₦airaland Forum

tollu:
And there you have it folks, the reason why Nigeria is the way it is today is apparent is the first two pages of this thread.
That someone decided to speak about the ills governing his society makes him a hypocrite
Asking him what he has contributed and why he is running away.
Here is the truth guys, people who have things to offer this country cannot stay in this environment. It takes a lot of guts, bucks and tenacity to stay in Nigeria and try to make things work because even if you try to make a change, the naysayers here will be the same set of people saying "your grammar is too much, go and sit down".

When majority of the populace have a rethink from the current way their minds have been programmed to think, technocrats, innovators and many more people who have people to offer will do so.

As things stand, Nigerians (note: not Nigeria) are not worth fighting or breaking your head for.

spectroscopic:
America and the other developed countries are great today because ordinary citizens moan and complain for the government to be better. Silence in the face of societal ill is the worst disease.

YungwizzzyPt7:
phock u

omoharry:
I wont want to belong to a society where the psych of the black man is filled up with inferiority complex because of racism. I have observe that most people that live in America for a very long time have racial complex, I like my Nigeria and the fact the i am from the African continent.I believe that Nigeria is the place my heart is while the western world is a place to visit for vacation and shopping. At least it will make life less boring.

onetouch7:
Moaning won't solve anything. ACT is key, if you want to make a dfference, do something. We don't need an editorial.

VolvoS60:
(Pseudo) patriotism is indeed the last refuge of knaves and scoundrels.

Some posters who 'love' Nigeria pour out their nationalism all over their keyboards just to get a rise out of other people. But deep down they know a lot is terribly wrong with this country. I don't really have a problem with such people - sooner or later it becomes clear where they really stand.

The real problem is the large mass of politically illiterate individuals who are ignorant and unschooled about how modern (or ancient) democracies work (or worked). There are several of them on this thread. These individuals view 'patriotism' through a pinhole sized prism and interpret the world around them in terms of their narrow definition of what it means to love one's country. Just like some individuals have a morality determined principally by the length of women's hemlines (or some other triviality), some individuals define patriotism primarily by intolerance to (largely well deserved) criticism.

The terrible thing about it is that this mass of incurious individuals has the right to vote.

We are the architects of our own destruction.

jemype:
Congrats but U forgot to mention what you did to change the situation of the things in Nigeria. Meaning u haven't done anything yet you want to reap the benefit of another mans labour in america. They had their own fair share of struggles if u look back into history. Things will be better in this country.

iamrealdeji:
Bro,i respect you for been respectful and not particularly provocative,but I still call you a coward for chickening out,e

fr3do:
You are a chronic self hater.
Its one less toxic citizen for Nigeria.

spectroscopic:
This post has not told my life story even 0.00001% for you to suggest that I chickened out, and thus a coward.

On the contrary, the possession of dual citizenship could better help one achieve what one has in mind for Nigeria. Do you not think so?

spectroscopic:
I have always been thinking:

Is the African culture part of the problem of Africa? Africans are family-oriented but not society-oriented.
They build individual families but have not been able to string that together to develop their societies. Because of their familism (pardon me, I just coined this vocabulary, meaning penchant for family), the financial head of a family is forced to ''work'' for members of his immediate and extended family. A western professor of mine who lived extensively in Africa once told me that family problems are one of the main reasons why middle class Africans are as good as poor. I had argued with him back then with a fervor bothering on pan Africanism, but now I know better.

There is so much dependency that, oftentimes, the bread winner has to steal public money to satisfy his family's needs. Relatives troop in and out, putting people under pressure to give and give and give. Now with smart phones, Facebook and twitter, they come in your face on cyberspace with requests. There is now no hiding place, except you get off cyberspace. It is such that even if you earn a good monthly pay, you end up an impoverished employed person, month in, month out.

There is total lack of the culture to compete for the common good. In contrast, there is breath-taking competition to be corrupt and to be able to lord it over others with the stolen wealth. On top of that, there is the tendency to blame others for African problems.

