₦airaland Forum

rhymz:
Bennyboy,
Apparently, Londoner has punctured your soufflé, you seem to have developed blisters in the mouth obviously caused by Londoner ramming the unpalatable fact down your throat through your running mouth.
If there is anyone that has complexes coz they are Ghanaian, it is you. That lady has some Okoro blood flowing in her veins plus her surname is Okoro. . LOL. . .can't get any Nigerian than that. . Hahahaha. . If she did not identify with her dual identity, I am sure she woulda dropped those pretty Nigerian names. Take it or Leave it the gal na OKORO, Nwa afor, infact, this gal is "so it mehn", she makes me want to buy her a meal of FUFU and Ofe Owerri!

The basic mistake you’re making is confusing Genetics with Nationality which is a shame really. What you also need to understand is that there isn’t a Nigerian race neither is there Nigerian gene, and if you go on a tribal basis it becomes even more nonsensical. The entire Ga tribe would have to be considered Nigerian, Parts of the Ivory Coast with Ashanti connections would be Ghanaian and so on but that would be clearly very stupid.

You can quote as many of her names as you wish it doesn’t make the slightest bit of difference. If a person named “Barrack Hussein Obama” can take up a job reserved for the most American of Americans then what’s your point. Yes genetically he is black because his father comes from Kenya but he is most certainly American and only a fool in my opinion would call him Kenyan.

A white born and bred Nigerian person on this forum who goes by the name modebo or something similar articulated it perfectly. He started a topic why can’t Nigerians be like Ghanaian’s which went on for 20 or so pages, you can have a look if you want. He said one thing he liked about Ghana was that although white, no body challenged him when he said with his Nigerian accent he was Nigerian, but in his own homeland Nigeria people always had problems with it. I think the problem here is mentality and that is why we are talking at cross purposes.

If I discovered that someone in my family was from Nigeria it wouldn’t make me less Ghanaian neither would it affect my allegiance to Ghana in any way. I don’t know the current mood in Nigeria but the person that said they would be Ghanaian by virtue of discovering a family member was Ashanti might just be looking to jump ship. But if it did happen please don’t relocate too quickly because you would unfortunately soon realise that you were still indeed very Nigerian. Nice of you to offer Yvonne fufu and Ofewere what ever that is, but don’t be disappointed if she is unfamiliar with ofiwere and grew up eating fufu every Sunday.

I don’t even know why the hell we are having this Banta, have a look at the second paragraph of the article that started all this and I think you might find a few answers there.

Would you question the Ghanaianness of Majid, Nadia Buari, or Jerry Rawlings for that matter? If yes then you people are indeed small minded and don’t deserve my attention, if no then why question Yvonne’s Ghanaianness? because Rawlings is certainly not a “Ghanaian” sounding Name.

rhymz:
wow I did not know that Ghanaians go by the name Okoro. . .what next?? Ghanaians with Eze, Nwosu, Eke and Co to their names, right?? She is ghanaian now that the report aint about her scamming or pushings.

It's not the name stupid it's what you are. A friend of mine is called Ade for short because his Dad named him after his Nigerian friend, is he Nigerian then?

If you realised that you had Ghanaian relatives right now would it all of a sudden make you Ghanaian?

The girl was born, bred, and educated in Ghana, she has never lived in Nigeria so how the hell is she nigerian. She is a Ghanaian citizen and speaks only Ghanaian languages and identifies herself as Ghanaian that's what matters.


About the pushing and scamming I don't know what it has to do with anything if you have a complex about being Nigerian just find a way to deal with it, I can't help you there Im afraid.

londoner:
Yvonne OKORO is half Nigerian half Ghanaian. Her father is Igbo.

Who else is Nigerian Micheal Essien? lol. The sweet girl is born and bred in Ghana for your information.

Ghana's Finest. Think she is the most beautiful of the Ghanaian actresses and very well spoken too.

Well said k4. Actually considering the current mood and the support everyone I know including non Afraicans are showing Ghana, a topic like this can only be in bad taste. I have also seen other topics like "Nigerians wake up you're not Ghanaians" or something to that effect, you can look through the topics if you don't believe me.

