₦airaland Forum

to sum up our current problems

No roads, no light, no sanitation, no security of lives n property

but We use almost 50% of our budget to pay salary to thieves posing as politicians in the name of democracy

Between 1-1.5 trillion Naira used to pay legal and official salary to big men

if corruption went down to 0%, i mean 0% we would still be using half of our money to pay bigmen


How are we ever going to develop or make progress?

We were not ready for independence and i still dont think we are ready now.

Infact the root cause of our problems is too much to list. dont know where to start

@viewlekan turns to hurling insults at Lugard. U dont need to walk in a peoples' shoes to know if theyy are planning for the future, etc

A couple of writers have noted that Africans seem incapable of self examination and get defensive when ever an issue is raised screaming racism and imperialism.

When I raised the issue of what Lugard had written a couple of months ago, some people where screaming blue murder. But i was struggling to to comprehend why folks where mad at what Lugard said.

Take a look at our society collectively

Is it full of personal vanity to an extreme level------------------yes
Have we shown any foresight or planning for the future--------------------no
Do we display placidity regarding our pathetic circumstance, yes (siddon dey look, suffer n smile)
Do we display an irrational fear of the supernatural, yes
Have we shown the ability to run one single thing in our country well, no
Do we love the display of power, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes

Am I missing something?
Lugard had a condescending view of Africans, but that does not invalidate points that he made

Prostrating has nothing, i repeat not a single thing to do with somebody beign respectful or not

Whatz disrespectful? Not falling to the ground Uve got to be kidding me.

So only if he falls to the ground is he respectful? The only way he is respectful is if he falls to the ground and if he does not prostrate he is a disrespectful person?

Guy are u hearing urself at all?

u guyz are joking right??

Prostrate to Who?? Why and for What

Which kin Yeye prostrate be that? His inlaws should understand that he comes from a diffrent culture and respect that 2. No be prostrate they go chop

African man mentality, o boy i tireooooo

@tpia, are whites Biracial??

And how is somebody who is 95% white of African descent again??

This is the height of insanity. Unless u agree that blackblood is an inferior contaminant why else would somebody that is 90 or 95% white be referred to as beign of African Descent?? That person is of European Descent


Disagree?

This man is a descendant of Irish Kings right.

I find it funny that Europeans that europeans refer to somebody who is 50, 70 90 percent white as black and of African descent.

How is somebody who is 95% white of African Descent??

Whites must accept there half spawns

If they dont, why should we?

@Lagos boy

What if a white person is born in Saudi Arabia? Should she dress on their beach the way she would in Europe or should she be forced to wear a Burqa?

kool. Then go back Naija and go enjoy the country abi?

this AjaraEwuro guy

use regular caps and stop yarning dust. Naijas overseas are telling u they enjoy the quality of life they are getting and ur screaming. Wetin be ur own? Stay 4 Naija they enjoy am abi. Nobody they follow u fight ur enjoyment there. Leave those that prefer life abroad the enjoy it 2.

Una see me see wahala?

tunku:
This is just simply amazing. Literate people or barely literate defending the capricious whims of an educated fool empowered by a tradition that has atrophied to irrelevance. My ancestors rejected the norm of their day and chose to educate their children. My grandfather rejected multiple wives for the conspicuous showing of wealth and chose to send his children to school rather than toil away on the farm. It is because of the decision of my rational and logical grandparents that I am educated today, have cousins that are lawyers, doctors, and doctorate holders. This unthinking clinging to a tradition that is irrelevant to the lives of most Nigeria would be baffling if not for the massive ignorance of the Nigerian people at large irrespective of ethnicity. It doesn't matter if our leaders are educated if the masses are not likely empowered to keep them in check. I do not believe in anything but strings, quarks, and atoms. Religion is the bane of Africa, I would say that it is a source of hope, but the perpetual fatalism of most Africans makes this argument moot: A majority of Africans when confronted with horrific evil will abdicate any right to redress that wrong themselves by leaving it up to God. We pray to God and Gods for our salvation when we have the power to manumit ourselves from the enslaving blights of ignorance, poverty, poor leadership, and so on. Respect those only who've earned it. oda oba oba oda

+ 1

very solid points

Africans have irrational fear. Thats the biggest problem of the continent. Generations grow up with the fear of water, palm fronds, cloths, food instilled in them. so sad . Its sad seeing educated Africans arguing that roads drink blood, palm fronds are dangerous, humans turn 2 goats etc. We fear everything in nature. Itz the singular reason Africa is backward.

