₦airaland Forum

Wing Loong II UAV shouldn't be the only drone in Nigeria's military arsenal. These are important in modern warfare. NATO for example seems to be realising this as they’ve been using missiles costing millions to take down relatively cheap Russian drones that cost a few thousands.

I like the sound of Ezugwu MRAP though.

Looks like the ones in this picture are gossiping so I'll call them the Hen-tertainment committee. But sooner or later they will be KFC Waiting List

Yet Ukraine army are picking up young boys on the street, bundling them in vans only to fight wars they don't want to fight while Zelensky and his western counterparts get richer.

blueAgent:
Your problem is that yiu claim to know, why the fact is that you know completely nothing.

Let's keep our responses short.
All this long writeup ignores the fact we want to establish.

"Our responses"? You and who? what facts are you establishing? and with whom?

Of course you'd like to keep it short because anything longer than two sentences sends your brain into total disarray. When comprehension fails, brevity suddenly becomes a virtue. How can I expect you to understand anything when simple concepts are several floors above your comprehension level eh? The unfortunate thing is - Nigeria has thousands, if not millions of you roaming around so you can at least revel in the fact that you're not an outlier.

If you read up to this point - be proud. That’s probably the longest thing you’ve ever successfully read.

Kemetian:
AJAOKUTA WILL WORK NOW. RELAX.

TInubu will make it work.

You know China is now a powerful ally of Nigeria, including a military ally?

The geopolitical forces that delayed that $10 billion complex for 40 years have very limited power today.

China don dust them. And China is with us. We are ALSO in BRICS, and are part of an increasingly assertive AU insisting on local processing of raw materials.

So Ajaokuta's tIme to rise is HERE.

Crossing my fingers on this and hoping it gets utmost attention by the government. My immediate concern is the USA's consular being built in Eko Atlantic. That consular is not for issuing visa, it will be an intelligence gathering hub for the SEE EYE HAY, coupled with America's enclave for economic and political reporting, security coordination and influence mapping. I hope it won't sabotage Nigeria's chance of fully becoming BRICS member because from that consular, it would be easier for them to deeply infiltrate Nigeria's political landscape and influence policies.

blueAgent:
You don run?

You have boxed yourself into a corner that you cannot escape,simple question I asked you no fit answer.

https://www.theafricareport.com/22378/the-pros-and-cons-of-the-cfa-franc-zone/


https://www.theafricareport.com/85566/france-begins-transfer-of-e5bn-to-bceao-as-part-of-cfa-franc-reform/

France begins transfer of €5bn to BCEAO as part of CFA franc reform


https://www.theafricareport.com/85566/france-begins-transfer-of-e5bn-to-bceao-as-part-of-cfa-franc-reform/

You're magnifying your own ignorance and lack of basic comprehension and it's getting embarrassing at this point. You're reframing issues to dodge my points. I'll repeat for the umpteenth time, the colonial legacy created economies built to extract and export, not refine and reinvest. Then you cherry picked on Indorama petrochemical which succeeded because it’s foreign-owned, not because privatization fixed Nigeria. Profits still flows outward, not back into the local economy. It’s a continuation of dependency, not self-sufficiency.

You went on about Guinea who's policy is very recent. After decades of IMF-backed structural policies that prevented local processing. It’s an exception born out of pushback against that same system. And even then, the smelters are largely foreign-financed, still proving my point that dependence still exists.

I partly agree with you on Venezuela in my previous reply but you don't read to understand. You read to cherry-pick while ignoring major touch points. Venezuela’s corruption and mismanagement made them vulnerable. (Clap for yourself, I agree with you) but you failed to recognise that sanctions directly cut off their access to markets, equipment, and credit which crippled recovery. You can’t claim “bad policy” and ignore a decade of US-led financial blockades. That's like spewing gibberish like you always do, about how the titanic sank without mentioning the iceberg that it crashed into.

"Africans should just process resources themselves", that also like saying "Just build airplanes" while ignoring roadblocks and bottlenecks such as the lack of industrial infrastructure, global trade barriers against African manufacturing, Western-backed loan conditions discouraging subsidies or protectionism, and sabotage or destabilization whenever nations try to do it independently (e.g., Congo, Libya).

"Do I think without the West, Africa can explore or market resources" - That's more of a confession than a question. You're admitting Africa’s dependence and mistaking it for natural inferiority instead of engineered dependency.

Next time, READ!, when and if you do, make sure you read slowly. Comprehension is free.

Then you KO'ed yourself by referencing theafricareport.com articles for me. The Africa Report is published by Jeune Afrique Media Group. It is owned by the Ben Yahmed family who has strong connections with France and the French Media. Their connection with France is not even incidental or peripheral but deeply central. What do you expect from such editorials? Expecting them to critique CFA Franc is like expecting BP to publish anti-oil propaganda. What editorial are you going to reference next? BBC? CNN? France24? Arte? Le Monde?