Anyway I strongly believe that God has a hand in happenings in Ghana, and it goes beyond football.

You can show genuine support or you die of envy but what ever happens, the blackstars of africa as we are now known will make history today and beat Uruguay.

Ghana for life!!!

Thank you RSA precisely the kind of support needed, and the good news is that a lot of Nigerians think like you.

Actually support from a people like you is unwanted because you are deceitful. You have either never been to Ghana and do not know any Ghanaians at all or you just want to misrepresent the truth. The biggest lie ever is that Ghanaians rejoice in Nigeria's defeat, it is simply not true. The whole of Ghana rejoiced and supported Nigeria like mad in 1998, for Cameroon previous to that, and Senegal in 2002. Shame on you

Anyway the comment about Nigeria rising again gave away your jealousy which underpins you comments. Why should Ghana's success prompt the wish for Nigeria to rise again? Can’t Ghana's success been seen independently and for what it is?

Anyway the true Nigerian sympathisers of which there are many will continue to support Ghana with no strings attached, and "player" haters (Literally) like you can go to hell.

This is the best possible result for Ghana. My prediction is that Ghana will get to the semis at least. We will beat the US and the next team after that, from then on anything can happen.

To succeed you need the skill,the temperament or heart, and luck and Ghana has all three. There is good evidence that God is indeed Ghanaian and not just in football terms.

The goals will come soon enough, remember against australia kewell handled the ball on the line and the keeper was completely beaten that essentially in my view was a goal in open play.

Everybody get behind Ghana and lets hope for the best, I know most Nigerians are Ghana fans when its comes to international football anyway and vice versa.

Mother Ghana how I love you!!!!

Diane Abbott famously compared Nigeria to Jamaica and suggested that Nigeria was a failed state. Considering current developments in Jamaica with failed attempts to extadite Dudus, was she speaking out of turn?

Gbawe:
Bruv, that is the general insinuation. These haters do a good job lying against Nigerians to the extent that some Nigerians even join them in condemning fellow Nigerians for what we are not guilty of !!! Regardless of what the clowns here say , I can assure most posters that the majority of Nigerians in Ghana are legitimate investors and businessmen who are taking advantage of opportunities Ghanaians shun. Even on this thread Abrantie made some wild claim to the effect that 70% of the Nigerian businesses in Ghana are fronts for drug dealing !!!! Where did he derive such 'statistics' if not from the fantasies of a mind consumed by hatred ?

I can't believe this is still going. Actually Gbawe answer this honestly if you can because I am intrigued. Do you honestly believe this whole Jealousy thing you go on about because if Im not mistaken it's come up a few times in the past. Do you honestly think that Nigerians are so gifted and have exceled and left Ghanaians so far behind that they envy them? or is it something you say just to fend off rude comments of Ghanaians on this forum?

Don't worry about clarifying which section within the Ghanaian community you were aiming at, I just want to know if you honestly think that you guys have trully set yourselves apart thats all.

Gbawe:
This "bad belle" cannot be attributed to all Ghanaians. Many exposed Ghanaian women , for example, have not bought into the lies that Nigerians are the devil. This is why marraiges between Ghanaian women and Nigerian men are very common these days. Especially in the diaspora, where ignorance and xenophobia is minimal in the black society, many Ghanaian women are marrying Nigerian men far more than any other African men. These women have seen through the ruse to note that it is envy that drives many of the drivel against Nigerians.

The "bad belle" crew are mainly insecure Ghanaian men impotently envious of those more naturally talented than they are. I used to be miffed about the hate directed at Nigerians by Ghanaians but with experience of things on the ground in Ghana everything became clear. Ghanaians now go around bragging about being better governed than Nigerians because , in their hearts, they know that they do virtually nothing else better than Nigerians.

The private sector is the real indicator of a peoples drive,creativity, innovation, innate talent and natural brilliance. Please name one private sector endeavour that Ghanaians do better than Nigerians !!! Is it Music, movie making, banking, telecoms, manufacturing/innovation, fashion?

