narcicuss is pursuing an obscure agenda which will be fished out if he continues his participation in this eloquent dicussion.

You can critisize your country without badmouthing her. Most Nigerians in diaspora tend to see everything bad about Nigeria. No be human beings build america. Commont ja re.

you commot jare too wetin you mean by badmouthing? if i see say something bad, i talk am hooohaaa i no go celebrate insanity. imagine country wey london police get case with . . . .how many of our governors. . . .i don loss count. governors o, elected governors o. who dey badmouth who? na those thieves na dem de badmouth our country and people like me refuse to keep quiet.

we must raise awareness of this national insult brought by corruption and not free speech users like darfur our real enemies are those who steal our money and we must make them uncomfortable otherwise they'll continue to steal. if al-gore did not shout out the world may never have known that americans can rig elections too.

criticism should not be the same as badmouthing. may be BBC/CNN over do it but it is people like alami who give them the chance to do it in the 1st place. and at any opportunity i have i will speak out against evil. call me badmouther now. history will bestow me honor

O'l boy I see say you stay london kamkpe and you dey critisice from there. Come to the frontline if you want your critisicm to be taken seriously.

na from here i dey get the preparation to build naija. when fate go put naija in the hands of my generation. i will contribute to the building of my country. to put things right. not to sing praises of some stupid leaders like you want me to do.
i wont praise s-h-i-t. but i love naija

k0be:

narcicuss is pursuing an obscure agenda which will be fished out if he continues his participation in this eloquent dicussion.

Ogini? Kini? Menene? Oya oh, fisherman, I await ,with an ambivalent admixture of trepidation and exhilaration, your inquiry into the obscurity of my agenda. I think I'm just jobless.

all those badmouthing nigeria will eat their words. our time will come. and when it does, people like darfur will recognise by force that nigeria as at today, has the largest contingent to restore peace in the hopeless region of africa called darfur.
we shall rebuild, senators are being tried, governors have gone to jail. we are heading somewhere. time will tell. because then, darfur and his friends will be singing a new song.
and those of us who remauned faithfull to our dear nigeria will have the last laugh
nonsense

O-B-J:

all those badmouthing nigeria will eat their words. our time will come. and when it does, people like darfur will recognise by force that nigeria as at today, has the largest contingent to restore peace in the hopeless region of africa called darfur.
we shall rebuild, senators are being tried, governors have gone to jail. we are heading somewhere. time will tell. because then, darfur and his friends will be singing a new song.
and those of us who remauned faithfull to our dear nigeria will have the last laugh
nonsense

It is true OBJ but you will be suprised that when that time they wil claim they were in the forefromt for a struggle to better Nigeria. Talk is cheap, do something worthwile with your time, all the black belle Nigerians in diaspora

Ogini? Kini? Menene? Oya oh, fisherman, I await ,with an ambivalent admixture of trepidation and exhilaration, your inquiry into the obscurity of my agenda. I think I'm just jobless.

which one be menene? abi u wan sing monini monini, mojeji mojeji, mo ba arugbo kan lodo,

Not to worry, I expect simply_me to dish out a perorated soup of words to you once she skims through your turgid contribution.
I trust she'll declare a grammatical state of emergency on you in due time.

This so called badmouth should be clearly defined. If it is talking negatively about your country to foreigners, then I have a problem with that. A large number of Nigerians overseas would surely come up to the defence of their country in front of foreign colleagues, mates or friends. What most people tend to forget is that many Nigerians overseas have lived a greater part of their lives in Nigeria and know exactly what is happening there.

If it is criticising the government about the state of affairs, then as Nigerians we all have the right to do so irrespective of where we live. Why are those overseas singled out for cristising the government when in phone call conversations with people resident in Nigeria, most of what is said from the Nigerian end are negatives about the country? All those saying "time will come" when Nigeria will be good, do you think that we do not know that? the question is when will this time come? Check out a Nigerian newspaper from early nineties and compare with one of 2007 and you will see that the problems plaguing the nation are still largely the same. Accepted that there is currently progress, but it is not good enough.