But no, I didn't run. I just don’t argue with people still trying to Google their way out of an intellectual corner. You’ve been sprinting in circles around your own confusion while thinking you’re keeping pace. It’s not my fault you mistook my silence for surrender. Reading and comprehension are still your biggest opponent, not me. Keep shadow-boxing facts from The Africa Report and Google. You’re doing great.

If Lupin is trending by any chance in your Netflix Top 10 - This is why

blueAgent:
I want conservation based on clarity and points and facts

Let's start with the question i asked you.

Who is responsible for exploiting, extracting and processing Africa's mineral resources, Africans or the West?
Let's discuss

Discuss?? Excuse me… I’ve been laying out facts and analysis, but for you, reading takes too much brain effort. That’s why you skim Google and Wikipedia summaries instead.

Go and Google the decline of your comatose critical-thinking skills or better still.......Take several seats.

blueAgent:
Stop writing long baseless and meaningless articles I don't have time to read that.

Argue one point at a time.

Whose responsibility is it to develop Africa 's resources?

Africans or the West and how can it be done?

Maybe if you read beyond Google headlines, you might actually grasp the argument next time. Try comprehension before conversation.

blueAgent:
You really sound like someone who is not exposed to globally business world.


In Nigeria apart from oil and gas, which other resources is mined and exported on large quantities by the so called West powers.

Secondly it's obvious you don't know how the oil and gas industry works.

Fortunately I work there and am better informed about the industry than you.

Go and Google about the decline of Venezuela's oil and gas industry.

When someone (who I assume to be African) says “Blacks deserve to be recolonized,” they’ve already told on themselves, there’s nothing “global” about that worldview, only self-hate disguised as intellect. You confuse criticism of colonial legacy with denial of African responsibility. I never said the West owes Africa a solution, I said Africa is still navigating systems that were never designed for its success. There’s a difference.

Yes, Shell’s refinery existed but nationalization wasn’t the issue. The real failure came after, when maintenance, funding, and transparency collapsed. Shell ran it for profit; Nigeria took over without the institutional discipline or technical continuity Shell had. The refinery could’ve been sustained under proper governance, but instead it became politicized. That’s not proof against colonial legacies it’s proof of how fragile postcolonial institutions were. The same happened with Ajaokuta Steel that you previously mentioned. It was constant external interference, shifting contracts, and funding bottlenecks that made it a monument to dependency, not development.

"IMF advised privatizing telecoms, and we saw the benefits.” Are you seriously comparing telecoms to refineries? Privatizing telecoms worked because the sector had low infrastructure barriers and high private demand unlike refining or steel, which need capital, protection, and stable energy to survive. IMF advice is one-size-fits-all, it often prioritizes market efficiency over local development. In telecoms, it fit, in refineries and heavy industry, it hollowed out local capacity. And since you claim to work in oil and gas, I expect you to understand that control of upstream doesn’t equal control of value chains. That’s precisely why resource rich nations can still be poor because they export raw wealth and import finished dependency.

You talk about Togo then threw Niger into the mix thinking you're making sense? Togo’s phosphate, Niger’s uranium, Congo’s cobalt are all exported raw with foreign companies dominating logistics, financing, and refining. France’s Orano mining company has been running Niger’s uranium mines for DECADES until recent months when Niger military leader kicked France out of their country and fought to bring their gold and uranium mines under true and sovereign state control. Togo's main phosphate mining industry also has direct/indirect link to France. "State-owned" on paper, but profits and strategic leverage still flow outward but if you think it's completely state-owned without external involvement then I have a bridge to sell you. That’s the pattern, Africa digs, others refine, others profit.

Then again you went on about Brazil, Chile and threw Australia into the mix? Those countries control their value chains and reinvest resource wealth. Brazil developed steel, aerospace, and energy industries, Chile built local processing capacity, stable institutions, and control over their fiscal policy. Most African states couldn’t, because they were economically designed as export nodes for Europe.

As for Venezuela, their decline only reinforces my point that external economic pressure and internal mismanagement are two sides of the same coin. Sanctions crippled their ability to sell oil, while mismanagement weakened production. It’s a mirror of what happens when a nation’s economy relies too heavily on raw exports and external validation which is exactly the dependency Africa was specifically built into. You can't condemn our leader's corruption and mismanagement without criticising the system that created and sustains it.

And if it's not obvious to you, I stand on my point that the rise of Africa is a threat to the world powers of today (insert EU, America and cronies) and they will do anything and everything to maintain control over the continent to make sure Africa is underdeveloped. Despite the vast land that we have, you think it's coincidence that Nigeria imports rice and other food but export cocoa, groundnuts, cotton, ginger and other products? Have you cooked some cotton & cocoa today? You think it's coincidence that herdsmen and other armed groups are destroying Rice farms across Nigeria? This is all by design to keep us dependent both by internal and external influences. Certain cabals in Nigeria make millions of $ on rice importation.

