I saw this on a friend's facebook page this morning and thought this would make for an interesting discussion..

BUSTING THE MYTH OF THE POLITICAL SOPHISTCATION OF THE SOUTH-WEST

In the post-Cold War international Political System, the sophistication or otherwise of a State's or Region's political culture and/or system is essentially measured by its level of democratization; in terms of how much that system adheres to the democratic principles.

I have read and heard people talk about the sophistication of the polity of the South-West Geopolitical zone. I don't share that thought. However, the rules of the law of evidence demand that "he who asserts must prove." Thus, this is a challenge on all the protagonists of that thought to prove the sophistication of that system to us.

Caveat: I do not want Oshodi or Balogun Market arguments or personal attacks here. Give me soft words and strong logic. All I demand is empirical analysis to back that claim. Now let's move forward.

I ask, what are the features of that system that attests to its sophistication?

Is it the quality of rulers the various States that make up the region have produced from 1999 to date? Where is the sophistication? Are we talking about Fayose, Alao Akala, Adefarati, Ladoja, Osoba, Niyi Adebayo, Adebisi Akande(ACN Chairman), Dr. Lam Adesina, etc?

Is it the political culture that has a prominent place for structures like the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Alhaji Tokyos of this world in swinging the outcomes of elections? Somebody tell me.

Or is it the system that created Adedibu, and Tinubu?

I am of the considered opinion that the South-West Geopolitical zone is descending into Feudalism, with Tinubu as its Feudal Lord, the Governors, as Nobles and the people as Serfs.

A political system controlled by the interest of ONE man is anything but sophisticated. Today, a vast majority of the states of the South-West are Tinubu's Serdom.

A system where people's 'voting' pattern show clear proofs of bandwagonism is anything but sophisticated. 1999 AD, 2003-2007 PDP and 2011 ACN. What is sophisticated about that?

Please someone should show me.

I say the sophistication of the South West's Political Culture is a myth. You think otherwise, let's play.


By Fortune Alfred

Abeg wetin concern fortune with south west politics, he had better channel his energy & resources towards the betterment & providing good leaders for his region. SW ppl ain't complaining, they are contented with what they have, SW ppl are known for regional politics
Which is paying them since the time of Awo this shows why the region is ahead of others. My advice for Fortune is to start a campaign against bad government & leaders in his region & stop crying online like a werewolf about what's happening in a region far ahead of his.

who are the most sophisticated? The builders and achievers or the incompetent and perpetual beggars... ?

we all know the answer of course .

internet chest beating can't build any bridge or stop you from begging for another 30 years...

Yes the Yoruba are the most politically sophisticated in nigeria. History is a good teacher and we have had good and bad kings in the past.also there is a fundetmental aversion to violence because of the numerous war fought in the past.
Awo :
Violence never settles anything right: apart from injuring your own soul, it injures the best cause. It lingers on long after the object of hate has disappeared from the scene to plague the lives of those who have employed it against their foes.

And as such , any politician that uses thuggery rather performance to win election is almost certainly going to be voted out.
The likes of akala, oyinlola ,agagu rode the wave of the goodwill OBJ was still enjoying based on his first term performance. Obasanjo did performance during those days especially with the GSM and debt thing.also were furious with the larger than life lifestyle of the previously poor afenifere leaders.
Yes we Yorubas hate people who steal from the public purse .unlike elsewhere, we expect people to be held accountable for their stewardship.
The first question parents in the southwest ask when you go home is "what do you do for a living" and when you are living home, they tell you to "ranti omo eni ti ose o that is to remember the son of whom you are.
The Yoruba also expect the government to be on the side of the people and do things in public interest.
Therefore the most important value guiding our votes

Honesty
Competence
Discipline
Law abiding
Respect
Peers( the people around you)
Historical antecedent(PDP is dead in the southwest)


Awo : in our view, there are 3 factors that combine to produce political stability
1 the type of constitution
2 the form of government
3the calibre and the character of the political leaders in/out of government .


This last quote is exactly why the country is in a big mess.nigeria needs to get this right to progress .

Another article with a thinly disguised mission of vilifying Tinubu perhaps due to how some are now consumed with maligning him because of their wrong perception of him as the modern reincarnation of Awolowo.