Here in the UK, the Prime Minister and his cabinet members are frequently openly criticised in parliament meetings by the opposition (even for things we Nigerians would consider very simple), but you never find that happening in Nigeria. Well, I can hear someone saying our democracy is not that matured, but do we have to go through the several hundred years they went through to get their democracy matured? It is high time we started saying the truth and stopped living in the past and hoping that things will change.

Nigerians living in developed countries want the same kind of standard of living in these countries to be the norm in their country also! So don't expect me to wake up everyday and say my country is the greatest country on planet earth! We are blessed with all kinds of resources, YES, but the management of these resources is in question here.

It’s Only a White Lie, Isn’t It?
By Paul Ohia in Lagos and Jaiyeola Andrews in Abeokuta, 08.07.2007
http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=85555

Rotimi Adebari made history recently when he was elected the Mayor of Portlaoise in the County Laois, Republic of Ireland. He is the first black man, the first non-Irish to be so honoured.
But his claim of having fled Nigeria as a result of religious persecution has turned out to be an event not known to history, both oral and written.
[b]Adebari, a Christian, had claimed, on his arrival in Ireland in 2000, that he fled Nigeria because of religious persecution in his village, Oke-Odan in Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State.
THISDAY checks have revealed that no harassment of Christians took place in Oke-odan in Yewa in 2000, the time of his departure. There was no fighting between Muslims and Christians as he claimed.
Indeed, the town is predominantly Christian, with a handful of devotees of traditional African religion. 
But there was an event that took place in Oke-Odan that same year: a devastating flood that rendered residents of the area homeless such that they had to seek shelter in adjoining villages.[/b]Foreign news agencies also gave Adebari the tag of a “popular Nigerian”, but the 43-year-old man was relatively unknown before his mayoral election.
The sleepy town of Oke-Odan initially received the news that one of their sons was made a Mayor in the Republic of Ireland with indifference, but now, many villagers identify with his achievement.
Indigenes of the town who spoke to THISDAY on the condition of anonymity (“We don’t want to be seen as bringing him down”, a villager said), revealed that Adebari travelled out of Nigeria in 2000 in search of “green pasture”.
They said he might have sought "fake asylum” in Ireland using religious persecution as a channel to achieve his aim.
A chief, who also pleaded anonymity, said he could not recollect any religious persecution at that point in time, "except he (Adebari) is claiming persecution from traditional religionists, which is not to the knowledge of anybody in Oke-Odan, not to the knowledge of the traditional ruling council".
Adebari's story, as narrated by different media in Ireland, goes that he travelled to Ireland with his wife and two boys in 2000, and claimed asylum on the basis of religious persecution, citing bloody clashes between Christians and Muslims in his homeland.
His application was rejected because of insufficient evidence to show that he had personally suffered persecution, but he gained residency because his third child, another boy, was born while he was still in Ireland.
By then, asylum-seekers flocked to Ireland in part to gain European Union citizenship on the basis of having a child born in the country. Ireland in 2004 stopped granting citizenship to foreign parents of an Irish-born child, a law that had been unique in Europe.
Adebari said he had trouble finding work at first - in part because of an Irish law that bars people from working while they were seeking asylum.
He volunteered at a local tennis club, helped found a lobbying group for unemployed people in Portlaoise and ran for office, winning a council seat on his first try in 2004.
Back in Adebari's hometown, THISDAY discovered that some groups in Oke-Odan, are already making moves to persuade Adebari to come home and contest the 2011 Governorship election in the State as a result of his new status as a Mayor in Ireland
These groups, according to findings, are hinging their campaign for Adebari on the fact that the West senatorial district has not produced the governor of the state since its creation,  as well as the belief that Adebari's experience in Ireland as a Mayor would come handy in making that dream of producing the governor a reality.
Controversy
Adebari’s election, even though widely celebrated in the media, has generated controversy in Ireland. Many are questioning the right of a “foreigner” to be made a Mayor.
His predecessor, Kathleen O’ Brien, recently expressed disappointment about the verbal attack by a Portlaoise resident on Adebari.
“This man is in a minority, Rotimi is a gentleman, he will be an asset to the people in Portlaoise. I am opposed to what was said,”  O’Brien   said.
Tom Duffy, a self-employed labourer from Belfast, now living in Portlaoise, made racist attacks against the Nigerian. He said on Midlands Radio 3 that non-Irish people should not hold such positions. In a discussion on the deportation of non-nationals from Ireland, Mr. Duffy proclaimed, “I am a racist, my views represent about 50% of people”.
In an interview with the Laois Nationalist, he said Adebari should not hold a position in the town council due to his nationality.
“He is not Irish, he should not be in the council,” said Mr. Duffy.
“Irish blocklayers can’t get jobs because of them working for nothing.
“These foreign immigrants driving around in cars, getting cars from the Government, while single Irish mothers don’t get the same is wrong. If I thought I’d get enough votes, I’d represent the Irish people. I’d look after our own,” he said. “A new party is needed instead of Sinn Féin. I was a Sinn Fein supporter before Brian Stanley supported Rotimi.”
But Stanley said, “Rotimi Adebari was elected into the town council. I do not support racist attitudes. We already have organisations close to the National Front in this country, the UFF and the UVF. I work with Rotimi the same as the eight other councillors, he has the same right to be there as anyone else. Those who feel he shouldn’t be there should have put their name in the ballot box the first time round.”
Activist
Adebari had said, on his election, that Ireland is a model to the world on diversity and integration.  He said that other countries can learn so much from the welcoming Irish approach to diversity.
The mayor criticised a letting agency which published an 'Irish people only' ad on a property website, saying it was a clear example of discrimination. 
“We all remember in the 1950-60s when there were signs in England saying, 'No Irish need apply'. It is very disappointing and I expect them to put it down," he said. The letting agency which placed the ad on the Daft.ie website said it had occurred due to an error by a recently appointed member of staff.
The Mayor has become the pride of the minority black people in the country. But just don’t mention how he got there in the first place.