So yes I'm not refuting the fact that domestic mismanagement and entrenched corruption exists, of course they do but you keep thinking this is about blaming colonialism, No I'm not saying colonialism makes up the entirety of Nigeria/Africa's problem. It’s about understanding the systems that keep countries dependent. You can’t fix what you don’t diagnose. Mocking history doesn’t make you “exposed to global business” it just makes you loud about what you don’t understand. That's my point and I’ll leave it there. I debate ideas, not people who rely on Google for information.

MaxInDHouse:
Let's take things one at a time.

Do you believe in God?

If so what do you expect God to do with the way things are getting out of hand in the world today?🙂

I'm certainly not doing this “Do you believe in God?” merry-go-round. You lack substance and I’m not here to play theology tennis. You've made your pitch, I'm not buying. All the best with your ministry.

blueAgent:
What kind of childish writeup did i just read?

I laughed so hard reading this your fairy tale.
Am not sure you have heard of capitalism.

Today we have Nigerian owned companies in Oil and gas, why did the West not stop them?

Are you sure, you read your article well?
I thought you said colonization was wrong?

So you want the West to aslo show you how to extract your resources , processes it for you and aslo sell and spoon fed you?

Apart from Oil and gas, tell me any other resources that is mined and processed and exported in large quantities in Nigeria?

Are you waiting for the West to do that for you?
Was it the West that destroyed Ajeokuta Steel, 4 oil refineries Ikot Obasi Aluminium mill, E.t.c

You even have resources, what of Singapore that does not have even drinking water or land to farm or build on?

All the things you wrote are not factual, I just don't have enough time to refute them.

Nothing I said was a “fairy tale.” The irony is that everything you mentioned, Ajaokuta, the refineries, Ikot Abasi etc actually drives my pont home.

Nigeria’s refineries didn’t just collapse out of thin air; they were allowed to collapse. Years of corruption, political appointments, and deliberate mismanagement turned them into cash drains. Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan, Buhari all promised reform but none of them implemented a consistent industrial policy to protect or privatize the refineries properly. They all budgeted billions for “Turnaround Maintenance,” yet nothing changed because those funds were looted.

Another layer is foreign dependence. Western oil companies (insert Chevron, Shell, Total etc) controls the upstream (crude extraction), while refined products come back to us at a markup. Powerful import cartels at home also profits from that dependency, so keeping local refineries idle benefits both external and internal players, ensuring that we exported crude oil and imported petrol, keeping it dependent on foreign refineries. This created a situation where local refining threatened some powerful interests, both foreign and domestic who profited from importing refined products.

Then foreign-backed “advisory” institutions (like the IMF and World Bank) also discouraged state ownership of refineries, pushing for market liberalization yet Nigeria’s private sector never had the infrastructure or incentives to fill the gap.

The same pattern exists across Africa, extract raw materials, import finished goods. That structure didn’t start yesterday; it was designed under colonialism and reinforced afterward through “economic advice” that discouraged self-sufficiency.

As for Singapore, they weren’t burdened with borders drawn for exploitation or institutions wired for dependency. They had functional governance, control over trade, and the geopolitical luck of being a small, strategic port city. Africa’s story is different Africa is larger, resource-rich, but deliberately fragmented and exploited.

So yes, leadership matters but leadership doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It operates within systems, and Africa’s systems were never built for Africans to thrive, but of course lecture me on capitalism.

Come back when you have enough time to refute my “fairy tale”

They've sent their foot soldier to carry out reconnaissance. This has nothing to do with our oil and gas at all and nothing to do with Nigeria's alignment with BRICS but everything to do with the killings of "christians". Nothing to see here.

UEFA banned Russia for Ukraine invasion but failed to ban Israel for Gaza genocide but they claimed they "don't get involved in geopolitics". FIFA has pressed CAF's neck on this. It's very obvious, well unless there's an analytical reason, otherwise it's politics politics politics

blueAgent:
Can you explain or give examples of how the colonialism affects Africa today.
For your information Singapore has more population than Equitorial guinea with far more challenges, yet they are a developed country why that Equitorial guinea is a failed state despite there oil and gas wealth, so small population is not the reason for the success of Qatar ,Kuwait and Bahrain

Go and look up the benefits of CFA.

Sure let's unpack it since you asked;

The CFA franc isn’t “beneficial”; it’s a colonial hangover. Member states must keep 50% of their foreign reserves in France’s treasury, and France retains veto power over their monetary policy. How's that not dependency? You can’t develop freely when another country controls your currency and reserves.

2. Trade imbalance:
Colonial economies were built to export raw materials and import finished goods, that pattern never ended. African countries still export crude, cocoa, and minerals, then buy back refined products at a premium. That’s structural underdevelopment, not bad leadership alone.

3. Resource extraction:
Foreign companies which are mostly European and Americans still dominate Africa’s mining, oil, and telecom sectors. They repatriate profits while locals get royalties and polluted land. Look at Niger (uranium), DRC (cobalt), and Nigeria (oil). The story is the same. Talking of Telecom sector, I can also dive deeper on how the Europeans wanted to keep Africa dependent on European Telecom infrastructures so that Africa continue to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in bandwidth fees every year until Gadaffi intervened. If you're old enough to remember when a single MTN SIM card was selling for 35,000 naira, before it gradually dropped and dropped to the point that it was selling for about 200 naira? Yes that's because of Gadaffi. Europe does not want Africa to progress, it's evident and I can also show you a video from a British University professor who laid everything bare to his students on how Western powers are hell bent on keeping Africa underdeveloped. If you watch the video, you can maybe judge yourself. All of his claims are Africa's reality today.