They say it's due to colonialism and slavery. But hey!! Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Philippines, and virtually all South American countries were colonized too. Indians were enslaved by the Dutch and taken to Suriname in South America. These people and countries have since moved on, and have become self-sustaining in many development indices that African countries can only dream of. But Africa remains the basket case of the world, beset with hunger, malnutrition, grinding poverty and disease. Moreover, Ethiopia and Liberia were never colonized. Are they any better than the colonized African countries?

Even ordinary Ebola, Africans cannot contain on their own after 40 whole years of its first discovery in remote Central Africa. Admitted that Nigeria was able to achieve that feat. But it was largely mother nature at work for them. One is regaled with images of dirt and squalor on Western media covering the Ebola crisis in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. From those images you would conclude every single individual in those countries are dirt poor and live under the most horrible sanitary conditions. But there are presidents and leaders governing these countries. There are the rich and mighty. Have they been sleeping?

What excuse does Africa have to remain poor, dirty and a perpetual underdog? Africans on the street often say their leaders are corrupt. But leadership does not exist in a vacuum. Every leader was once a follower, and many new leaders, just followers a few years ago, have become even more corrupt than veteran leaders. How can you get good leaders from bad followers? The question then is, are Africans naturally wired to be what they are today?

What is the role being played by religion in certain African countries such as Nigeria? Virtually all the prosperous countries are those not overly enmeshed in all sorts of religion in equal numbers. They are either 100% (at least nearly so) Christians, 100% (at least nearly so) Muslims, or completely devoid of any religious affiliations. Nigeria has pursued the path of mixed religiosity in equal measure; yet all the religions that Africans ''die'' for are foreign to them. Why do they bear religion on their shoulders with unprecedented burdensomeness?

Election is coming up in Nigeria and everyone has become entrenched in their primordial positions. Common sense has been thrown to the dogs, and failed leaders, past and present, are doing all they can to recycle themselves. They throw crumbs at you and you fall hook, line and sinker for them. Where is the rallying for intellectualism and leadership quality? Where is Fasola, Utomi and the rest of the few good ones? Why are they not contesting and why is there no one promoting their candidacy? You all, ordinary Nigerians, have either been bought over by the corrupt and bigoted elites on both sides of the divide, or you are too ignorant and loving of the status quo to know any better.

Today, the president of Burkina Faso was chased out, and the parliament building set on fire. It was all because that president, despite having stayed 27 or so years in power, was angling to stay longer and sought to be backed up by lawmakers. That is the African system most like to live with.

Well, so much for my rambling. I just wanted to share what I have bottled up all these years.

PS: Today, I received my US citizenship; I am glad that I did, but I am not giving up on Nigeria and Africa, not yet.

Because of their familism (pardon me, I just coined this vocabulary, meaning penchant for family)

cocoduck:
are those leaders from Mars? are they not Nigerians too? Op, I don't appreciate the way you handled this issue because I am forced to believe that you are the same thing with these Nigerians that when ever they get one small thing they start boasting and hanging their shoulders high even their clothes can no longer fit them because of high skin and they start looking down in those who either are not able to get that thing or like me who do not care or dream about going to America or Europe. You are not better than I am because you now have American passport. I want to travel but I also want to limit it to countries in Africa, ie right now I am living in Gabon but I closed my shop to learn a trade even if I was making plenty money from it but I want tok be an auto electrician that is my calling and talent, and I am planning to relocate to nigeria because the economy of Nigeria needs technical skills not certificates, there is an over supply of certificates but little in terms of technical skills. That is what I strongly believe is our problem not politicians. Those politicians are Nigerians just like me.

spectroscopic:
How is the highlighted so? Reading through some of the posts on Nairaland, I see naked hatred thrown between Igbos and Yorubas. So how would you classify those people, self haters or racists? If they are racists, how are they any better than the white racists in America and elsewhere in Europe? Or the Arabs and Chinese who also have no love lost for black people? How is it different from African Americans who disdain African immigrants? You see how life is not all about black and white?

At the day's end, it behooves on Africans to solve their own problems themselves. Our unending beggarly attitude is getting too shameful for some of us.

fr3do:
Tribalists, and you don't see them making generalizations to degrade the entire country.

davitogreat:
They only know how to run to foreign lands, worship foreigners

spectroscopic:
Good for you. If you live now in Gabon and I live in the USA, what is the difference - we're both living outside Nigeria, no? Or are you living in Gabon without a Gabonese passport?