I am happy for this man. But can you see how some people they moment they get out can do absolutely anything to tarnish this country's image. People who faced religious riots in Kaduna or Kano might not have even presented that argument to get assylum but here comes this "Distinguished Mayor" who i bet has[b] never faced a riot in the yeye[/b].

Hope this serves as a classic example of how some of us will sell our nation to be accepted by others--Highly unfortunate!

Tats:

This so called badmouth should be clearly defined. If it is talking negatively about your country to foreigners, then I have a problem with that. A large number of Nigerians overseas would surely come up to the defence of their country in front of foreign colleagues, mates or friends. What most people tend to forget is that many Nigerians overseas have lived a greater part of their lives in Nigeria and know exactly what is happening there.

If it is criticising the government about the state of affairs, then as Nigerians we all have the rights to do so irrespective of where we live. Why are those overseas singled out for cristising the government when in phone call conversations with people resident in Nigeria, most of what is said from the Nigerian end are negatives about the country? All those saying "time will come" when Nigeria will be good, do you think that we do not know that? the question is when will this time come? Check out a Nigerian newspaper from early nineties and compare with one of 2007 and you will see that the problems plaguing the nation are still largely the same. Accepted that there is currently progress, but it is not good enough.

Here in the UK, the Prime Minister and his cabinet members are frequently openly criticised in parliament meetings by the opposition (even for things we Nigerians would consider very simple), but you never find that happening in Nigeria. Well, I can hear someone saying our democracy is not that matured, but do we have to go through the several hundred years they went through to get their democracy matured? It is high time we started saying the truth and stopped living in the past and hoping that things will change.