As for Singapore, yes, it has a larger population but it wasn’t systematically stripped of wealth or occupied by a colonial power that left it in debt. Lee Kuan Yew built a state that broke from British influence, invested in education, and rooted out corruption. Compare that with France’s post-independence setup in Africa, where coups, regime change and client states were routine.

So when you say “look at Singapore or Qatar,” you're ignoring context, those states had autonomy. Many African nations still don’t.

Colonialism isn’t history, it just changed its tools.

blueAgent:
Bla bla bla.

Half baked crap.

The same CFA that its benefits where so good that, Equatorial Guinea had to Join them despite been colonised by Spain and not France.

All this excuse of Former colonial masters been the reason for Africa's undevelopement is stale.

Qatar Kuwait,Singarpore,UAE, Cyprus ,Malaysia, India,Brazil,Argentina Peru, Costa Rica, name it the list is endless.
They are all ex- Colonies, but they are all doing well.

Only in Africa where ppl elect and support their wicked leaders based on tribalism and selfish intrest and later they blame the West for their own decisions.

Half-baked? at least it's baked in facts, yours is frozen in ignorance and denial. You’re right about one thing tho, bad leadership is killing Africa. No debate there. But pretending colonialism isn’t part of the equation is just lazy thinking. Did the French leave Africa after "independence" of their colonies in Africa? No, they hardwired dependency into the system politically, economically, and monetarily. The CFA franc still ties multiple countries’ financial arteries to Paris.

Equatorial Guinea? Rich on paper, poor in reality. Oil money for the elite, crumbs for the people, typical textbook extractive economics. So yes, “doing well” depends on which side of the palace gates you’re standing.

And comparing 54 vastly different nations to tiny petro-states like Qatar or the UAE who's population is smaller than Lagos? Common.
Leadership is part of Africa’s problem, no doubt but pretending colonialism has no fingerprints on today’s instability is like treating a knife wound as if the knife was never there.

MaxInDHouse:
You don't get my point!

I wasn't born a Christian but they found me. Have you heard of Jehovah's Witnesses?
Well that is the one and only Christian group that meets up with all the things Jesus taught not individually because he wasn't talking about each individual meeting up with what is perfect but as a group.
So any other group claiming Christians are fake if we have to go by what Jesus of Nazareth said:

"By their fruits you will recognize them. Never do people gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles, do they?  Likewise, every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit. A good tree cannot bear worthless fruit, nor can a rotten tree produce fine fruit" Matthew 7:16-18

God's purpose was to gather all faithful people throughout the earth and form a global family of peace loving worshipers {Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3} once that has been achieved what sincere and honest hearted individuals need to do is join the organization that's meeting up with this goal. Of course JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES stands out differently and the whole world knows this!

I said I SEE your point, that means I acknowledge it. It doesn’t mean I GET your point, and I certainly never said I do. It’s hard to "get" the point of people like you. You know why? Because you’re not any different from every other religious nutcase out there. You all churn out the same tone-deaf rhetoric, sanctimonious and garnished with Bible verses but lacking a shred of logic.

There’s nothing you want to tell me that I haven’t heard before. The guy from Redeemed Christian Church of God says their Jesus is the best. The one from Winners Chapel says their Jesus tastes better. Now here you are, Jehovah’s Witness, insisting your Jesus “stands out differently.” Jesus is a marketplace brand at this point and I’m not buying, even if it’s on a 2 for 1 discount.

Have I heard of Jehovah’s Witnesses? God, yes and I probably might puke the next time one of your evangelists asks if I’ve “got a minute to spare.” If I kept all the pamphlets they've given me, it just might be enough for me to start a lucrative paper recycling business. Each one selling the same utopian fantasy of heaven on earth. Meanwhile, the world’s on fire and religion’s got both hands in the fuel tank.

You said they found you. What were you, lost? Besides, I never asked how you became a Christian. Whether you were born into it or “found,” that’s your own spaghetti with chocolate sauce, and it's certainly between you and your own spiritual GPS. It still doesn’t change the fact that most Nigerian Christians were born into religion, not reasoned into it.

And I love how you completely sidestepped every point I made. I expected at least a whiff of reasoning, maybe something about the rot and division foreign religions have caused but, as usual, it’s just another sales pitch. No substance, just vibes and recycled Bible verses. Why think when the Bible can do it for you, right?

And that verse you quoted - “Never do people gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles”, are you actually asking me? Have you even seen grapes? Has the average Nigerian? That’s exactly my point: this foreign religion you swallowed doesn’t even speak to your own culture or environment. Grapes grow where those events apparently happened - the Middle East and the Mediterranean, not Africa. Yet you build your whole life worshipping metaphors from a land you’ll never visit, about fruits you’ll never taste, written in a language that was never yours. But sure, quote away.

