₦airaland Forum

Nigeria and indeed Nigerians will survive this very very unfortunate episode. May God look after the departed souls, comfort the bereaved families and provide again the lost in abundance. God go bless ma people well well.

[b]Isaac Boro [/b]has just buttressed my point, Hausa, Igbo, yoruba, tribes tribes tribes, , differences, suspicions, half-truths. What happened to one Nigeria,

Hi guys I have enjoyed the banter from you guys and a lot of it is quite thought provoking. However, I could not resist replying to [b]Mr oyinb01's [/b]assessment of our continent, it's struggles and the influence of colonialism, even though he is African! He talks about our penchant for barbarism, war, strife corruption, excuses etc. etc. etc, This is equivalent to seeing two educated mild mannered men fighting on the street and accusing them of unsociable/bad behavior. True their actions are unacceptable, but wouldn't you wander what could have caused these mild mannered men to fight in the first place? And that if you remove the trouble/cause, you remove the fight. You still dey follow me?

Ok, is there any formerly colonized country in sub-Saharan Africa that is currently going through one/many of ailments you have mentioned. I think I may have hinted at the common denominator here aka our trouble/cause hypothesis. So what is the big deal about colonialism, afterall they brought technology, refined goods and system of government, I'm sure the colonial propaganda machine can add a few more to the list. What about the very divisive "DIVIDE AND CONQUER", turning brother against brother and sowing racial/ethnic seeds of distrust mmm? What about throwing a multitude of people with different languages, cultures etc, together under a geographical boundary and expecting them to live happily together, after, don't forget, sowing the seeds of distrust - see Tutsi-Hutu for example. Can you imagine the French, English and Germans sharing one country - all hell would break loose. What about the exploitation of the natural resources and using uneducated locals to rule the educated. What about the constant supply of arms to the waring tribes, what about the uneconomic incentives (IMF, trade embargo etc) used to cripple the economy of the continent and increase poverty, what about, I could go on and on and on, Lest I forget that in South Africa that u mention o fondly, what happend/is happening to the bulk of the black people in the townships, do you think it is an equitable state? Please speak to a black South African living there and stop p*sing in the wind.

Now that we know why we are fighting, why are we still fighting each other, it's because most of the leaders in Africa are from that generation that had direct contact with colonialism, living vestiges of the destructive influence of colonialism. Soon there will be a new dawn in Africa, people with a different way if thinking will emerge as leaders and drive the regeneration of our great continent, our great countries. I have heard great things about Ghana and I am hoping for great things in Liberia. But it will come,

Seun, what you are saying is the same as someone telling u you are not a from the country of your/parnet's/grandparent's/fore-fathers birth because it was all an accident. That you should not be paid for the services you provide, that is if you are working, because you did not make the tools you use. That when you work for a company you expect equal share of the profit, because you worked the longest hours and generated the most sale in dollars etc, That most of Africa most continue to be exploited by the west and even now the far east because they did not plant the oil, diamonds and all sorts of raw materials because it was an accident for Africa to be endowed with it. It is now a crime for people to seek to benefit from the produce of their land. What was the real motive behind that response, are you playing devil's advocate or you or feel that the people who's land provide Nigeria's daily bread should continue to be marginalized? If you feel this is a recipe for a just and fair Nigeria then we have a very long long long way to go if they are many people who think the way you do. By the way this goes for all of Africa if you don't know. They are many western governments/companies who would give those answers as an excuse for the continued exploitation of your brother's and sister's all over the continent. And before you add that it would be impossible without the government collusion, these western governments/companies only use them as a means to an end.

I'm not an advocate of violence by any means and the kidnapping is a very very sad state of affairs. One would have thought that it would expedient for the government to find out why this type of goings on is happening in the Niger Delta. But the thing is that they know exactly what is going on and why. Have any of you seen the poverty, I mean real poverty, dejection, destitution, homelessness, hunger, strife etc etc, in this part of the world. Yet their land provide for 80% of the Nigerian economy and that crude drives the mechanization of the western industrialization. Isn't this enough to push any man/woman to the wall?? Why are the Niger Deltans treated like 2nd class citizens when they bring most of the bread to the table. Even before they have the chance to eat the crumbs it's been contaminated with oil. What is the justification in killing them instead of opening a dialogue with them. Would the government do the samething in the north mmm Why have the government/oil companies turned brother against brother ( eg Uhrobo vs itsekiri) in the Niger Delta either by an inconsiderate local government allocation or making double promises on the same investment and money allocation. Is there something to be gained in the chaos? Why are they now surprised by the reaction of these men/women who have been made dig contaminated ground for food and water, in the land of plenty or mothers/fathers watch their children die from malnutrition and all what not when the their crude is going for over $50/barrel. . Why why why, I must stop as tears are beginning to form in my eyes. My brothers my heart is heavy well well

I agree with the need for independent and sustainable food production. This is an essential component in most industrialized countries where the government more often than not subsidize the farmers. Another important requirement is the need for a basic functioning government, with corruption reduced to a minimum(corruption can never be completely eliminated! ) The government will provide the basic function of (real) taxation, policing and legal protection. And finally power, we need this for any attempt at industrialization, which leads to jobs, which leads to raised standards of living, which leads to less infighting and ethnic/tribal suspicions etc, All of Nigeria's problems cannot be solved in one fell swoop, but any president that can provide these fundamentals will equip Nigeria with a solid foundation for growth and, dare I say it, prosperity.

Just stumbled accross this, it's quite interesting. I once held the opinion that graduates from Niaja uni's were no better than SS2/SS3 students just older. My relative has resoundly changed by opinion. He finished from Ife about 4yrs ago and has just recently arived here in the UK. Having spent sometime, gisting and subtly testing him (under-gee) . I have not only had my views changed but also chided myself for allowing common beliefs to persuade my judgement without access to facts. He is articulate, probably because he was privately educated in naija - secondary school and very intelligent. Within 2 months of arriving here he has picked up a job in an engineering firm and his bosses cannot sing his praises enough, i.e pay rises, promotions etc, It's not about the system it's about the person. The university systems only assists in imparting knoweldge but this does not increase intelligence, Knowledge is not a yardstick for intelligence although it helps paper over the cracks. The university system in naija may not the best but it still produces some/many outstanding individuals,