This section of the article simply had me in stitches :

I am of the considered opinion that the South-West Geopolitical zone is descending into Feudalism, with Tinubu as its Feudal Lord, the Governors, as Nobles and the people as Serfs.

"Considered opinion" Sometimes, I deliberately go on British, Ghanaian, European and American political blogs just to escape the madness of how Nigerians speak. After a while, one needs to get away from it , and read sane political debates, to maintain sanity and perspective. How can the ridiculous submission above apply to the SW at this moment and not far more aptly to other regions given the reality we are all witnessing? We all see GEJ turning the ND into a 'might is right' enclave. He single-handedly installed Dickson as Governor and the shameless chap went ahead to make Patience Jonathan a Permanent secretary !!! Nigeria has a functional Navy yet her President is handing very lucrative maritime security contracts to militant warlord from his own region !! What is more feudal than that?

This deceptively revisionist writer is talking of Tokyo yet without the honesty to admit the influence of such characters, highest under OBJ, is on the wane under the ACN. Whereas in the ND, they are just entering a new era of a President entrenching his region in feudalism with how he is happy to promote Asari-Dokubo, Boyloaf, Tompolo et al into a nouveau rich and societally vocal class cowering the likes of David-West et al.


He talks of Fayose, Alao Akala et al, created by OBJ and the PDP, yet without the honesty to admit that such folks are inactive today and distinctly of the calibre the SW has now laudably shunned in preference for proven performers and intellectuals.

Does this writer even know what feudalism is and how to correctly apply it to an example?

If a people are united in purpose and outlook, acting together amicably and making political choices without rancour, how can that be interpreted as "feudalism"? Or is it that some , along with other issues they have against others, are now so used to disunity, noise-making and disharmony they now confuse that to indicate civility and progress?

Abeg, the writer should let honesty shape his outlook. If that were the case, he would realise the SW is the last region any sane person will denote as "descending into feudalism".

The SW still remains the only region that has a way of punishing inept elected public office holders. A good example was the 2011 general elections. It doesn't matter if ACN is the leading party in the region for now, once they derail from providing the dividends and the people get fed up, they will also be swept out just as it was done to PDP. Unlike in some regions where PDP have held sway for the past 14 years with no significant and visible achievement to show for it!

^^
Tell them.
They are all stuck with one party irrespective of how good the performance of the flag bearer of the party is. SW has been able to swap parties at any point in time based on their performances. Who believed Obasanjo can ever be irrelevant in SW politics before now?! He and his boys got kicked out because they had nothing to offer. Political sophistication is more of being politically independent which is what makes that of SW's outstanding and not being stuck with non progressives without having nothing to do about it. What's making ACN to remain in SW is that all those representing them are performers with integrity which no other party has. No other region has swapped parties like the SW.
http://punchng.com/output.php?link=http://www.punchng.com/opinion/yoruba-may-determine-who-wins-2015-presidency/
^^
That's what we call political sophistication.

The only political sophistication in southwestern region of Nigeria is found rigidly under tribal bias. The politics of southwest are sectional fueled by broad sense of tribal bigotry.

Duru1: The only political sophistication in southwestern region of Nigeria is found rigidly under tribal bias. The politics of southwest are sectional fueled by broad sense of tribal bigotry.

The weakness of your sinking tribal party(apga) makes you bitter.. I grab

Eko Atlantic:

The weakness of your sinking tribal party(apga) makes you bitter.. I grab

To the contrary, I do not belong or sympathize with any political party in the jungle called Nigeria. Unlike you who is in deep tank for sectional party such as ACN, I care less. I guess the only thing you grab is tribal bigotry.

Duru1: The only political sophistication in southwestern region of Nigeria is found rigidly under tribal bias. The politics of southwest are sectional fueled by broad sense of tribal bigotry.

Tribal bias?? You have no knowledge of Nigeria's Political Landscape. When Obasanjo was in power, his greatest critics were Yorubas....His own people. When Turai refused to hand over to GEJ, Yourubas were part of those that fought on his behalf. We fight, we protest whenever we are slighted and don't utter that backward statement "Our son's in Power". Who cares if he's our son?? If he messes up, kick him out. Spoken like a Yoruba man.

ba7man: Tribal bias?? You have no knowledge of Nigeria's Political Landscape. When Obasanjo was in power, his greatest critics were Yorubas....His own people. When Turai refused to hand over to GEJ, Yourubas were part of those that fought on his behalf. We fight, we protest whenever we are slighted and don't utter that backward statement "Our son's in Power". Who cares if he's our son?? If he messes up, kick him out. Spoken like a Yoruba man.