No, I’m not joining your Jehovah’s Witness organization. The world is not the utopia you people keep advertising. The same religion that claims to save humanity has been the most efficient tool for dividing and controlling it and the same people who weaponized religion are the ones who are ruining the world but sure, keep dreaming about “heaven on earth.” Whatever helps you sleep through the chaos.

Oh, and I read that your president’s son is distributing one million Bibles for his 40th birthday. Because of course, religion is the leash, and you all wear it like gold jewellry. But religion has nothing to do with politics, right? They're not creating 1000 jobs or micro loans but 1 million bibles. If each of those bibles cost $1, that's 1 million dollar that could've empower some youths, or supported entrepreneurs. Who's leading the distribution? The Christian Association of Nigeria. But sure, go collect yours. Doesn’t matter if you already own one, at the end of the day, what’s better than one Bible? Two! Gift it to another “lost soul.” You’ll all be fine in the end.

Great news, as long as the offer is genuine and not a smoke screen to lure the students to fight against their will and conviction. Russia House in Africa - Why not? At the end of the day Russia engages Africa on a win-win Memorandum of Understanding rather than the West's traditional zero sum game.

MaxInDHouse:
You surprised me than i expected in fact i myself i'm shocked already to see how much you know about theory and practical.
Surely you are more prepared for this than i expected anyone to be but still let's get to the root of the matter!🙂

After Jesus commissioned Christianity he told his disciples a parable regarding what will happen when he's gone. Matthew 13:24-30
In that parable he made it clear that true Christianity will be suspended for some time just as weeds when left unattended to will overshadow the fine seeds so that when an observer looks from a distance all he could see is WEEDS.
In view of this prophecy Jesus asked a serious question:

"when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” ‭Luke 18:8 NIV‬
This means after Jesus and his disciples are gone true Christianity will vanish on planet earth! Revelations 11:7-10

But then is that be the end of the group?

Jesus said true Christianity will bounce back like two prophets who resurrected from the dead but when they regain life nobody can kill them again! Revelations 11:11-12

So you are 100% correct that theory and practice differ but today true Christianity is back on its feet but with a totally different group name! Isaiah 65:15

Today just as the world hated Jesus and his disciples in the first century they are hostile to the true Christians and calling them different names even though they can't say exactly what Jesus' disciples did wrong other than their unique faith.

Just as Jesus prayed for his disciples to have the same line of thought {John 17:22} true Christians have the same line of thought to the extent that people can easily say this person is one of them once he doesn't join in pagan traditions! 1Corinthans 1:10

They have love among themselves and the world can testify to it! John 13:34-35

They don't participate in politics {John 17:14} or military service {Matthew 26:52} so there is no way any politician can poison their mind against anyone!

They don't follow worldly trends, they eat, drink, party and socielite with others but when it comes to matters of faith they will say "bye for now". John 17:15-17

So yes there is a global group practicing what Jesus taught exactly but the world called them a cult just as Jesus foretold! Matthew 10:24-25

I see your point but historically, Christianity has always coexisted with politics, power, and human imperfection, whether early believers were oppressed or bishops wielded authority. Claiming a single global group today perfectly embodies Jesus’ teachings might make for a neat story, but history and human nature suggest it’s more complicated than any one sect can capture. Even the first disciples disagreed on interpretation and practice. Historically, faith and politics have often mixed (even when Christians were persecuted), and different contexts produced very different practices. That’s part of the reasons why there are different Christian denominations and churches.

Even early believers disagreed on theology, rituals, and interpretation of Jesus’ teachings. Different regions, languages, and cultures shaped how Christians practiced their faith, take for example, Greek speaking communities interpreted scripture differently from Latin speaking ones. Then over centuries, debates about issues like the nature of Christ (Arianism vs. Nicene Creed), baptism, or Eucharist led to further splits. Then there’s political and cultural pressures such as when Roman emperors, European monarchs, or colonial administrations also influenced which forms of Christianity dominated in particular areas. When Europeans brought Christianity to Africa, they also introduced denominations linked to their home countries: Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, etc.

Later, independent African churches emerged, mixing Christianity with local beliefs and practices (insert your Celestial Church of Christ, Cherubim & Seraphim etc), further increasing diversity. Today in Nigeria, there’s a “Mountain of Jesus Miracles” and “Fire of Heaven Ministries” in every corner or half of mile radius to another. I’m not making this things up, they are facts and our current realities. So weeds and seeds have always been mixed, and that’s not the kind of religion I want to be associated with and I give no special merit or consideration to the “global sect practicing what Jesus taught”, that’s their conviction and perogative.

But I’ll still stand on the point that Christianity in Nigeria is fundamentally a foreign religion. Many of us were born into it; we didn’t choose it. Africa seems to be the only continent where borrowed religions dominate entire societies. Contrast that with China despite political divisions, their culture has remained largely intact because they weren’t colonized by foreign religions and that has held them together. We see result of that today. Part of the challenge we face is this very history of imported belief shaping identities and society.

