The British ruled Nigeria from 1897 to 1960.

Many folks on this site worship white people. So this question is for them.

If whites are these superhuman angels, why was Nigeria an underdeveloped bush at independence, without a single major power plant, expressway, university, stadium, hospital, or industry in existence? Why was illiteracy rate over 90%? (Compared to just 25% today, courtesy of African rule).

Why was there malnutrition, with children running around nake.d, and adults barefoot?


How come you inherited nothing from your grandparents?

Or great-grandparents?

They should have been bankers, lawyers, doctors, industrialists. Instead, they were village illiterates, despite the fact that the whites exported our resources - cocoa, groundnuts, tin, rubber, palm oil, timber, iron ore, coal, in large quantities yearly between 1897 and 1960. These commodities were the 'crude oil' of their day, drawing huge profits.

By all measurements, Nigeria should have been a reasonably developed nation at independence. Not an undeveloped bush with near zero infrastructure. Not even a power grid. Not even a single full fledged university.

By contrast, Goodluck Jonathan built 12 universities in just 5 years, and we still insult him!! (while loving the whites, who built....zero).

We have power cuts today? What about NO POWER AT ALL as was the case during colonialism, for over 95% of the population? Since no serious power plants were constructed?

AGAIN, IF THE WHITES ARE AS FANTASTIC AS YOU PEOPLE CLAIM, WHY DID WE NEED TO START FROM SCRATCH BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE AND SCHOOLS AFTER THEY LEFT?

HADN'T THE SUPER WHITE ANGELS RULED FOR 63 YEARS NON-STOP? MAKING MONEY OFF OUR RESOURCES?

SO WHY DID THEY NOT DEVELOP NIGERIA?

WHAT DID THEY DO WITH ALL THE MONEY?

Fact is corruption REDUCED DRASTICALLY after independence.

I repeat:

Corruption REDUCED DRASTICALLY after independence.

That is why we have the country we have today, with some reasonable infrastructure here and there.

Prior to independence, corruption was STRATOSPHERIC.

90% or more of our export earnings went straight to London. When Nigerians took over, that fell to maybe 30%, which was why we were able to start building things like roads, bridges, flyovers, hospitals, universities, power plants, and all the other things we enjoy today.

SO WE MAY NOT BE PERFECT, BUT WE ARE MUCH BETTER OFF UNDER BLACK RULE THAN WE EVER WERE UNDER WHITE RULE.

And for those suggesting that whites should return and rule us, may thunder fire your collective nyashes. Maybe the illiteracy of your forbears was not enough for you. You want your children to revert to that level.

THANKS BUT NO THANKS!!!

Hmmmm you will find out soon enough that's if you don't know it yet

pelumi111:
Hmmmm you will find out soon enough that's if you don't know it yet

Pardon?

British colonial masters are better leaders than Nigeria animalistic politicians.
Op, stop whining.

One nigeria failed us.

Obviously one nigeria make no sense, because those "leaders" deliberately failed to make use of the vast material and human resources available as a very big country.

The way forward is let the country be divided.

50years after independence, Nigeria is still a failed state

EmeeNaka:
British colonial masters are better leaders than Nigeria animalistic politicians.
Op, stop whining.

Considering their record of 5% literacy rate after 63 years in power, chances are that had they still been in power today, YOU would be an illiterate village peasant with hoe and matchet in hand, and not that smartphone you learnt how to type on courtesy of the education that black Nigerian governments gave you. The same education the whites denied your grandparents, which is why they were stark illiterates stuck in the village.

juman:
One nigeria failed us.

Obviously one nigeria make no sense, because those "leaders" deliberately failed to make use of the vast material and human resources available as a very big country.

The way forward is let the country be divided.

50 years is a ridiculously short time to expect Nigeria to be an advanced country.

Rossikki:
50 years is a ridiculously short time to expect Nigeria to be an advanced country.

Mister please be sincere.

Nobody expect nigeria to be an advanced country at 50, but a country positively moving forward.
Even much talked apc government cannot move the country forward by an inch.