Nigerians living in developed countries want the same kind of standard of living in these countries to be the norm in their country also! So don't expect me to wake up everyday and say my country is the greatest country on planet earth! We are blessed with all kinds of resources, YES, but the management of these resources is in question here.

tats u've said it all. you've really said it all.
when an open criminal like ibori is busy enjoying birthday and celebrating that he wont be prosecuted, how far can we be reduced. the evidence against this man is so overwhelming that if his case is brought to the courts, even the most corrupt judge will find it extremely hard to free him. but in nigeria, he is not just free, he is a "hero" to be celebrated. boasting that he wont be prosecuted. if darfur talks, they say i'm badmouthing. darfur will continue to talk, one day, i will be in a position to contribute immensely to nigeria's salvation. for now, let me continue to gather my armoury. the likes of ibori will never go free. even if they die, their corpses must be exhumed an tried because there was, there is, and there will never be peace for the wicked

Do y'all know that ritual scenes in our Home Videos are the reason why Naijans are the first suspects whenever any mutilated body is found in Ghana or Ivory Coast? Have any of y'all stopped to realize that 90% of the Home Videos aggressively being marketed in the UK contain scenes of ritual murder/419/gang warfare?
These contribute to give Nigeria a bad image, but trust Naijans, as selfish as we are we look for the 'softest' targets to hit. many, many Naijans know how to beef, and their fellow citizens living in the 'lap of luxury' in foreign countries will ALWAYS be attractive targets.

Any and every Nigerian reserves the right to criticize his country privately or among his peers. It's only wrong when these comments are made to outsiders.

@poster
you do realize that among all the people you are badmouthing, this includes Naija's second most famous author ever. Prof. Chinua Achebe has several times issued scathing criticisms of the Naija government from his base in the US. Kindly indicate if this brilliant man is among the 'traitors' and 'idiots' you and all your ilk have been heaping scorn on.

Silly me! I forgot that Wole Soyinka makes these kind of comments too. So now we agree that our most famous author (and our ONLY nobel prize winner) is a traitor too, abi?

you expected me to hold them to a different hierarcy, or single them out, because they're our most famous authors?

No.
merely to point out that those who think people that criticize naija's current state are foolish will inevitably balk at extending the same criticism to people like these two, hence invalidating their arguments.

yes, I understand your point, but at the same time those who do nothing else but criticize and bad-mouth Nigeria, deserve to be scolded. I'd like to think there's a difference between "criticism" and "bad mouthing" - though you might disagree with me.

Sorry for derailing this thread, but texazpeete, Achebe is the most famous Nigerian/African writer, not Soyinka, irrespective of the later's clinching the Nobel prize. The NY times conferred that title on Achebe, and even in America, his books are very popular and amongst discussions in the literary field, based on my observations, he is more popular than Soyinka.

For those of you who are unhappy over our criticisms at Nigeria, let me give you this scenario. Supposing you have a child, who is very bright in school, but keeps coming home with B, and youknow that he is capable of acheiving a higher grade, and even their teachers have attributed his less than stellar grades to slacking off, what would you do? Would you criticize him and try to encourage them to devote more time to their studies, or would you just overlook his grades and applaud him?

Nigeria is like a child who consistently comes home with a bad grade. Out here in the States, no joke, some people who are conversant with the country do wonder why Nigeria has not been able to conquer the negativity that has surrounded it. It is a shame, and before anybody criticizes me, let me tell you this, I do like Nigeria.

Dear Ndipe,
You are preaching to a sleeping choir! Even it it hits most Nigerians like a ton of bricks in the head, they will still tell you you do not love Nigeria because you criticize her. You should do something instead of criticizing Nigeria. I wonder what else can be done when most people believe that things are okay

Any society that is not open to criticism faces an uphill future of attaining progress. In America, healthcare/insurance woes has led to criticisms which has forced some governors to make some amendments in procuring insurance to the underclass. In Nigeria, probably, those critics would be having their day in Kirikiri prison.

It's inappropriate to label those who have responded duly on this thread as blind advocates who oppose criticism. We all understand that the current condition of Nigeria is not so promising for the future generation (even the now generation), but we ought to realize that it is extremely important to understand when, where, and how to criticize the motherland. There are very many among us that will cease every opportunity they get to bash Nigeria's government, people, economy, and environment. If these bad-mouthings continue, how do you expect the western world to view and portray us? Of course they'll continue to constrain us as a dirty, underdevloped, corrupt, criminilastic, poverty-ridden nation without a bright future. It's only fair to commingle some positivity every once in a while.