Now this is not even about me and Christianity, I’m now talking societal cohesion, that’s what I care about more. Because religion has caused division more than unity in human history. I mean you probably have witnessed the archetypes of societal degeneration here on this forum, where keyboard warriors launch attack on each other over religion, religions that weren’t fundamentally theirs in the first place. You see "Christians" on here supporting genocide orchestrated by Israel in Gaza, because they are "Christians" and they believe the Palestinians deserve death because they are "Muslims" and by extension are "terrorists". Where is the humanity? You hear almost daily stories of “church pastors” do the unthinkable and “GOs” on one hand preach armageddon on humanity while on the other hand preach prosperity while church pastor’s wallet gets fatter. To me, these illustrate the human complications of faith intertwined with society. "My sect practice christianity differently" just doesn't cut it for me. Of course without any disrespect to you or your faith.

MaxInDHouse:
The highlighted is a misconception!

True Christianity has nothing to do with politics in fact if you know real Christians you will be really shocked!

Sure, if by ‘true Christians’ you mean the ideal in theory. But historically, Christianity has always been linked with political power, from Constantine’s empire, the Crusades to European colonisation of Africa. Claiming ‘true Christianity’ magically removes politics is like saying a car drives itself better when nobody touches the wheel. Faith exists in practice, not just in theory. You can't separate the two bro but of course I'm always willing to learn, I want to be "shocked!"

MaxInDHouse:
My own ancestors are traditionalists and few became Muslims but one thing is sure which is British brought politics not Christianity. If you read what Mohandas Gandhi said about the British you will understand he told them:

"You people are unlike your Christ"

Which means they are not Christians but they are just disguising. 2Timothy 3:5

Absolutely, but the core tenets of the two main Abrahamic religions (Christianity and Islam) were fundamentally intertwined with politics from the outset, often weaving religious authority with political power. Both religions are now tools in the hand of politicians (Nigeria is a case study). And yes, Ghandi is right in his expression. Many Nigerians today was born into Christianity (like myself), it wasn't a religion I chose. From when I was a little boy, I just knew I went to Church, read the bible, pray to Jesus etc until I actually opened my eyes and my mind and realised I actually don't need Jesus to mediate with God on my behalf because I am a precious piece of that God.

No matter who brought Christianity to Nigeria, it still doesn't change the fact that Christianity is a foreign religion and it erodes who we are at our source. I would assume that's one of the main reason it was brought in the first place (mental colonisation) I have no issues with people who practice it with common sense without losing sense of self, I have no issue with people who practice any other religion - in fact, I draw lessons from Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Ifa etc. I believe in truth, self-discipline, ethical living. I live in a way that is consistent with moral and spiritual truths rather than dogmatic rituals. That way, my mind is open, I can see life in different perspective and interact with it accordingly. I get to be who I am as an African, a yoruba man who is one with nature and deeply respect the balance of it, rather than been defined by a foreign religion or confined to one.

thatigboman:
and it's surprising because islands tend to do well, because they are just for themselves alone surrounded by the ocean.
England put their unwanted criminals and Irish persons they termed termed criminal in jail and shipped them far off to an island end of the world. Now Australia. See Australia and New Zealand today.
Even cape Verde off the coast of Senegal is doing well.
Madagascar by location has the potential of being very developed. See another island in Africa like Seychelles tourist destination

I guess you're right, Islands often have the potential to do well due to their distinct ecosystems, resources, and maritime access. But what truly determines success isn’t geography alone, it’s how a country’s political and economic systems evolve after colonialism.

Take Australia, for instance. Yes, it’s prosperous today, but its prosperity was built on colonisation, displacement, and the near-erasure of Aboriginal Australians, who had lived there for tens of thousands of years before the British arrived. The original inhabitants were massacred, dispossessed of their land, and subjected to policies that tried to erase their culture. So Australia’s “success story” also carries a dark colonial legacy that is still being reckoned with today.

In contrast, countries like Madagascar, Senegal, or Niger didn’t inherit wealth, infrastructure, or autonomy from their colonial masters, they inherited dependency structures. France maintained deep economic and political control long after “independence,” especially through mechanisms like the CFA franc and strategic influence over national policies.

So while Madagascar indeed has massive geographical, cultural, and economic potential, the issue isn’t its location; it’s the systemic legacy of exploitation and dependency that France (and others) designed to keep such nations weak and reliant.

If Randrianirina genuinely intends to break from that legacy and prioritise the Malagasy people’s welfare and sovereignty, then his success could mark a turning point not just for Madagascar, but as part of the broader wave of African self-determination we’ve seen growing in the Sahel.

Also I guess Seychelles is doing well because its population is only about 100,000 or so with limited natural resources so there's no point in Britain meddling in their affairs or planting a puppet regime. They are also dependent on tourism and service economy. They don't have natural resource like that.