So why wasting our time in the senseless one nigeria thing.
Everything is wrong with one nigeria.

Warship:
50years after independence, Nigeria is still a failed state

A failed state that is Africa's largest economy, manufactures vehicles, computers, and mobile phones, that has the world's third largest film industry, nearly 200 universities, growing infrastructure, including a $25 billion ultra modern high speed national rail network under construction? And projected by experts to be by 2050 the 3rd most populous nation on earth after China and India, and among the top 10 economies on earth ? Failed? I don't think so. Go and learn the meaning of 'developing country', because you clearly skipped classes on that one.

Rossikki:
Considering their record of 5% literacy rate after 63 years in power, chances are that had they still been in power today, YOU would be an illiterate village peasant today with hoe and matchet in hand, and not that cheap phone you learnt how to type on courtesy of the education that black Nigerian governments gave you. The same education the whites denied your grandparents, which is why they were stark illiterates stuck in the village.

You're saying Nonsense. The question should have been, what level of Education was the area called Nigeria before the British came and how they were by the time British left? British colonial masters brought Civil education to Nigeria and not just Civil education but Quality education not this fake education today.

Rossikki:
The British ruled Nigeria from 1897 to 1960.

Many folks on this site worship white people. So this question is for them.

If whites are these superhuman angels, why was Nigeria an underdeveloped bush at independence, without a single major power plant, expressway, university, stadium, hospital, or industry in existence? Why was illiteracy rate over 90%? (Compared to just 25% today, courtesy of African rule).

Why was there malnutrition, with children running around nake.d, and adults barefoot?


How come you inherited nothing from your grandparents?

Or great-grandparents?

They should have been bankers, lawyers, doctors, industrialists. Instead, they were village illiterates, despite the fact that the whites exported our resources - cocoa, groundnuts, tin, rubber, palm oil, timber, iron ore, coal, in large quantities yearly between 1897 and 1960. These commodities were the 'crude oil' of their day, drawing huge profits.

By all measurements, Nigeria should have been a reasonably developed nation at independence. Not an undeveloped bush with near zero infrastructure. Not even a power grid. Not even a single full fledged university.

By contrast, Goodluck Jonathan built 12 universities in just 5 years, and we still insult him!! (while loving the whites, who built....zero).

We have power cuts today? What about NO POWER AT ALL as was the case during colonialism, for over 95% of the population? Since no serious power plants were constructed?

AGAIN, IF THE WHITES ARE AS FANTASTIC AS YOU PEOPLE CLAIM, WHY DID WE NEED TO START FROM SCRATCH BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE AND SCHOOLS AFTER THEY LEFT?

HADN'T THE SUPER WHITE ANGELS RULED FOR 63 YEARS NON-STOP? MAKING MONEY OFF OUR RESOURCES?

SO WHY DID THEY NOT DEVELOP NIGERIA?

WHAT DID THEY DO WITH ALL THE MONEY?

Fact is corruption REDUCED DRASTICALLY after independence.

I repeat:

Corruption REDUCED DRASTICALLY after independence.

That is why we have the country we have today, with some reasonable infrastructure here and there.

Prior to independence, corruption was STRATOSPHERIC.

90% or more of our export earnings went straight to London. When Nigerians took over, that fell to maybe 30%, which was why we were able to start building things like roads, bridges, flyovers, hospitals, universities, power plants, and all the other things we enjoy today.

SO WE MAY NOT BE PERFECT, BUT WE ARE MUCH BETTER OFF UNDER BLACK RULE THAN WE EVER WERE UNDER WHITE RULE.

And for those suggesting that whites should return and rule us, may thunder fire your collective nyashes. Maybe the illiteracy of your forbears was not enough for you. You want your children to revert to that level.

THANKS BUT NO THANKS!!!

The colonialists would have developed us if they wanted but they saw us as subhuman. So they used our money to develop London.

It was only when our heroes past like Herbert Macaulay, Zik, the Zikist Movement and other agitators for independence started agitating that the colonialists said, 'Wait o. So these people are human beings!? And they handed over power. Soon Zik built UNN and things started happening.