In fact the chain restuarant sector is a perfect example of the type of dearth of ambition and natural talent that make some Ghanaian men detest Nigerians !! In Ghana , there is not a single restaurant chain owned by a Ghanaian !! Yet Nigeria has two - Mr Biggs and Chicken Republic with TFC (tasty friend Chicken) planning to get on board soon. Other chains (Papaye, Frankies and on-the-run) are Lebanese owned !!!

That Nigerians can come and dominate them in their own "backyard" is something many Ghanaian men detest immensely. Instead of dealing with their own inadequacies they go around peddling hateful lies in trying to convert others to join their hate wagon - and sometimes they succeed given the many Ghanaians who talk negatively about Nigerians when they have never been in Nigeria or even know a single Nigerian !!!!

I no longer get mad at the rants of some Ghanaians. Through real life experience I now know that , other than the good governance thing, Ghanaian men are nowhere near Nigerian men as per natural dynamism ,efficacy and ambition. The jealous amongst them handle that fact with the hateful utterances we see everywheere while the decent Ghanaians strive to improve themselves. Anyone that knows Ghana and Ghanaians will know that successful Ghanaians hardly dislike Nigerians. In fact, they have Nigerian friends. It is the losers who play up. They should be ignored by Nigerians.

I am quite disappointed in you Gbawe because you are usually more objective than this but you have clearly sunk to the level of many of the generalising, ignorant and quite frankly misinformed individuals you get on here.

How a football topic has been turned into this Ghana vrs Nigeria Nonsense is beyond belief. During an event like the nations cup a Ghanaian should be able to post comments freely on a Nigerian forum like this and vice versa without any issues. Shame on anyone who has contributed to the unproductive turn this topic has taken.

chic2pimp:
Dream On. Balo has turned down the Ghanian FA's request down on numerous occasions cuz in his words 'I do not feel Ghanian, I am Italian'.

Well his has position has been a lot more encouraging lately. He has said he would consider playing for Ghana, but in any case Ghana has shown that it isn't dependent on any one player, Ghana is the main African threat along with Ivory Coast with or without Bola.

Ghana without Essien, Muntari, Paintsil, Mensah, or appiah to mention a few, have put on an incredible performance and I am so, so proud of them. Imagine  when all these players are fit and the new additions like Kelvin Boateng from portsmouth, and possibly Mario bolatelli are included into the squad.


Forget Ivory Coast, Ghana are Africa's main hope in this world cup !!!!!!!!!!!

Don't worry Naija Brothers and Sisters we will bring the cup to West Africa

So like I said Ghana team B vs algeria in the finals

Although Ghana is fielding a team B, Ghana vs Nigeria games have little to do with who plays as you all know. Remember ten man Ghana against Nigeria two years ago with even talentless agogo registering a goal? I am predicting a Ghana Algeria final.

Ivory Coast are a good side only when things are going well.

Drogba and his diving ways!!!

My money is on Ivory Coast watch this space, I promise you they will progress from thier group along with Brazil. Just watch

rethink:
Nigerians are quick to compare themselves with other countries. We eat the proverbial cake and want to have it. There are 2 things in Ghana that come to mind

They have a Political opposition with some element of IDEALOGY.
The Ghanaians have a very little middle class, few people are Educated so you have the lower class people demanding for Accountability and they trust their political leadership.

Ghana is uneducated and has a small middle class compared to Nigeria, is it? I don't know where some of you get your information from but I would "rethink" my facts if I were you. You obviously don't know what you are talking about, how a less diversified economy like Nigeria can create a bigger middle class is beyond me, also Ghana undoubtedly has a better education system and institutions so it sounds like an “uneducated” guess to me.

Maybe the real reason as opposed to the nonsensical explanation is that Nigeria is a more corrupt society than Ghana. Don't you think?

mccloud224:
It's not corruption.It's our mind set.It's ingrained in each and every one of us.For instance, let's answer a truth question.Is there anyone here who would refuse and offer to split the billions of dollars Abacha looted 50-50?

Just one person.Even the "born again" Christians and "adept" Alfa's are welcome to the quiz.

Anyone?Hmmm? Billions to be shared?Anyone?