Cape Verde too don't have much resources either, that's why they're stable. Madagascar on the other hand has a lot of resources and strategically important to France for that reason and other reasons such as the Southeastern coast directly along key Indian Ocean shipping lanes that connect the Middle East (oil/gas routes), the East African coast and Southeast Asia. Whoever has influence in Madagascar has a vantage point over sea routes vital for global trade and energy supply. So in essence, and as history and our current realities has shown us. There are usually unrests, poverty, insurgencies, regime change on African countries with resources.

MaxInDHouse:
If you say British brought Bible to Africa that's correct but Christianity, i'm sorry the British don't anything about Jesus or what he commissioned!🙂

I didn't say the British invented Christianity or brought it to Africa first, but they sure franchised it well for the Nigeria market. Did your fore fathers practice Christianity before the British arrived? Most probably not.

Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world, just as poverty is consistent in majority of other France's colony in Africa. I wish him success as long as he deliver the will of the people of Madagascar and follow in the footstep of the brave leaders of the Sahel.

RodgersAkpafu:
I mean, its clear for all to see.....

But he is labouring in vain because America is not gonna be a white majority country ever again
Its gone for good

I don’t lose sleep over what America becomes, whether it stays diverse or Trump manages to turn it into a gated white utopia, that’s their problem. I’m African and my concern is how some "American honorary citizens" and "American cheerleader association of Nigeria" who has never stepped foot on American soil but out of religious sentiment and colonial admiration, perceives America as this beacon of christianity and power. They wave the American flag in their minds as if the U.S gives a rat bum about them.

If Trump wants to close his borders to non-white immigrants, that’s his prerogative, every country sets its own immigration rules.

What’s shocking about Trump's so-called “refugee overhaul” is that it’s not even shocking at all. It fits perfectly with his long standing racial agenda. His administration didn’t just want to cut refugee numbers; it wanted to reshape who counts as “deserving.” By prioritizing white South Africans and European conservatives, they cooked up a false narrative of “xenophobia against whites”, a problem that doesn’t exist, just to justify letting in more white immigrants while blocking brown and Black asylum seekers.

And this mindset wasn’t confined to immigration. It's the same Trump's government that claimed to defend “law and order” but willing to use the military arm of the state against Chicago and other predominantly Black cities, painting them as lawless war zones. Trump’s America divided people into two groups: those who “belonged” (white, Christian, nationalist) and those who needed to be contained or deported. It’s clear his version of “making America great again” really meant making it white again. Sad thing is that we have many Massa's slaves in Africa especially Nigeria.

Define your own place in the world or continue to be massa's lapdog.

ogascomax:
You believe that the scrolls are real. Jesus birth was prophesied by different prophets which books were written long ago before it happened. How he would died and his resurrection. How can they be such an accuracy of events from the old testament to the new testament. The destructions of the temple and the rebuilding of the third temple. Then some wars and specific destructions that happened. I don't want to even dive into the manifestation that are so clear before us. The different miracles that we have seen and keep seeing happening before us. Our various experiences not story telling. Such things is only possible through the power of God in the name of Jesus.
The new testament manuscript still exist today from which scripture was written. What you see there are not just stories but the wonders of God. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Moses, David, etc prophesied about our Lord Jesus so it was not just story. The supernatural is so real that God supervised and Jesus is the son of God made flesh, the one who created all things. Christianity is by faith, you don't reason God because you don't reason wonders. When they are incurable diseases and you prayed for them and they are healed you can't reason that from your head. You can't reason our experiences from your brain. It's not a brain thing that is why the spirit of God filled us with the Holy Spirit to enable us believe because you cannot believe without the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is not a story Jesus is so real. Isaiah prophesied that a virgin shall give birth and prophesied about the name he would be called.
Believe in Jesus and allow him to work in your life whether you will not have a glorious witness within your heart. Have you watched videos about Muslims convert, their encounters with Jesus Christ. Jesus is calling you he is so real and miracles are so real that are done in the name of Jesus. Go on YouTube and watch healing streams by Pastor Chris. Tell me how can you take that healing. Pastor Chris has healed millions of sick people in all the years of his ministry. Tell me how can he take that. If it's arranged miracle that is going on for decades tell me how come such miracles continue in large scales all around the world from continent to continent and from countries to countries.
How is it possible to do all that?
It's only possible by the Holy Spirit of God.

Who prophesied Jesus' birth and death? point me to the bible verses and I'll tell you how the Jewish interprets them. I'm still waiting for the "scientific evidences" you claimed supported these fables by the way. Prophecies are fascinating, but the texts we have were compiled long after many of those events happened. That’s like writing a diary after a holiday and calling it a travel forecast. Most biblical books went through centuries of copying, translation, and editing, plenty of room for alignment after the fact. It doesn’t make them meaningless, but it does make them human. History isn’t less beautiful just because it’s written by people instead of dictated by the heavens. GOD DOES NOT HAVE OR ENFORCE ANY RELIGION!

As "Jesus" was the son of God made of flesh, so am I. I am that I am.