Totally correct and the point the writer of the article below makes. I really think a lot of Nigerians are not mentally healthy because it is not right to keep saying things factual evidence and on-the-ground reality does not support.

Do some people appreciate the fall out, with real-world and on-the-ground consequences, that would be very visible if a people were tribally biased and prejudiced? I think some are confused. They simply don't know how to reconcile the messages of indoctrination that has destroyed their thinking with the reality they themselves witness and are a part of.


http://olaniyithevoice.wix.com/thenigerianvoicemagazine/apps/blog/the-sophistication-of-the-yoruba-people-in

THE SOPHISTICATION OF THE YORUBA PEOPLE IN THE SOUTH – WEST NIGERIA
4 FEB 2012


I have lived with my cousins in Port Harcourt where I ended up having friends who happens to be majority Ijaws. Generally, IJAWS are well meaning people and some of them are mostly naive/easily manipulated, but the honest fact is that nobody really represents them in Nigeria, their kinsmen are more concerned with their pockets instead of their communities not to talk about Nigeria as a whole.


I have tried on many occasions to let them know that they do not have any representation in Nigeria and same with Igbos after the demise of the great Zik and Ojukwu (Ikemba 1) etc. What you see in the South West are well guided persons who love their people and Nigeria as a whole. Femi Falana, Tunde Bakare, The Kutis, Fawehinmis, Wole Soyinka, MKO Abiola etc to mention a few, are not Yoruba leaders; instead are Yorubas who are fighting for not just Yorubas but Nigerians generally.


The Niger Deltas on the other hand have no leader willing to do anything for them specifically as a community. [b]Let me borrow from the words of Eze Basil Chinwendu Oluo “Our states collect almost 35% of resources accruing to this nation. We have NDDC a federal government commission saddled with the development of the oil producing areas.

We have Ministry of Niger Delta wholly dedicated to the affairs of our region. We have a President of the federal Republic of Nigeria who is our son, for almost 2 years now. I will also mention the Amnesty programme because my people have said it is a development worth mentioning. With all of these, HOW FAR HAVE WE PROGRESSED?” I will say come to Kempton Park in South Africa and see how much billions of dollars is been spent on Ijaw Militants’ and ask yourself what is the result. “Our Governors are not Southerners or Northerners do I need to mention their names? With billions of our funds abroad. Our council chairmen are not Southerner or Northerners. Our Legislators are not Southerners or Northerners.

Our contractor brothers who take money for contracts and never do the jobs are not Southerners or Northerners. Our chiefs who liaise with the oil companies to cheat our communities are not Southerners or Northerners. WE ARE OUR OWN BIGGEST PROBLEMS.” “Our brothers and sisters in positions of relevance have encapsulated themselves in GREED AND SHAMELESS CORRUPTION. And we the ordinary people have refused to see through this deceitful jamboree.”[/b]

Well I will say thank you to one of the honest Niger Delta child and I know many of them still exist and don’t shy away from the honest truth.


Back to my point, Niger Delta communities remain the same even after all the things of militancy etc; things have always been the same. My question is this; is Ben Bruce or Pat Utomi a Yoruba person? No, they are from the Niger Delta and if you ask them where they stand, trust me; they hang Lagos on their heart any day! Forget that Lagos follows other Yoruba states as a political bloc, we are all LAGOS over here by the Atlantic and whether Niger Delta, Igbo, North or whatever tribe, you will see things the Lagos way which is by extension the Yoruba way. You will see Niger Delta, Igbo, Hausa youths among the protesters in Lagos. The South-West States is mostly the only region in Nigeria where indigenes of other region can be Commissioners in the present Nigeria, example is Lagos State with Mr. Benjamin Akabueze Honourable Commissioner Economic Planning & Budget, it goes to show how diverse we are and how much we believe in the entity called Nigeria.