EmeeNaka:
You're saying Nonsense. The question should have been, what level of Education was the area called Nigeria before the British came and how they were by the time British left? British colonial masters brought Civil education to Nigeria and not just Civil education but Quality education not this fake education today.

How many people benefited from the so called white quality education? Were your grandparents educated? Mine weren't, and I'm sure I speak for 95% of folks here. How many engineering or technical schools did they establish? Zero? Fact is only a very tiny handful of people - just enough to keep the colonial administration running - were educated. And that was to secondary level since they built no universities. You call THAT better than the current situation? You are clearly suffering from deepest colonial mentality.

igbodefender:
The colonialists would have developed us if they wanted but they saw us as subhuman. So they used our money to develop London.

It was only when our heroes past like Herbert Macaulay, Zik, the Zikist Movement and other agitators for independence started agitating that the colonialists said, 'Wait o. So these people are human beings!? And they handed over power. Soon Zik built UNN and things started happening.

Finally, somebody with sense. I was starting to think that your type were extinct in our country.

Rossikki:
A failed state that is Africa's largest economy, manufactures vehicles, computers, and mobile phones, that has the world's third largest film industry, nearly 200 universities, growing infrastructure, including a $25 billion ultra modern high speed national rail network under construction? And projected by experts to be by 2050 the 3rd most populous nation on earth after China and India, and among the top 20 economies on earth ? Failed? I don't think so. Go and learn the meaning of 'developing country', because you clearly skipped classes on that one.

With massive unemployment and infrastructural decay

Rossikki:
50 years is a ridiculously short time to expect Nigeria to be an advanced country.

It took 30 years for Singapore to transform from a poor to a rich country



50 years is too much of a waste

Warship:



With massive unemployment and infrastructural decay

Those are things that can be turned around, and in many cases are. Today we have places like Abakiliki and Awka with flyovers, shopping malls etc. Uyo, Asaba etc all getting built up with good infrastructure. What were those places like under colonial rule? They were lucky to have even cleared footpaths.

@op,
The 63years white ruling is far, far better than the native politicians 53 years ruling!
In 63 years white handed over a giant great black nation to our 5% literates
In 53 years later the literates increased to 30%
Destroyed the totality of the heritage and were calling for the liquidation the giant great black nation over to them by the white to the detriment of 70% illiterates.
If by any chance the 30% elites managed to liquidated the giant black nation the Incoming Nigeria generation will curse the elites of today for the liquidation of their heritage, and will started the fight of Unification of the giant great world black nation of the globe...NIGERIA!
it may not be easy, it may be bloody and it may take them centuries to reunited Nigeria!
shame on the descendant of 5% Literates
oladeebo

Rossikki:
Those are things that can be turned around, and in many cases are. Today we have places like Abakiliki and Awka with flyovers, shopping malls etc. Uyo, Asaba etc all getting built up with good infrastructure. What were those places like under colonial rule? They were lucky to have even cleared footpaths.

Go and study more about Singapore success.


They were also colonized by the British

oladeebo:
[b]@op,
The 63years white ruling is far, far better than the native politicians 53 years ruling!
In 63 years white handed over a giant great black nation to our 5% literates

Can you name me one power plant they built in this giant great black nation? The school you attended...Who built it?

Warship:



Go and study more about Singapore success.


They were also colonized by the British

The British invested in developing Singapore. They did the opposite in Nigeria. Additionally, the 4 or 5 Asian tiger nations were given by the west, unprecedented technology transfer, capital and western market access after WW2, which turned them into economic powerhouses. The west did this after WW2 to create capitalist strongholds in the Asia-Pacific as a way of checkmating the spread of Soviet communism in the region. The Soviets had just defeated the nazis and were looking to expand their global reach to Asia and beyond. That was when the west decided to create the so called Asian tiger economies we know today.

EmeeNaka:
British colonial masters are better leaders than Nigeria animalistic politicians.
Op, stop whining.

OP has valid points. The British were better rulers - True, and there rule was mainly to their own advantage and impoverished the masses.