Lugard said Africans have the mindset of children and are gulliable. We keep proving him right

if they call us monkey now we go dey vex. see our stupidity on display

Abuja this, Abuja that all 2 impress the white man

how about develop regular nigerian cities and make them livable. Nigerian cities look like garbage cans and we are white washing Abuja?

U guyz might be interested in this


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/23/world/europe/23spain.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/5364373/Spanish-police-arrest-23-people-for-using-voodoo-curses.html


MADRID — The Spanish police have broken up what they said was a human trafficking ring that forced Nigerian women into prostitution by threatening them with voodoo curses.

The police said they arrested 23 people in several Spanish cities after a Nigerian woman in Seville claimed she was a victim of the ring and reported its activities to the police in February.

The traffickers lured their victims with promises of a better life in Europe and took them to a voodoo priest before departure, the police said in a statement. The traffickers then smuggled them to Spain, where they told the victims they had to repay a hefty debt for their journey through prostitution or face the wrath of voodoo spirits.

Musikilu Mojeed, a journalist for the Nigerian online newspaper 234Next.com, who has written about voodoo and human trafficking, said voodoo, known in Nigeria as juju, was a fairly common tool of intimidation used by traffickers.

Women were taken to a voodoo shrine and made to swear before a priest that they would never reveal the identities of the traffickers, he said. The priests took pieces of fingernails or hair from the women as part of the ritual.

“People here are very scared of the power of voodoo, so the traffickers tell the victims that if they do anything funny they will invoke voodoo,” Mr. Mojeed said in a telephone interview.

“They fear death, illness, any misfortune the priest tells them,” he added. “If the priest tells them they will get smallpox, then they believe they will catch smallpox.”

Police said the ringleaders, based in Spain, used family members in Nigeria to recruit women, take them to Libya via Niger and Benin, and then send them by boat to Italy and on to Spain.

Once in Spain, the traffickers told the women they owed them 50,000 euros, or nearly $70,000.

In October 2007 the Dutch police broke up a trafficking ring that had been smuggling and exploiting Nigerian children, mostly girls, and which also used threats of voodoo curses to gain a hold over them.

good write up

But Nigeria is a country where people are taught to obey and conform from infancy and these infant finally grow up and become adults. Authority, even when abused is still absolute. It goes from our homes to schools to govt.

Besides, Black Americans where willing to die to put there country on the right path. They did not sit back and think God was going to come and solve all there problems like Nigerians do. How many Nigerians are willing 2 die 2 put there country on the right line?

somebody called Nigerians living in western countries house negros.

Its funny considering that Nigerians living in Nigeria dont have any rights. You can get killed in broad day light by the government, police, soilders, gangs, thieves, ethnic youths etc and thats it.  You can just get arrested and totured 2 death just because a rich person wants it that way. You can get whipped in the streets for no reason.

This incident is shocking but the reaction of Nigerians is more shocking. Crying, cursing and asking God 2 send down fire and brimstone will NOT bring about law and order in Nigeria.

Naija-----The saga continues

This thread has deviated

Only wirinet discussed the actual merits and demerits of the assertions Lugard made.

@RichyBlack

Do u realise that we as a people seem incapable of self examination? We always get defensive, personalize the issue and attack whoever makes any observation without addressing the validity of the observation. We seem 2 look for somebody else 2 blame for everything. Government,Oil companies, political system Colonialism, Slavery, Whiteman etc.
We conviniently blame everything on something but never look inwards. We justify the observations made about us launching into tantrums everytime w have no valid answers

We need 2 examine ourselves 2 see y we epitomize bad governance and mediocrity. Governments dont exist in a vacum. There is something wrong with a society (in this case a whole continent) that keep producing bad governments.


This is how our brains function

Slavery and helping sell off ur own brothers---blame somebody else (white man)

Colonialism---blame somebody else (white man)

Illiteracy-----blame europeans for not educating africans

corruption-----blame govts

masses tolerating bad governance----now blame who?

Jakumo:
There is something in the DNA of Igbo people as a group that predisposes them to excel in academic pursuits, particularly when they are faced with adversity.   Anyone who disputes this simple fact has not had the privilege of observing this phenomenon at work.   There is indeed a genetic basis for the intellectual power of the Igbo race, but before anyone starts barking, I have no reason to draw this conclusion beyond the simple fact that it is a true and observable fact borne out by exam results world-wide.