I don't know about the miracles you talk about, the fables in the bible or the ones performed by snake oil pastors in Nigeria? There are thousands, if not millions of people living with diseases like HIV and chronic Hepatitis in Nigeria - has "Pastor" Chris healed them? if not, why not?

Muslims convert to Christianity, so do Christians covert to Islam and other religions.

I reason logically, I don't rely on miracles unlike you. If faith cancels reasoning, then every religion could claim the same thing. Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists all report miracles too… must they all be right? "You can’t reason God" sounds like a convenient shield against critical thinking. If something’s true, shouldn’t it stand up to reason and faith?

I don't mean any disrespect but I've met a lot of people like you and when challenged, they respond just like you - Very typical evangelical response. Heartfelt, passionate, but built mostly on personal conviction and circular reasoning, not historical or evidential grounding.

The kind of faith that fears questions isn't faith, its conditioning. I use to be a Christian too, never again.

ogascomax:
Without believing all those things you said how do you now believe that God lives in you and you live in God. What you said is only possible through the Holy Spirit. It's not possible for God to live in man except by the Holy Spirit.
All those things you said most have been proven that indeed they happened. I am telling you about scientifically proven.
Bible scroll was not destroyed as you have said. Those scrolls predates thousands of years and how do you disapproved what has passed from generation to generation and well documented.
So you man David and Goliath story were mere stories. Moses also and Abraham.

Without believing all those things you said how do you now believe that God lives in you and you live in God - I don't believe, I know. There's a very clear difference.

What you said is only possible through the Holy Spirit. It's not possible for God to live in man except by the Holy Spirit. - Absolutely, I agree. Christianity is not the gatekeeper for "Holy Spirit". Every human with consciousness, clean and clear intent can invite the "Holy Spirit" without practicing any religion.

All those things you said most have been proven that indeed they happened. I am telling you about scientifically proven. - Birth of Jesus? Jonah in a shark's belly for 3 days? Moses parting the Red Sea? Water turning to wine? or Noah's ark? Please point me to a scientific article, I love reading.

Bible scroll was not destroyed as you have said. Those scrolls predates thousands of years and how do you disapproved what has passed from generation to generation and well documented. - YES! Some scrolls were lost, some were destroyed and they didn't make it to the bible. Biblical fragments from the Dead Sea Scrolls range roughly 2,000–2,300 years old. They don't predate "thousands of years". The earliest ones contains Hebrew Bible text which you guys know as the Old Testament, it contains Sectarian writings of the Essenes, which is a Jewish Sect. It also contains legal and ritual instructions. Again, I'm not Jewish - I'm a yoruba man.

So you man David and Goliath story were mere stories. Moses also and Abraham. - David may have ben a real person, the battle with the philistine most likely happened but those Jewish Hollywood-esque details of small David slingshotting giant Goliath are exaggerated for storytelling. But those Noah's Ark, Jesus's birth without intercourse, Jonah in Shark's gut and a lot others are pure fable. I'm sorry.

arantess:
It's not by sounding philosophical or speaking English.

Nicodemus was well schooled more than you, the Pharisees and Sadducees too.

Some of them found out the truth later on, I hope you do too.

As for relationship with God, how can you claim to know a man when you have rejected his son.

Jesus is the way, truth and life...NO ONE comes to his father except through him

It's not by sounding philosophical or speaking English - It certainly not about speaking English, I can pass my message across in Yoruba if you understand it and I'd rather sound philosophical than sound like a religious nutjob.

Nicodemus was well schooled more than you, the Pharisees and Sadducees too - Noted I’ll leave the theology lessons to Nicodemus and the Pharisees. I don't know those people - I'm a yoruba man, not Jewish.

As for relationship with God, how can you claim to know a man when you have rejected his son - You see? That's the problem with a lot of Christians - assigning gender label to God. I believe God is neither man nor woman, and God is both man and woman. God is neither Christian nor Muslim, God didn't create a religion, humans did. I live in that God and it lives in me.

Jesus is the way, truth and life...NO ONE comes to his father except through him - So, Jesus is the way, truth, life and apparently, he is also the Traffic Cop? Go and preach that to the Chinese

ogascomax:
How can you have a relationship with God with Jesus. He is the way. What is you take about Jesus your u think He is not real and why?

How can I have a relationship with God with(out) Jesus - Because I live in God and God lives in me

What is my take about Jesus your u think He is not real and why? - I believe the Bible is heavily edited, some scrolls of early gospels didn't make it to the bible making it incomplete, King James Version of the bible that you probably carry around was re-written by King James of England for political reasons, just like the foundation of both Christianity and Islam.

I believe Jesus was not born of a carpenter and Virgin Mary - it's not possible, there's nothing like divine birth. He did not turn water to wine or walked on water, it was all made up. If anything, Jesus Christ = Julius Caesar. Noah's Ark never happened, Moses did not part the Red Sea, Jonah wasn't swallowed by a big fish for 3 days and there's certainly no "mansion" in heaven.

I'm not debating, believe what you will. Every man has a brain.