no less. The home of oil wealth, abi.

The average Nigerian is corrupt because that is how he can find food to eat and ensure some security for himself and his family. He will bend the rules and ignore propriety because he has been taught by the system that he will die of hunger if he insists on doing things the right way. It's a learned response that's become a culture for us.

That it can change and is changing is not in doubt. But it will not change merely because anyone dislikes it so much as to discount the reasons for its existence. Leaders have refused to lead properly and build confidence in our socio-political institutions because it serves them better to have a broken-down, desperate followership. And leaders may also be the way they are because of external influence in their lives.

Naija is a piece of work. But don't underestimate the need to properly understand what the work is. Or else you will only worsen our problems.

I still insist that the poverty in the country is not as some people will have us believe. I was born and raised in the north and in all these years I have never really seen a person who feeds on less than a dollar a day. I am serious. Except they live the bush and only few persons do. I have being to every region except the southwest. But we all know the benchmark for poverty is defined properly in the north.

I may agree that a person in this country survives on less than 3 dollars a day but I have never seen any reason to agree that more than 50million Nigerians live on less than a dollar. Why don't I see these people? Where do they live exactly? There is poverty, yes. But to blow it to that proportion to appeal to our emotions without any base is calculated.

Patriotism is another thing. How many people here love the country? The country is a work in progress but to admit people like GEJ and MB shows the people have been corrupted even to a point of not loving themselves and that will surely take them backward. We have to learn to love ourselves before any orientation will work. Even Russians show a deep sense of patriotism.

AllNaijaBlogger:
The only way Nigeria can change is to have a billionaire that is a humanitarian who uses his money to get into power and fights the corruption.


The catch 22 is that to be a billionaire in Nigeria, one has to be a selfish evil genius. Why would a selfish, evil genius care about other humans?


You can't be a good person in Nigeria and be successful. The environment is lawless and only those who know how to exploit the law and oppress others will rise.




Maybe, we need a white saviour. Texanomaly?

Perhaps you're right. I mean, I've mostly seen successful people who had to adopt the philosophy that it doesn't matter whom they trample to secure or people who are secure and are determined to never risk their security for other people.

However, I don't really believe that the only way to become a billionaire is to be selfish. I think that it is possible to rise to the top of the money pile without losing a heart for good. It's just much more challenging and a rather obscure path.

For instance, when people stop thinking seriously about oil money and "sharp" contracts and start with non-licensed and low-red tape industries like some Internet businesses they may make a killing and still not lose their humanity. It's more frustrating when you chase oil money and lucrative contracts without something to back you against the push-back. It's also frustrating when you try capital-intensive but high-yield ventures. Unless you have money and a lot of backbone. And a track record.

It's not impossible, IMO, just very challenging.

Anyone who has a desire to change things in Nigeria has to be very patient and willing to think hard about everything. If you run out half-cocked, you'll not only fail, you might lose yourself too.

AllNaijaBlogger:
The only way Nigeria can change is to have a billionaire that is a humanitarian who uses his money to get into power and fights the corruption.


The catch 22 is that to be a billionaire in Nigeria, one has to be a selfish evil genius. Why would a selfish, evil genius care about other humans?


You can't be a good person in Nigeria and be successful. The environment is lawless and only those who know how to exploit the law and oppress others will rise.




Maybe, we need a white saviour. Texanomaly?

You can be a good person in Nigeria and be successful. Please don't carry this mindset or tell it to others. I have seen a man turn down political appointments because he refuses to be corrupted by the system. He was dropped from his Commissioner post because he refused to sign money for a ghost project. Today he is doing very very well and people keep talking about him in that state. A good name will always be better than riches.

An0nimus:

Foolish is a bit extreme but you're now seeing the real Nigeria as it is today. Things are changing for the better hopefully. One by one in our different fields we can choose to do things right instead of the generally accepted way.

No An0nimus that is the truth. We have more foolish people than poor people. It is debatable.

And that is what I am talking about. We get a reflection of what the majority really are. That is what happens. We can never get a good person until the majority come to understand the depth of harm they have done themselves and the minority and come to desist from it.

The true apostle of positive change need to try his best to work with the masses he intends to lead but they on their part have to make up their mind on what they really want. Anything short of this futile. The average roadside blackm marketer who deals in fuel will always wish their is constant blackout of power. Besides convincing this person he first has to resolve to do the right thing. Except you are willing to get a job that pays more. Humans often allow self-interest to destroy them.

