₦airaland Forum

Rice

Village Headmaster vs Masquerade?

In terms of what?

If you are talking about character, strong!

dogs vs cats?

single (for now)

Malaria vs Common cold (u have to chose one)

e go better

heat vs cold?

Physical, online sex sucks.

sex with oyinbo or sex with a black person?

good egg of course

Halle Berry vs. Janet Jackson (in terms of cuteness)?

surfing all day

dreadlocks versus twists?

The last time I checked, POVERTY, CORRUPTION and DISEASE did not have any ethnic or party affilitiations. These are the three major problems we are facing in Nigeria, and what we need is a dynamic and visionary leader who can tackle them head-on. As far as I am concerned, ethnicity is NOT an issue!

Well Afeni I have to agree with you that I am being very optimistic. But really, when u look at it, what other options do we really have? I used to be an advocate of division into three separate countries, it sounds like a really attractive option, but, its not that easy. I can assure you that if we split tomorrow, it will mark the beginning of an endlessly downward spiral that will be almost impossible to contain. Take the West for example, one there is a Yoruba country, the Ijebus, Egbas, Oyos, etc will sooner or later begin to advocate branching off on their own as well. The same is likely to happen in the other regions. And realistically speaking anyway, you and I both know that the north will never, never let the south-south go just because of their oil. So since it is not really likely that we are going to split why dont we start working with what we have to chart a better future? The earlier we start the better, dont you think?

Apology accepted. Nigeria is an extremely difficult puzzle with no easy solutions, but it is not a hopeless country. I used Ghana as an example not because they are comparable to Nigeria in terms of geography, size, or cultural diversity, but because relatively speaking, they have done very well with what they have. Although Akan is the majority group, when you really look at the cultural social and political make up of the country, the Akans do not necessarily form a hegemony over the others. Many of my colleagues are Ghanaians and I have had the opportunity of visiting their beautiful country once. When you see Ghanaians on the street, whether at home or abroad, it is not easy to tell who is Akan, Ewe, or Dagomba, everybody accepts themselves as brothers regardless of their ethnicity, and the question of which ethnic group has the largest population is hardly an issue for them at all. But when u see Nigerians, even here in the US, you can always sense division. Often my non-Nigerian friends have asked me, why are u Nigerians always putting one another down like this? Do you really hate one another that much? The miracle of Ghana did not happen over night. Nkrumah and others worked tirelessly to give that country a viable ideology of nationhood which has never left them till today. The entire Ghanaian socio-cultural fabric, including education, sports, culture, etc. is designed in such a way that right from Childhood, every Ghanaian begins to see themselves as Ghanaian first and then Ewe, or Akan or Fanti or whatever. What Nigeria lacks is not a majority ethnic group, but a viable social ideology upon which to build our nation, not just one that is spoken but one that is enacted in day to day life. It is the soul of any nation, and it takes a visonary leader to midwife it. I do not think that you must necessarily have one majority in order to form a nation. There are, after all, nations which have only two or three ethnic groups in which one is the majority, but who have been at war with one another for decades. It is more about agreeing to live in peace, and about the honesty and integrity of our leaders no matter where they are from. This is how I see it.

There is far more than a fine line between the free exchang of ideas between sane, reasoning people, and blatant rudeness. I trust that you are sensible enough to know this. To say that you do dont agree with what I said is simply a matter of opinion, nothing more, and no one would have insulted u for that. But to call me stupid for putting in my two pence on a public forum is rude and immature. While I am tempted to expatiate on what I stated in my last post, I do not feel comfortable talking to mannerless people on line. I am content to have made my voice heard. I might respond to others, but I dont think I will respond anymore to you except you apologize for u rudeness.

I agree with Ndipe. What we need is a competent visionary with the strength of character to lead the nation in a revolution that will usher in a lasting transformation. Ethnic group should not be a criteria. Personally, I am not particularly excited about having another northern president, simply because they have been there for so long and have left the country in shambles. But on the other hand, to conclude that nothing good can come out of the north smirks of ignorance and Illogicality. Similarly, to assume that a South-South, South-West, or South-East candidate will automatically perform well just because of geographic or ethnic affiliation is ridiculous. In the 21st century, it is high time Nigerians move away from childish ethnocentricity and realize that the sum of a man is not in his ethnicity, religion, language, or skin color, but in the level of integrity and honor that he emanates. To focus so obsessively on ethnicity or religion is to be retrogressive and that will certainly ensure Nigeria's downfall. It is true that the British invention of Nigeria was informed by a lot of ignorance and arrogance, but for crying out loud, how long are we going to be crying about that like babies who dont have any sense of direction or initiative? Ever heard of making lemonade out of lemons? And its also high time we realized that Nigeria's situation is not peculiar to Nigeria. Indonesia had a far worse colonial experience under the Dutch, Germans, British, etc, they have far more ethnic groups and languages than Nigeria, yet, they have their act much more together than we do. Indeed, there is hardly any country in the world, YES including the European countries that colonized us that did not go through their phase of national identity formation. And it doesnt have to take as muchas 200 years to form national identity, just look over ur shoulder to neighboring Ghana, a nation of diverse cultures, languages and religions yet, today, they are a shinning gem in West Africa, peaceful, organized and progressing. Please let us stop burning bridges and start building them, it is the only way forward. The next president of Nigeria should come from Nigeria!