Lol

You would also struggle to find a white, indian, chinese or whatever race that wouldn't. lol

Omo_Alex:
See, corruption is not our problem, It is possible for Nigeria to be corrupt and still generate enough electricity for the nation, build good roads, equip hospitals.  

It is possible for me as a corrupt contractor to inflate a road construction contract, collect 98% mobilization, settle my boys at the ministry and due process office, bribe all bribables and still construct a good road. Jullius berger n co worked in very corrupt enviroments, they did what they had to do to get the contracts but their work still remains even after many years.

Our main problem is stupidity and lack of intelligent reasoning in high office both at those giving contracts and those receiving the contracts. so it is a problem of Power[b] (Leadership) [/b]crises and Prosperity

If you spend 4 or 5 time the amount needed to build a road then you will build less roads in total

The morale authority to oversee projects and insist on high standards is lost through corruption. How can you take the high ground and insist that a good job is done after taking a bribe?

The stupidity and lack of intelligence is what keeps the level of corruption as high and widespread as it is.

MrCrackles:
Thanks for your input. . .
But from an economic point of view

From an economic view point corruption is still the biggest problem

SEFAGO:
Not really, I think because i don't agree with your broad opinion of including every silly trait as a form of intelligence, is what makes my view narrow. It isn't narrow per se but selective. Yes stuff like emotional, social whatever intelligence are not that useful in the scheme of things. But emotional intelligence doesn't get you nobel laureates or make you good at school.

Cognitive ability is your ability to reason well with obtained information.

I just get angry when people are trying to redefine somethin because of insecurities. yes, i know race and intelligence is a huge and very touchy topic but when we skirt around the issue trying to include other forms of intelligence that are not really that useful. When we become well-aware of what intelligence means- cognitive ability then we can go from there.

Stop using shakespeare/ other people. Is shakespeare took contemporary IQ test which would include verbal skills  which shakespeare would have excelled in, and maydone average in quantitative as pects of teh test, making him slightly above average in cognitive ability, but his verbal skills are exceptional

Point of correction you are not disagreeing with my broad view, you are disagreeing with contemporary thoughts on what intelligence is. If your selectiveness means leaving out aspects of intelligence then I’m afraid you are being narrow minded. As for the rest of your posts it just sounds like a person accepting they got it wrong so we will leave it at that.

You would be making a terrible mistake if you ignore other forms of intelligence. People slave away for years to invent fantastic things but it takes less conventionally intelligent people with business acumen to take it to the market place and make it commercially viable. That is why the inventor of the computer probably died poor and bill gates is a billionaire.
Isaac Newton one of the great minds and the inventor of the cat flap had two cats a kitten and a fully grown big cat. He made two cat flaps on his door a big one and a small one for each of the cats which seemed like a brilliant idea. It took a less conventionally intelligent person to point out to him that he only needed one big cat flap for both cats.

Moral of the story is never underestimate common sense and you would be surprised who lacks it at the best of times.

beneli:
I lost my post and can't be bothered to do the write up all over again. The gist of it was to explain to bennyboy11 why i don't agree with him that my view on Intelligence is 'narrow'!

Don't get me wrong your view isn't entirely narrow i was just trying to explain my inclusion of the endurance bit to you.

A very narrow view was SEFAGO's view which was decades old.

beneli:
I have an issue with the part in bold above. While you are right that in modern discourse Intelligence as measured by the Intelligence Quotience is no longer of much significant value, and that some of the definitions that have surfaced on this topic opens up a lot of room for debate, Emotional Intelligence, which has more to do with our ability to functionally navigate interpersonal and social relationships is not what has enabled the African to survive harsh conditions. I am of the school of thought that Emotional Intelligence is one of those areas that a cohort of Africans from Africa may be slightly deficient in when compared to there counterparts from Europe who have a similar educational background. This difference would be accounted for by their different social experiences and values.

Global Intelligence, at the end of the day, is a cognitive function. The ability to plan, make judgement, assess danger, appreciate music, understand that somebody else is in pain etc are all functions of the brain, which depending on the wiring of a particular brain may be more developed in some individuals than in others. For instance, a type of wiring of the brain can result in an individual being able to do mathematical calculations at the same speed as a calculator, yet in that same individual there may be problems with being able to put on their own clothes. This is not a far-fetched anecdote. People who suffer from Aspegers syndrome with dyspraxia would present like that. Some people are able to appreciate music to the point when they are able to tell the colour of different musical notes (you can find that in people who have a condition known as synaesthesia) and so on and so forth.