Yes, without criticism the government wouldnt feel the urgency to make some changes, but it's important that we learn when to curb our criticism, and how we criticize the nation. It's been asked a few times on this thread now that "what have you done, as a person, to suppress the current condition of our nation." -- not exactly in those words -- It's easy to sit on the outside looking in, shouting that changes need to be made, but until those changes are made we'll continue to be criticized, and I guess we better get used to it.

Yoruba people say it is a bastard son/daughter who points to his/her fathers house with a left hand.

Ok then, anyone having anything negative to say about Nigeria should henceforth include a copy of their birth certificate with their post, so we can ascertain whether they may legitimately be called bastards.

Furthermore there should be no more pointing with the left hand or foot since that is a dead giveaway.

Jakumo, you have sucessfully reduced the validity of the Yoruba saying into nothing.

If the shoe fits!!!

BOLLOCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As if all that will change the evil that lurks and controls Nigeria.
There can never be a positive change in that country until some things are re-dressed.
Eliminate all the political chiefs and let the young and dynamic minds take control of the ship.
It saddens me when u hear names of the people who raped Nigeria ages ago are still given the chance to make decisons in the country.
Nigeria to change positively? Middle East will know PEACE before Nigeria changes for better.
Of all the countries that enjoyed the oil boom in the 70s, Nigeria is the only nation that did nothing with their BLACK GOLD.
Its so unfortunate.

There's got to be something inherently wrong with a people or a culture that resists and fight criticism.

The question is not about the validity or fairness of the criticism, but about the right to criticize in the first place.

No good student of history will doubt the importance of opposition and good criticism in any country, yet so many people here(informed or uninformed) waste countless hours fighting good and constructive criticism in naija.

What a waste.

naijaking1:

There's got to be something inherently wrong with a people or a culture that resists and fight criticism.

The question is not about the validity or fairness of the criticism, but about the right to criticize in the first place.

No good student of history will doubt the importance of opposition and good criticism in any country, yet so many people here(informed or uninformed) waste countless hours fighting good and constructive criticism in naija.

What a waste.

You can say that again!!!

we have a country where at least three elected governors are having a problem with the british police. a country where ex governors are running helter skelter to stop EFCC from investigating them. the level of corruption in nigeria has sky rocketed beyond comparison and in the midst of extreme poverty and high mortality especially under 5 mortality and maternal mortality is among the worst in the world. our health system is a disaster ( and when these governors have a headache or conjuctivitis a.k.a apollo, they run to london) education is so poorly funded that our schools aint recognised abroad. (our thieves send their children abroad, and if darfur has to carry shit to get money to pay for school some people complain).

in this kind of country, someone says i should not criticise. if we live in this situation without being vehement in our criticism, we'll gradually get used to it. and accept it. already we are used to rigged elections, graduates in nigeria are getting used to having no jobs. someone looked at all the graduates and educated people nigeria has and asked me how we end up with the kind of leadership we have.

please point out the post where it's said that "do not criticize nigeria," I've tried to correct this misplaced assumption but you guys aren't listening.

read through the thread, some posters used that phrase

I guess you're right then. they must have misunderstood the purpose of the thread. criticism is acceptable.

@darfur

with due respect and admiration, I want to say that you have enunciated this problem more than anyone on this thread.

If we don't criticize, raise alarm, object, badmouth, shout, yell, whatever, our people may wake up one day to find that the most basic right has been taken from them, and without any objection from anybody.

They had been sedated to inaction over the years.

It used to be news worthy when NEPA took power for more than a day or two, now whole cities remain in darkness happily for weeks, and sometimes months, without any serious uprising.

Despite our billion dollar revenues, simple highways like the Benin-Lagos roads have gone from a 45-min expressway, to pot-hole filled 2-hr journey, now a whole section is so bad that you'll be lucky to make it in 4hrs.

It got so bad because the people tolerated those earlier inconvinencies, that's why the people responsible for repairing the road could steal the money without doing the job, so they don't want any criticism, because you might inform or inflame the population.

Same thing could be said for every sector of the naija government, I mean the police, the universities, banks- including the Central Bank @PAW-PAW , hospitals, etc.

Unless one has something to hide, criticism should be welcomed, and appreciated.