Reyginus:
I still insist that the poverty in the country is not as some people will have us believe. I was born and raised in the north and in all these years I have never really seen a person who feeds on less than a dollar a day. I am serious. Except they live the bush and only few persons do. I have being to every region except the southwest. But we all know the benchmark for poverty is defined properly in the north.

I may agree that a person in this country survives on less than 3 dollars a day but I have never seen any reason to agree that more than 50million Nigerians live on less than a dollar. Why don't I see these people? Where do they live exactly? There is poverty, yes. But to blow it to that proportion to appeal to our emotions without any base is calculated.

Patriotism is another thing. How many people here love the country? The country is a work in progress but to admit people like GEJ and MB shows the people have been corrupted even to a point of not loving themselves and that will surely take them backward. We have to learn to love ourselves before any orientation will work. Even Russians show a deep sense of patriotism.

The North is the touted benchmark for poverty in the country. And what a false image that is. First off, what are the social amenities in the North like? How are your roads over there? How expensive is food? Where do you get your drinking water? How is the electricity in the North?

My immediate elder brother has lived in Jos for more than five years now. Married with a kid. And unwilling to change locations. Because food is abominably cheap there. Housing too. Minus the crazy ethno-religious tensions, Northern Nigeria is the heaven some people down south dream of. Believe it.

You've been to every region. That's really good. I think travel is very good. I also know that destinations can surprise you in many ways. I grew up in Aba, schooled in Ebonyi State and Imo State. I will gladly tell you that I have never felt confused about the meaning of poverty my entire life. I grew up with it. Currently I live in Lagos and some of the "better youths" live in appalling conditions. But how could you tell if you never got close? You'd never. They know how not to look it. It takes a certain degree of frustration for it to start showing when the bottle and weed take them and they stop caring.

Here in Lagos, I've seen and heard people say (and I too said once) that people are poor because they're lazy and unambitious. But you have not seen the forces mounted against economic progress in this country. I have and I wasn't born dirt poor.

Get out to Oshodi. Go to Orile. Hang out at Mushin and parts of Surulere. You think the North is poor? You've never seen poverty, bro. When you do, you'll turn activist.

An0nimus:

You can be a good person in Nigeria and be successful. Please don't carry this mindset or tell it to others. I have seen a man turn down political appointments because he refuses to be corrupted by the system. He was dropped from his Commissioner post because he refused to sign money for a ghost project. Today he is doing very very well and people keep talking about him in that state. A good name will always be better than riches.

He should run for office. Or start engineering something.

Reyginus:
No An0nimus that is the truth. We have more foolish people than poor people. It is debatable.

And that is what I am talking about. We get a reflection of what the majority really are. That is what happens. We can never get a good person until the majority come to understand the depth of harm they have done themselves and the minority and come to desist from it.

The true apostle of positive change need to try his best to work with the masses he intends to lead but they on their part have to make up their mind on what they really want. Anything short of this futile. The average roadside blackm marketer who deals in fuel will always wish their is constant blackout of power. Besides convincing this person he first has to resolve to do the right thing. Except you are willing to get a job that pays more. Humans often allow self-interest to destroy them.

When have you seen the led make up their mind? When has the mob ever been called smart? America is probably the most sophisticated democracy in the world. Study it a little and see how easy it is to whip up mass hysteria there too. Crowds don't think. They just pick a leader and ape him in everything. That's just normal human nature. As the Bible says, strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter. Always. No shepherd, no sheep. Again, it is not a bad thing. It is a clarion call. Some people are born to lead. It is their responsibility to lead right and help those who are better at the details to build and populate the colony right.

I need not reiterate that you haven't seen the true economic picture of Nigeria.

ihedinobi2:

The North is the touted benchmark for poverty in the country. And what a false image that is. First off, what are the social amenities in the North like? How are your roads over there? How expensive is food? Where do you get your drinking water? How is the electricity in the North?

My immediate elder brother has lived in Jos for more than five years now. Married with a kid. And unwilling to change locations. Because food is abominably cheap there. Housing too. Minus the crazy ethno-religious tensions, Northern Nigeria is the heaven some people down south dream of. Believe it.