Our ability to solve problems, make plans for the immediate and distant future, appreciate art and literature, interact with those around us (in other words our ability to be intelligent)  is a function of how our brains have been wired up and the environment within which we have been nurtured.

Race has absolutely nothing to do with intelligence.Those that want to argue that race is assocaited with intelligence have an agenda that has little to do with science.

I think you are also seeing intelligence from a slightly narrow view. Not as narrowly as SEFAGO but albeit narrow.

Another dimension of testing intelligence is putting the brain under intense pressure and seeing how it fares.

Why do you think the Special Forces in the UK are seen as the most intelligent in their field? Not only because they have the Academics but also because they combine harsh physical conditions and coherent thinking better than anyone else. Your body is deliberately put under intense pressure whiles you are expected to think.

Hypothetically speaking, if two people have exactly the same level of Mathematical ability and one of them cracks under pressure in an exam and the other thinks coherently under the same pressure then the level of intelligence of the survivor is better in that respect. Don’t forget intelligence involves finding ways of dealing with problematic situations which includes the problem of unpleasant situations. To a lesser extent, what do you think the rational behind deliberately examining people with too little time is? And usually it’s not about getting the right answer especially in professional exams it’s just assessing how coherent you are under impossible circumstances. Endurance is a part of intelligence.

So if an African can think coherent in a situation where others would kill themselves what do you think that is? Can you understand that on face value a bare foot village child getting grade A is more intelligent than a rich man’s sun living in a city getting the same A grade because of endurance.

You thought a person being able to work a sum quicker than a calculator was more intelligent even if others can work the same sum and get the right answer in longer period. If speed signifies intelligence why doesn’t endurance?

Anyone that wants a good overview of intelligence in it's entirety can read this as opposed to the uninformed half truths people are posting on the subject.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_intelligence

SEFAGO:
I think he does have the right to post anywhere but my problem is with his point.

Most people have problems understanding what intelligence is. For example look at Bennyboy:

None of those are intelligence per se but talent. I have a talent at playing card's doesnt mean i ma intelligent.

Intelligence is according to wiki "Intelligence is an umbrella term used to describe a property of the mind that encompasses many related abilities, such as the capacities to reason, to plan, to solve problems, to think abstractly, to comprehend ideas, to use language, and to learn."

Which means cognitive ability not how great your musical skills or artistic skills are or how much u learnt as a nomad

You certainly have an outdated and flawed impression of what intelligence is. Modern thinking on intelligence is a lot broader and encompasses a lot more than you realise. Importantly modern thinking also recognises that defining intelligence is very difficult and emotional intelligence has now been put in the frame which is more difficult to assess or measure.

The ability of African’s to survive under conditions that others would commit suicide under is seen as emotional intelligence which is definitely a form of intelligence. When people who are less intelligent in the traditional sense are able to give the impression that they are, this is also emotional intelligence. People like Tony Blair have tonnes of that and have achieved more than the likes of Gordon Brown who have superior conventional intelligence. Anyone that has been on a top MBA programme would know what I’m talking about and realise the emphasis placed on it.

Art and musical ability is definitely a sign of intelligence. If an individual is able to time perfectly and put notes together what do you thing that is? Don’t forget the important like between Mathematics and Music which was established a very long time ago. A key part of intelligence is Judgement which is inherent in an Artistic person and exercises a lot of it whether when painting or putting poem together.

If William Shakespeare was rubbish at Mathematics which he possibly was, would you dare call him unintelligent? Even more basic than that if an individual did a Music or Art degree and got a first class could you call them anything but intelligent?

You should take a flexible approach to intelligence and not be bugged down with definitions like you are. It’s like beauty, Pamela Anderson, Michelle Obama, Cameron Diaz, Genevieve Nnaji and Marilyn Monroe are all beautiful women. All have very different features but non the less beautiful.