If you don't understand the sophistication the Yorubas have attained, you are most likely to call us traitors, parasites etc, The Yoruba’s will fight their own children when wrong but some of you will call it betrayal, we see it as discipline and taking a stand. We don't own Nigeria and we don't think only the Yorubas should rule Nigeria as evident with GEJ. We actually want a Nigeria where anyone is anything positive, a country where we all can be proud of been a citizen.

To accuse us of Tribalism in this protest is ignoring our sacrifices for Nigeria's democracy. We lost lots of our geniuses to attaining Democracy not for Yorubas but for Nigerians, We will support you when you do good no matter where you come from hence that is why some people think we are aligning with the North in this protest; This is the same north that most of our kinsmen and youths politically fought and lost their lives?. But the truth is we hate Abacha and Babangida but that doesn't mean we hate Balabade Musa or Nuhu Ribadu by tribal extension. Don't hate us for that. Also, don't hate us for not aligning with other "southerners" when you need to politically sabotage the "NORTH". We are OBJ's greatest nightmare during his terms in office and till date, in fact we did not vote for him during his first term. The Yorubas suffered under him despite the fact that he is a Yoruba man.

Have you bothered to ask yourself why did Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) House of Representative members vote for Aminu Waziri Tambulawal to be the Speaker of the House of Representative despite the fact that he is PDP, and considering the fact that his party presented a Yoruba candidate ? just because Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) won all South-West states doesn't mean Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) is a Yoruba party as evident in the parties list of Senators that spread beyond the Yoruba speaking states, Chris Ngige of Anambra State, George Akume of Benue State, Ehigie Edobor Uzamere and Domingo Alaba Obende of Edo State are Senators under Action Congress of Nigeria in the present dispensation.



Fela Kuti a true son of Yoruba land, was one person who stood firm and fought MKO Abiola & Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo a fellow son of Yoruba Land and from the same Home Town till his death in support of Nigeria as a whole. People outside the Yoruba's clan will see it as betrayal to their fellow brother but we choose not seeing everything in black and white. To put it lightly, a few people of the Niger Delta region and the Eastern region refers to us as parasites because of oil despite the fact that we have been the ones agitating for total control over your oil. We don't have friends or enemies as these are seasonal relationships in the mental cycle, the development of our land is what matters to us the most.

Let it be clear that the Yoruba land does have plenty of oil in Ondo State, and other mineral resources scattered across the South –West. The Niger Delta people must understand that their oil means less to us rather they have more to benefit from the South-West.


UNDERSTANDING THE SOPHISTICATION OF THE YORUBA PEOPLE WILL MAKE YOU TO BE NEUTRAL TOWARDS THE YORUBA RACE NOT HATE OR LOVE US.


We are not trabalistic because we disagree with Ojukwu, Jonathan or IBB etc, all this people own mighty properties and investments in Lagos, have we ever threatened to confiscate or destroy them? So we expect chicken headed, unexposed and small minded people like Annkio Briggs, Muhajid Dokubo Asari and other aspiring ethnicist dilettantes to stop spreading propagandas about the South West, as many of you in Yorubaland have seen if we were spreading 1% of the propaganda you spread about us, you won't be anywhere near the Yorubaland. If we decide to go the militancy way in South-West just like you are doing in the Niger your kinsmen and businessmen will lose billions of dollars, but that is not who we are…… think wise and think like human beings not like animals……..

By Olaniyi Thevoice Abodedele.

talktimi: .
1999 AD,
2003-2007 PDP
and 2011 ACN.

What is sophisticated about that?

By Fortune Alfred

The bolded already clearified your illusions ..U ve already answered urself..........it is tagged Political dynamism .......Manouvering skills,versatility.......Political Maturity!!!...........Thus sophistication !!!!


Tinubu as a Leader,Politician and a Businessman was able to seize Opportunities from PDP by Offering to His people(SW) what PDP never considered Necessary ---- Good Governance !!!


Therefore,Op,do not in your myopic views think SW are blindedly following Tinubu(who failed in ondo state cuz He(Tinubu) put forward an Unpopular candidate)..........The day Tinubu got absolutely corrupt by Power is the day SW will switch to another favourable platform ::::::::::::: (Sophistication) !!!


SouthWest is the only region in Nigeria with such Political Maturity....... Sophistication ...... While the rest follow via LickingBottom(without significant achievement) !!!

Please let's all avoid tribal slurs and insults and focus squarely on the topic.

Thanks