You've been to every region. That's really good. I think travel is very good. I also know that destinations can surprise you in many ways. I grew up in Aba, schooled in Ebonyi State and Imo State. I will gladly tell you that I have never felt confused about the meaning of poverty my entire life. I grew up with it. Currently I live in Lagos and some of the "better youths" live in appalling conditions. But how could you tell if you never got close? You'd never. They know how not to look it. It takes a certain degree of frustration for it to start showing when the bottle and weed take them and they stop caring.

Here in Lagos, I've seen and heard people say (and I too said once) that people are poor because they're lazy and unambitious. But you have not seen the forces mounted against economic progress in this country. I have and I wasn't born dirt poor.

Get out to Oshodi. Go to Orile. Hang out at Mushin and parts of Surulere. You think the North is poor? You've never seen poverty, bro. When you do, you'll turn activist.

I don't think the cheap prices of foods in the north makes the problem of poverty nonexistent. Besides eating are there no other things a man does? The amount of money and the resources you have got is the true determinant of poverty. The social amenities are at lowest here. The roads better than you have in the SE. Power is same with every part.

These things, I don't think, determine who is poor and not. These above are things under the control of the government. Poverty is not about how much you were given but what you have. A rich man can live successfully in an environment with no social amenities and survive because poverty is not a reflection of the social amenities. And their are poor people in Demmark.

My dad's adapted to the place very well that this love made it difficult to contemplate living here. The same thing with your elder brother and every human being who prospers in a place.

I am not saying that there are no poor people or that there number is very minute. What I am saying is, the number of people living on less than a dollar a day are not more than 50million.

Reyginus:
I don't think the cheap prices of foods in the north makes the problem of poverty nonexistent. Besides eating are there no other things a man does? The amount of money and the resources you have got is the true determinant of poverty. The social amenities are at lowest here. The roads better than you have in the SE. Power is same with every part.

These things, I don't think, determine who is poor and not. These above are things under the control of the government. Poverty is not about how much you were given but what you have. A rich man can live successfully in an environment with no social amenities and survive because poverty is not a reflection of the social amenities. And their are poor people in Demmark.

My dad's adapted to the place very well that this love made it difficult to contemplate living here. The same thing with your elder brother and every human being who prospers in a place.

I am not saying that there are no poor people or that there number is very minute. What I am saying is, the number of people living on less than a dollar a day are not more than 50million.

You just drew some false relationships, Rey. Think about it. If food is dirt cheap there, how poor can anyone there be compared to the South where the very thought of a real meal can be depressing to quite a few people? And if you can afford good food and decent clothing and housing, on what basis are you called poor? Again, consider the relationship between nourishment and productivity. If you eat poorly, will you have the health to think proactively and work productively? If you cannot do the latter, can you grow any richer? If you cannot make progress economically, is it possible to remain stagnant?

Then again, the rich can thrive in even the most adverse environment, you say. It's not about what you're given but about what you have? What do you have when you're given nothing? How do the rich get rich? I'm saying that the South is where you'll see poverty in sharp relief. I'm not denying that there's poverty in the North. I've never been to the North but I know that there are poor people there. Sometimes they are poor because the practice of their religion encourages certain economically retrogressive attitudes. Sometimes it is because of that severe divorce between worlds - the world of the rich and the world of the poor - that results in a poor distribution of wealth.

In the South though, the environment is hostile to economic progress. That is my point. The South is apt to make people poor. Try and run a business down South and tell me that this is a lie. The high cost of providing the things for yourself that you yourself just admitted that the government provides will tell you why people are paid poorly and everyone is trying to cut corners to make a decent pay.

What social amenities are at the lowest there? How do you get water in the North? How is your access to the Internet? And power? How much electricity exactly do you see there?

Why did you cap it at 50 million? There are 170 million of us.

An0nimus:

You can be a good person in Nigeria and be successful. Please don't carry this mindset or tell it to others. I have seen a man turn down political appointments because he refuses to be corrupted by the system. He was dropped from his Commissioner post because he refused to sign money for a ghost project. Today he is doing very very well and people keep talking about him in that state. A good name will always be better than riches.

It is impossible. Do you know how useless the law is when it comes to protecting business assets?

One must be rugged and dominating to make it the the top in Nigeria. A mouse can never be the King of the jungle, it is for the heart if a lion.