You know what? I think any one who chooses to live in a foreign country should do all that is within their power to become citizens of that country, especially if they can still retain their Nigerian passport (dual citizenship- Like I am doing); unless, of course, they have diplomatic passport. This is an advise for folks like you. Thank you.

cocoduck:
you still do not want to understand me. BTW I am here because my parents brought me here but I belong to Nigeria and willing to go back. I said that you should hold keep that issue of having an American passport to your self because you are not the first and definitely not the last, I now believe you are a kind of looking Down on others and getting puffed up with pride because you now have an American passport. I cannot run away, I stated that I am planning to relocate to Nigeria. Chinese and Lebanese I met in Gabon tell me of how they wish to be in Nigeria like their other compatriots in Nigeria, then I believe it is because they make it more in Nigeria than else where. Now Asians want to relocate to Nigeria and Nigerians are running to Europe and America, isn't that ridiculous? What is is they are looking for here that they dream of comming to get? while I run to develop another man's economy. just like I said before, our problems right now is simply because there is an over supply of certificates and little technical skills.

spectroscopic:
Since eon, there is cross movement of people from one country to another. Despite how rosy life might be in Europe and some other countries, you still find Europeans and people from such countries living in Sudan and other harsh places. Have you asked yourself why that is the case?

BTW, if your parents brought you to Gabon (suggesting that you are still a kid), then sorry, I should not be conversing with you but with your parents because as adults, they will understand me better. As for you, should be in class or your workshop studying or learning a trade.

cocoduck:
now I understand that maybe you don't even have that passport or you are still in Nigeria, I was brought to Gabon in 1993 as a seven year old child, we are in 2014, do the calculations.
mind you I have been shuttling back and fort since then, I completed my both my primary education in Nigeria , but when next I go back to Nigeria, it is going to be the final, I have the opportunity to apply for their passport but I am quite satisfied with the carte de sejour I have, so I know exactly what I am talking about and when you insult a person you are supposed to reason with, or you abuse him or her then you have nothing to say. I attended aladumo educational centre in port Harcourt for my primary education and for my secondary education I attended GREAT GSS OWERRI.
HALA GSSO.

spectroscopic:
I thank God for them too. But let me ask, using Ebola as a case, what have they done with their billions to TRY to solve the problem? I just read some where that other countries and individuals are donating to an Ebola fund? Where are the African billionaires? http://www.cgdev.org/blog/how-much-actually-being-spent-ebola

spectroscopic:
Are you sure you are 28? You act, write and rant more like a kindergartener

spectroscopic:
I have always been thinking:

Is the African culture part of the problem of Africa? Africans are family-oriented but not society-oriented.
They build individual families but have not been able to string that together to develop their societies. Because of their familism (meaning penchant for family), the financial head of a family is forced to ''work'' for members of his immediate and extended family. A western professor of mine who lived extensively in Africa once told me that family problems are one of the main reasons why middle class Africans are as good as poor. I had argued with him back then with a fervor bothering on pan Africanism, but now I know better.

There is so much dependency that, oftentimes, the bread winner has to steal public money to satisfy his family's needs. Relatives troop in and out, putting people under pressure to give and give and give. Now with smart phones, Facebook and twitter, they come in your face on cyberspace with requests. There is now no hiding place, except you get off cyberspace. It is such that even if you earn a good monthly pay, you end up an impoverished employed person, month in, month out.

There is total lack of the culture to compete for the common good. In contrast, there is breath-taking competition to be corrupt and to be able to lord it over others with the stolen wealth. On top of that, there is the tendency to blame others for African problems.

They say it's due to colonialism and slavery. But hey!! Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Philippines, and virtually all South American countries were colonized too. Indians were enslaved by the Dutch and taken to Suriname in South America. These people and countries have since moved on, and have become self-sustaining in many development indices that African countries can only dream of. But Africa remains the basket case of the world, beset with hunger, malnutrition, grinding poverty and disease. Moreover, Ethiopia and Liberia were never colonized. Are they any better than the colonized African countries?