There was regular electricity, public water works, good road network; but only in narrow enclaves centered around centers of colonial commerce and government. Millions were deprived of this goodies without any plan to provide them.

Not to be forgotten, colonial administration was military dictatorship. It was a military government. That was why it was not so strange for the military to re-take power in 1966, just 6 years from independence.

Whatever be the case, there's no point harping on the past. Colonialism is over and its never coming back. The whites of these days are not even as tough and disciplined as their forefathers and cannot run an empire, what with their decadency and demographic crisis. They are mainly living from the excellent foundations and industrial society built by their forefathers. The chinese and other Asians are taking over. The African is free and a master of his destiny. Lets tàke our future in our own hands.

This one is sick. Nigeria is still underdeveloped. If not for Niger delta crude oil, i wonder how this useless country would look like.
The minority southerners are the ones developing your useless coubntry

Rossikki:
The British invested in developing Singapore. They did the opposite in Nigeria. Additionally, the 4 or 5 Asian tiger nations were given by the west, unprecedented technology transfer, capital and western market access after WW2, which turned them into economic powerhouses. The west did this after WW2 to create capitalist strongholds in the Pacific as a way of checkmating Soviet communism in the region. The Soviets had just defeated the nazis and were looking to expand their global reach to Asia and beyond. That was when the west decided to create the so called Asian tiger economies we know today.

Thank you. You savvy something. You are an excellent scholar. The battle to drain the swamps of ignorance is not an easy one.

Left for me, brits would be in chains all over Nigeria by now. They exported both our grandparents and resources to build their cities that has been ruined by marauding Arabs; Karma... Even up to this day, the British museums and vaults are filled with stolen artifacts/precious stones from Nigeria and the rest of Africa. Those bastards exported our brothers and sisters as slaves all over the world, making the police in the US to be using our black brothers and sisters for target practices Terrorism will continue to plague that rogue nation! Britain

point of correction, the colonial master never left they only install there stooge into power since 1960 till date they decide on who they want at the helm of affair.

GuntersChain:
point of correction, the colonial master never left they only install there stooge into power since 1960 till date they decide on who they want at the helm of affair.

Good point. And we have not investigated this possibility fully as is our responsibility as Nigerians, i.e. What degree of influence is still held over our leadership by those foreigners?

holocron:


OP has valid points. The British were better rulers - True, and there rule was mainly to their own advantage and impoverished the masses.

There was regular electricity, public water works, good road network; but only in narrow enclaves centered around centers of colonial commerce and government. Millions were deprived of this goodies without any plan to provide them.

Not to be forgotten, colonial administration was military dictatorship. It was a military government. That was why it was not so strange for the military to re-take power in 1966, just 6 years from independence.

Whatever be the case, there's no point harping on the past. Colonialism is over and its never coming back. The whites of these days are not even as tough and disciplined as their forefathers and cannot run an empire, what with their decadency and demographic crisis. They are mainly living from the excellent foundations and industrial society built by their forefathers. The chinese and other Asians are taking over. The African is free and a master of his destiny. Lets tàke our future in our own hands.

Good points. But I don't agree they were "better rulers" at all. How can you be a better ruler because you provide everything perfectly for 0.1% of the population, leaving 99.9% in penury and deprivation? You are a better ruler if you provide inefficiently for even 20% of the population.

Rossikki:
The British invested in developing Singapore. They did the opposite in Nigeria. Additionally, the 4 or 5 Asian tiger nations were given by the west, unprecedented technology transfer, capital and western market access after WW2, which turned them into economic powerhouses. The west did this after WW2 to create capitalist strongholds in the Pacific as a way of checkmating Soviet communism in the region. The Soviets had just defeated the nazis and were looking to expand their global reach to Asia and beyond. That was when the west decided to create the so called Asian tiger economies we know today.