Dede1:
The world has only ONE RACE and it is HUMAN.

Only if

SEFAGO:
Not true- it is very easy to tell annoyed posts on nairaland- "slowpoke, idiot, ignorant" are quite common markers in nairaland, especially because someone doesn't agree with you. I am aware I use them too, but only when someone argues without logic while claiming logic.

Now race from someone's DNA is very very very difficult and unlikely to tell because there is no specific marker for one race. For example, Watson, who basically called us idiots, has a DNA that is supposed to be "significantly african."

Let me present my opinion on the issue. Finding a gene that determines race and intelligence, would be unlikely- such a trait would be a complex influence of various genes ( i keep getting shocked anytime people talking about finding a specific gene for a trait that is what i term a "spectrum trait" one that isn't discrete but a continuum such as height."

However, as a biological science race and intelligence fails even sometimes in the face of evolution (the problem with using evolution is that it is all speculation). But most should i say racial supremacist point to the situation of third world countries and how these countries are less-developed because of their low intelligence. The problem is that, the third world has no cogent response to this except to point out at globalization (the sudden introduction of African countries- which were european constructs- into a modern economy that they were ill-equipped to survive in) and colonialism (two points that are quite strong but we should also consider that India was once a colony but is becoming a prominent developing country).

I think that for us to respond to questions about race and intelligence we must put sentiments aside and attack them logically- not just that people are the product of their environments which is not usually teh case. for example, Lower income asian's do very well in schools and IQ test in the United States, far more than other minorities with the same income level.

That leads to my second examination, the question of what "intelligence" means. I define intelligence as perspicacious cognitive ability. The ability to become aware of, and interpret patterns in human society. This is not environmental, neither is it- in my opinion  exclusively genetic- it is 60% cultural and 30 % intelligence, 10% self-awareness. The cultural factor plays an important role, because you must have experienced, for a significant part of your life, the norms and culture of a society, before you can address the patterns itself. intelligence/cognitive ability plays an important role- because you need this to be able to interpret these patterns and reapply them, as well as recognize new ones. Finally self-awareness, another important factor, because you need to be aware of you intelligence as well as ambitious enough to apply it.

streets smart would make you a good agbero/area boy, intelligence would get you a nobel laureate in the sciences

Where is your sense of humour, the comment was meant to be a joke I don't know if you followed the posts all the way.

For your information scientists are hoping to assess which parts of DNA are responsible for different functions. In the same racist article Watson was looking to even explain why some people who are mathematically sound are likely to have less command over literature. I don't think you fully understand the aim of the whole project. No at the moment they do not know which part of one's DNA is responsible for intelligence like I have said a million times, but going forward the intend to. They call it decoding the secrets of life for a reason you should check the links I posted and do further research on it. I am making a simple point which frankly you should understand. The current discovery is just the tip of the iceberg.

Your definition of intelligence is a good attempt but not comprehensive enough but don't feel bad because it's not easy to define. Your definition doesn't encapsulate things like emotional intelligence, artistic expression, music etc which all signify intelligence.

Beaf:
There is nothing to be annoyed over man. Chill
It is already a known fact that you cannot tell a persons "race" from their DNA http://knol.google.com/k/frank-w-sweet/can-dna-tell-what-race-you-are/k16kl3c2f2au/12#
That is why I've always put the term in quotation marks throughout this thread. "Race" is in many ways, getting to be seen as no more than a racist term.

The colour of a persons skin is of no more consequence than the size of their nose.

It is easier to tell the race of a person from thier DNA than it is to tell if I'm annoyed based on my post on Nairaland. lol

I am far from annoyed.

As a fellow black man fully aware of what some idiots may want to use this propaganda for, I hope you are right but like I stated it's on going. It's early days so you can't conclude on anything yet. Read what you attached properly you will realise it's not really supporting your case its quite irrelevant really.

http://www.medic8.com/genetics/human-genome-project.htm

Have a read under "what are the next steps in genomic research" you will realise the last point continuing to explore ethical, legal etc which is what this debate comes under.

so there is no sound basis to say they are only cosmetic.

For the record I believe environment is key like many people have said but we are watching this space