₦airaland Forum

Nigeria Lost Its Big Achievements To Celebrities & Poverty Mentality

What do you do when you have no major accomplishment to celebrate, you beat your chests on achievement of other individuals. There are so many individual celebrations in Nigeria, you would think poverty has been conquered. The further down we dig into abject poverty, the more people you see thanking God for success as millionaires and billionaires. The cognitive dissonance is so obvious, a blind man can feel it.

Social Media has created many celebrities including, real and fake attention seekers harping to increase their profiles in order to sell themselves. This is not particular to Nigeria alone but for a Country that had very high prospects only to stumble from the verge of becoming the Regional Power after Independence: it is pathetic. We no longer celebrate big accomplishments since there are none. They have been dwarfed by personal individual aggrandizement and obsession, worshiping hard currencies we do not print.

There are many projects to fund in our colleges that lack private and business sponsorships. They are all competing for the same Government grants and patronages while businessmen and Government ministers that should be encouraging and patronizing them go shopping abroad. From mask production in Aba as primary prevention to portable ventilators in Ilaro and Abuja at the terminal stage with about 70% success. Oh no, fake philanthropists would rather donate money into the hands of crony looters for recirculation back into their pockets.

Celebrations that we used to keep within the family have been turned into national and international projects. Nigerians beat their chests celebrating others' accomplishments because they come from our Country or villages while we are satisfied with no personal individual achievements of our own. Nigerians claim they are the most "book" educated while ignoring the cooperative achievements of Asians everywhere including those inside their own Country.

Look at each country in Africa, we can name individual achievements for Independence, not for personal gain or aggrandizement but to lift up the masses in education, industrial estates to provide jobs and mass housing. These individuals activists across Africa were assassinated for their efforts in Congo like Lumumba, impoverished in Tanzania like Nyerere or Mugabe's Zimbabwe, overthrown in Ghana like Nkrumah and indoctrination in Nigeria with oil income that has lost not only lts world lustre but gone into negative value. An ominous warning to all countries that depend solely on oil income has not and will never save you. Individual accomplishments have never lifted people up only when we all rise up en mass.

Nigeria is a good example of that self-centered behavior leading us one way into notoriety. All the advancement and contributions made as a people had been wiped out by individual greed. Two steps forward, three or more steps backwards. There is nothing wrong with individual incentive to accumulate wealth and respect within our communities but rewards and wealth are not limited to money alone. Deeds that create reputation live and remain with us dead or alive.

The Nigeria/Biafra War created an indelible Psychological disorientation from which the Country is still struggling to recover since the early 1970s. There is so much acrimony in the Country right now, only dreamers believe we can survive intact without some distance. One of the reasons for creating states and more states is that each would be able to control its internal political and economic affairs. Instead, it has created more hostile ethnicities never anticipated as "my people are killing my people".

There are more politicians gulping, looting and mismanaging each area than ever with little money left for infrastructure. The national pie has dwindled since the major source of income is oil from the Niger Delta. Instead of developing and diversifying that source of income, the area has been polluted and turned into an environmental disaster for the poor farmers and fishermen destroying their livelihood. Each sector or interest agitate for more salaries out of the dwindling pie as the powerful grabbed more.

Oil wealth or natural resources without turning them into final products were wasted. The income from natural resources is not to line individual pockets or a replacement for internal generated revenue to trade, provide needs and infrastructure. If anything natural resources enhance our tax base to increase international generated revenue. Nigerians would claim they pay a great deal of taxes but in fact, they pay very little and less than most African countries since we turn oil into free manna from heaven.

Therefore, the same oil income that built cities and countries all over the world has denied Africa its Regional Power. It also gave Nigerians false sense of security where prodigal children cornered money printed outside the Country in Europe, America and Asia. So there were few reasons to grow food and manufacture products when these could be easily imported from overseas with the same income they dictated to us.

Unfortunately, this is the same Country that excelled on cocoa, groundnut, coal and palm oil income. The progress made in one of the Regions alone raised the expectation of a Regional Power where Black people all over the world were proud to point to. It was an Era when big accomplishments were celebrated and Africans welcomed. But when Nigeria had no big accomplishment anymore, they started worshiping tiny little individual achievements, not only at home but as foreign refugees.

Children started pointing left fingers to their homes echoing denigration by tormentors in words only used during the time of slavery with pseudo science and religions as justification. How can anyone blame others for calling them names they themselves internalize. Foreign visas are dangled to attract the best and highly talented that claim they were appreciated and in hot demand only to be turned into surplus available workers when their temporary visas expire.

Foreign money they lack control over, do not know the dominating reason they are printed became gods to worship, demolishing the value of local currencies. Indeed, Nigeria basked so much in foreign income at one point, they wanted salaries paid in US dollars. Even one Head of State claimed his problem was not money but now to spend it.

https://www.thenigerianvoice.com/amp/news/287281/nigeria-lost-its-big-achievements-to-celebrities-poverty-m.html
Apr 22, 2020 | Farouk Martins Aresa

Nigerians lost it when they threw morals, and principles our the window. Without principles, there is no way anyone can grow

ironheart:
Nigerians lost it when they threw morals, and principles our the window. Without principles, there is no way anyone can grow

Ironheart,

Nigeria is not the only Country that lost morals and principles.

As much as we hate Buhari and our leaders, the richest country in the whole world elected someone even worse.

The difference is that his country, as far as he is concerned and those that voted for him,

Put their country First!

Can you say the same about Nigerians?

googi:
Ironheart,

Nigeria is not the only Country that lost morals and principles.

As much as we hate Buhari and our leaders, the richest country in the whole world elected someone even worse.