Even ordinary Ebola, Africans cannot contain on their own after 40 whole years of its first discovery in remote Central Africa. Admitted that Nigeria was able to achieve that feat. But it was largely mother nature at work for them. One is regaled with images of dirt and squalor on Western media covering the Ebola crisis in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. From those images you would conclude every single individual in those countries are dirt poor and live under the most horrible sanitary conditions. But there are presidents and leaders governing these countries. There are the rich and mighty. Have they been sleeping?

What excuse does Africa have to remain poor, dirty and a perpetual underdog? Africans on the street often say their leaders are corrupt. But leadership does not exist in a vacuum. Every leader was once a follower, and many new leaders, just followers a few years ago, have become even more corrupt than veteran leaders. How can you get good leaders from bad followers? The question then is, are Africans naturally wired to be what they are today?

What is the role being played by religion in certain African countries such as Nigeria? Virtually all the prosperous countries are those not overly enmeshed in all sorts of religion in equal numbers. They are either 100% (at least nearly so) Christians, 100% (at least nearly so) Muslims, or completely devoid of any religious affiliations. Nigeria has pursued the path of mixed religiosity in equal measure; yet all the religions that Africans ''die'' for are foreign to them. Why do they bear religion on their shoulders with unprecedented burdensomeness?

Election is coming up in Nigeria and everyone has become entrenched in their primordial positions. Common sense has been thrown to the dogs, and failed leaders, past and present, are doing all they can to recycle themselves. They throw crumbs at you and you fall hook, line and sinker for them. Where is the rallying for intellectualism and leadership quality? Where is Fasola, Utomi and the rest of the few good ones? Why are they not contesting and why is there no one promoting their candidacy? You all, ordinary Nigerians, have either been bought over by the corrupt and bigoted elites on both sides of the divide, or you are too ignorant and loving of the status quo to know any better.

Today, the president of Burkina Faso was chased out, and the parliament building set on fire. It was all because that president, despite having stayed 27 or so years in power, was angling to stay longer and sought to be backed up by lawmakers. That is the African system most like to live with.

Well, so much for my rambling. I just wanted to share what I have bottled up all these years.

PS: Today, I received my US citizenship; I am glad that I did, but I am not giving up on Nigeria and Africa, not yet.

onoja12:
nice write up,but i think you should consult with other enlighten individuals on Africanism.now point number one,the western way of life is neither family oriented nor community oriented rather it promote self development,that leads to greed,and a system where i very secret greed few control the majority directly or indirectly,and as we all Know when greed leads many evils follow.First point to note is classical economist.then you have military leed wars,the idea of formal education in itself is a problem add that with democracy(the most corrupt system of government),the truth be told Africa is leaving in a system designed by greedy people for their own personal goal,so you can't expect anything to work,less we break out to design our own system,when i mean system i mean way or life,constitution,religious believes,rule of law,finances and system of government.i maintain for as long as other people define our lives and design our way of thinking,for as long as they define who we are and even name us,they even tell us what we are.then there is no way the African race can progress because they have become the potter and we the clay.

spectroscopic:
How did you arrive at this conclusion? Men!!! Some people and their sense of reasoning.

jemype:
Ok say your contribution na and stop using insults to cover up the topic. Or are u talking about d struggle america went thru? Apply wisdom. In ur yarns abeg

cocoduck:
you still do not want to understand me. BTW I am here because my parents brought me here but I belong to Nigeria and willing to go back. I said that you should hold keep that issue of having an American passport to your self because you are not the first and definitely not the last, I now believe you are a kind of looking Down on others and getting puffed up with pride because you now have an American passport. I cannot run away, I stated that I am planning to relocate to Nigeria. Chinese and Lebanese I met in Gabon tell me of how they wish to be in Nigeria like their other compatriots in Nigeria, then I believe it is because they make it more in Nigeria than else where. Now Asians want to relocate to Nigeria and Nigerians are running to Europe and America, isn't that ridiculous? What is is they are looking for here that they dream of comming to get? while I run to develop another man's economy. just like I said before, our problems right now is simply because there is an over supply of certificates and little technical skills.