Stop kidding yourself, Mr. The entrepreneurial drive, resourcefulness, hard work and strong, visionary leadership made those Asian countries what they are today. Stop always looking to blame the failures of our intellectually lazy, corrupt black asses on "the West". Countries invest where they can profit and they accordingly assess the risk of investment. They're not running charities. The success of Japanese or South Korean or Hong Kong or Taiwanese or Singaporean or Malaysian people or whoever belongs to them. Even an isolated, hungry, miserable country like North Korea under the most severe international sanctions ever imposed on a nation for decades demonstrate far greater ingenuity and technological innovation than we do. If they had unbridled access to international markets, they'd be just like their Southern brothers. It's a cultural thing.

To say that 50 years is not enough time to advance as a nation is utterly absurd. I'm a little busy right now and can't be bothered digging up the stats again, but over the last couple of decades, Nigeria is the only major country on the planet where instead of dragging people out of poverty, have actually seen a considerable rise in their poverty level. Most of the marginal growth in our economy have been absorbed by an exploding population and the ruling class getting richer. A situation where cost of living continues to skyrocket even as standard of living plummets. Do you honestly think your silly propaganda here convinces anyone about the hopeless state of this country? Do you actually live in this country? Cos I hope you don't type all this horseshit you do from outside this country.

GuntersChain:
point of correction, the colonial master never left they only install there stooge into power since 1960 till date they decide on who they want at the helm of affair.

Yes......we're all zombies with no personal agency while the Western gods dictate everything that happens and we carry out the instructions like zombies. It's a weird, ironic thing, the mental slavery that many so-called "Afrocentrists" demonstrate. People who cannot look inward for the source of their problems are doomed to remain the lowest of humanity while they keep pointing fingers upward at their "masters" and taking no responsibilty.

Obi1kenobi:


Stop kidding yourself, Mr. The entrepreneurial drive, resourcefulness, hard work and strong, visionary leadership made those Asian countries what they are today. Stop always looking to blame the failures of our intellectually lazy, corrupt black asses on "the West". Countries invest where they can profit and they accordingly assess the risk of investment. They're not running charities. The success of Japanese or South Korean or Hong Kong or Taiwanese or Singaporean or Malaysian people or whoever belongs to them. Even an isolated, hungry, miserable country like North Korea under the most severe international sanctions ever imposed on a nation for decades demonstrate far greater ingenuity and technological innovation than we do. If they had unbridled access to international markets, they'd be just like their Southern brothers. It's a cultural thing.

The 4 or 5 Asian tigers are artificial creations of the west. This is easy to see when you consider that their neighbours and brothers of the same race, who were not 'chosen', like Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, the Philippines, Bhutan, Mongolia, still live in relatively backward conditions. If it was a 'cultural thing' or a racial thing-which is what you really mean to say, then those nations would be similarly industrialised like South Korea and Hong Kong. Why the MASSIVE difference? Answer: Artificial western intervention. As for North Korea, they are just a satellite state of China, and it is Chinese technology transfer and economic assistance that keeps them militarily active as a foil to western adventurism in the region. If China abandons them, they will fall into mass starvation.

Obi1kenobi:


Yes......we're all zombies with no personal agency while the Western gods dictate everything that happens and we carry out the instructions like zombies. It's a weird, ironic thing, the mental slavery that many so-called "Afrocentrists" demonstrate. People who cannot look inward for the source of their problems are doomed to remain the lowest of humanity while they keep pointing fingers upward at their "masters" and taking no responsibilty.

Actually, when you are a poor, developing state, you are extremely vulnerable to external interference, be it via the threat of economic sanctions, or victimisation through international agencies like the World Bank and IMF, or the threat of military interference via the support of rebel groups in your territory etc. Powerful nations have many tools in their armoury to manipulate and control weaker nations, and this goes beyond African nations. Many states across the world are manipulated by imperialists. Pretending the world is an equal system where no one is bound to the whims of the other betrays a profound lack of insight into the current global economic structure. The Ghadaffi example, in which the assertive, progressive leader of an African state was eliminated, by the west sponsoring rebels in his own territory to overthrow and kill him, is highly instructive. Other examples include our own dear General Murtala Muhammed, Patrice Lumumba of the Congo, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, and Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso among others.