The difference is that his country, as far as he is concerned and those that voted for him,

Put their country First!

Can you say the same about Nigerians?

it still boils down to principles and morals sir. If some puts money first, he will do anything possible to achieve it. But if you put your country first. You will do all within your power to see the success of your country.

ironheart:
it still boils down to principles and morals sir. If some puts money first, he will do anything possible to achieve it. But if you put your country first. You will do all within your power to see the success of your country.

I did not fault your assertion. My point is that Nigerians fault goes far beyond because of self-hate.

Other countries think of themselves first, Nigerians beg other countries and sell themselves dirt cheap.

Like people always say, there some level of corruption everywhere including Asians that used to come to Nigeria and send money home to feed their families.

They have all zoomed past Nigeria.

googi:
Ironheart,
Nigeria is not the only Country that lost morals and principles.
As much as we hate Buhari and our leaders, the richest country in the whole world elected someone even worse.
The difference is that his country, as far as he is concerned and those that voted for him,
Put their country First!
Can you say the same about Nigerians?

Many Nigerians out there present themselves, no matter where you find them on the globe , as individuals who love their papa & mama-land till die. Nigerians take patriotism, the act of putting country first, to a whole different level and dimension , so make we be careful in accusing them of not being patriotic.

Kobojunkie:
Many Nigerians out there present themselves, no matter where you find them on the globe , as individuals who love their papa & mama-land till die. Nigerians take patriotism, the act of putting country first, to a whole different level and dimension , so make we be careful in accusing them of not being patriotic.

Are you sure?

They sell themselves cheap outside the same way they sell their home.

Of course not all Nigerians.

jara:
Are you sure?
They sell themselves cheap outside the same way they sell their home.
Of course not all Nigerians.

I am certain....that and serious case of delusions of grandeur

ironheart:
Nigerians lost it when they threw morals, and principles our the window. Without principles, there is no way anyone can grow

Selective justice, lack of reward and punishment system produces lack of principles and character. And these has been killing Nigeria.

Principles and character will automatically spring up when the aforementioned are effectively put in place.

There's no magic or way around it.

Nuzo1:
Selective justice, lack of reward and punishment system produces lack of principles and character. And these has been killing Nigeria.

Principles and character will automatically spring up when the aforementioned are effectively put in place.

There's no magic or way around it.

without principles how will we be able to dish out rewards and punishments in a fair and just manner sir? It's painful nothing is working my brother.

googi:
Ironheart,

Nigeria is not the only Country that lost morals and principles.

As much as we hate Buhari and our leaders, the richest country in the whole world elected someone even worse.

The difference is that his country, as far as he is concerned and those that voted for him,

Put their country First!

Can you say the same about Nigerians?

If Buhari was half the man that Trump is, Nigeria would be a better country today.

How will someone in his right sense compare Buhari and Trump?? You see the problems with Nigeria?

Bitchlover:
If Buhari was half the man that Trump is, Nigeria would be a better country today.

How will someone in his right sense compare Buhari and Trump?? You see the problems with Nigeria?

any small thing you guys starts comparing apple with coconut. How many years was the American independence? They have gone through thick and thin to develop there democracy. This is what we have, until we the masses understand that we should demand accountability from those we called rulers, nothing good will happen

ironheart:
any small thing you guys starts comparing apple with coconut. How many years was the American independence? They have gone through thick and thin to develop there democracy. This is what we have, until we the masses understand that we should demand accountability from those we called rulers, nothing good will happen

I'm not the one comparing because there is no basis for comparison.

Buhari stealthily came into power and it was supposed to be a rousing achievement for our democracy because it was the first time a sitting President lost an election and we know how graciously Jonathan conceded.

But fastforward to 2020 and millions are in deep regret because this person we ignorantly thought was astute, austere and disciplined turned out to be a big farce.

Knowing our country very well, there's not a lot we can do than to fold our hands and wait for the next election year.

Bitchlover:
I'm not the one comparing because there is no basis for comparison.

Buhari stealthily came into power and it was supposed to be a rousing achievement for our democracy because it was the first time a sitting President lost an election and we know how graciously Jonathan conceded.

But fastforward to 2020 and millions are in deep regret because this person we ignorantly thought was astute, austere and disciplined turned out to be a big farce.

Knowing our country very well, there's not a lot we can do than to fold our hands and wait for the next election year.

my brother. You no lie. You have said it all o

ironheart:
my brother. You no lie. You have said it all o

Thank you very much sir.

2023 may seem too far, but we will all get there alive, strong and wiser.

Bitchlover:
Thank you very much sir.

2023 may seem too far, but we will all get there alive, strong and wiser.

amen

Celebrations that we used to keep within the family have been turned into national and international projects.

Social media made the personal circle of individuals wider and extremely stretched.

When we were younger, it was just family, relatives, school friends and neighbours..

Now it's the whole world.

ironheart:
any small thing you guys starts comparing apple with coconut. How many years was the American independence? They have gone through thick and thin to develop there democracy. This is what we have, until we the masses understand that we should demand accountability from those we called rulers, nothing good will happen

Sir, I have problem with Rome was not built in a day or since American Independence.

Independence from who?

Africans were not born after Americans or after Romans. Our civilization preceded theirs.

jara:
Sir, I have problem with Rome was not built in a day or since American Independence.

Independence from who?

Africans were not born after Americans or after Romans. Our civilization preceded theirs.

but we dump our culture and ways of life to adopt there. The current life style we have adopted is not working for us

The conspicuous spenders, 419 and those provoking poverty and the poor have finally woken up the beasts in all of us.

They infiltrated #ENDSARS and you are wondering why

You provoke them!