Ha @ Jakumo

U bash Igbos a lot esp when it comes 2 419 issues. Im kinda amazed u gave them credit this time

Anyways Ive enjoyed ur posts a lot on Nairaland over the years. Ur a very rational thinker

@proudlynaija

Ive been wondering the same thing too. I think our problem is social and cultural and not an intelligence problem. One of the things that Lugard noted that we overlook is that We have an irrational fear of the supernatural. When a westerner sees a body of water or a mountain, he sees opportunities for exploration and a chance to use his discoveries to better his life. We Africans only see marmaids and mountain gods and all sorts of evil that want 2 kill us.

When there is an infection outbreak, westerners go after the cause, identify it and treat it. We africans blame gods, enemies in the village and just sit there, unless we get western medicine

We seem incapable as a people to envision the future, research and plan for it. We are satisfied with mediocrity. The same instruments our forefathers used 500 years age like pestle for grinding is what we still use. The same way they produced palm oil 1000 yrs is what we still use today.

Denial is probably our biggest problem though. WE Africans love 2 live in denial.

Guys this thread is to discuss the validity of the observations, not bash who made the comments. I had already acknowledged that the point of view is supremacist.

But is there a single point that Lugard raised that is wright or wrong?. Back it up with reason either way.

http://www.leadershipnigeria.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=28:the-vague-future-of-nigeria&catid=28:friday-column&Itemid=56


Lord Lugard, the former governor-general of Nigeria, in 1926, wrote his unfiltered thought about Nigerians. From his book, The Dual Mandates, come these excerpts: "In character and temperament, the typical African of this race-type is a happy, thriftless, excitable person, lacking in self-control, discipline, and foresight. Naturally courageous, and naturally courteous and polite, full of personal vanity, with little sense of veracity, fond of music and loving weapons as an oriental loves jewellery. His thoughts are concentrated on the events and feelings of the moment, and he suffers little from the apprehension for the future or grief for the past. His mind is far nearer to the animal world than that of the European or Asiatic, and exhibits something of the animals' placidity and want of desire to rise beyond the state he has reached.

"Through the ages, the African appears to have evolved no organised religious creed, and though some tribes appear to believe in a deity, the religious sense seldom rises above pantheistic animalism and seems more often to take the form of a vague dread of the supernatural. He lacks the power of organisation, and is conspicuously deficient in the management and control alike of men or business. He loves the display of power, but fails to realize its responsibility - he will work hard with a less incentive than most races. He has the courage of the fighting animal, an instinct rather than a moral virtue. In brief, the virtues and defects of his race -type are those of attractive children, whose confidence when it is won is given ungrudgingly as to an older and wiser superior and without envy. Perhaps, the two traits which have impressed me as those most characteristic of the African native are his lack of apprehension and his lack of ability to visualize the future"


Guys lets discuss the thoughts of Lord Lugard. he had  a supremacist view obviously. But is he right in the way he describes Nigerians and Africans in general? How many of the issues that he raises are valid?

Letz get some responses

we do not need 46 ministers, over 450 house members, over 100 senate members just collecting money left and right. We are just following western models like zombies without realising y they do what they do.

We in africa are like a joke to the rest of the world, a carricature of what human beigns should be. Itz so sad and humiliating. Debating about a new state from today till next hundred years will not solve our problems and will not help us develop

davidif:
[size=18pt]NONE. [/size]
In fact, we should consolidate all the states back to 6 regions.

The most sensible commment here. State creation is one of the biggest problems we have in this country. Why are we creating more inefficient bureaucracies. We already spend 40 percent of our national budget on paying big men in government salariesand allowances. 40 percent . Creating more states will not help our cause. We are a structurally retarded nation and are doomed if we continue this way. State creation in Nigeria was started by Gowan as a way to win a war in Nigeria and we have followed that destructive part ever since . We do not need a weak federal govt and fragmented "States" that lack oversight and the ability to develop adequate infrastructure. We are wasting resources paying multiple house of assembly members, commissioners LGA chairmen who do nothing to help our cause. We need 3-6 regions max. A federated government. Nigeria developed the most when we had just 3 regions.

The average guy in say Onitsha, Aba, Akure or Zaria hardly feels any connection to the weak federal govt in Abuja. A federated govt will produce regional govts that are strong and could float enough bonds to pull Nig out of our infrastructural quargmire.

For eg A south eastern regional govt would be responsible for building and maintaining 4 lane highways between Enugu and PH, Asaba-Onitsha-Calabar Southwest B/w Lag and Ilorin etc . The role and scope of the Fed govt wil be reduced and a regional govt that feels a closer connection to that region will handle affairs.

All regions will compete with each other in development and any region lacking behind will have their leaders riddiculed.


Nigerias basic problem is structural We are not built as a nation intending to grow and prosper.

Using 40% of our budget to pay no good criminals posing as senetors, reps, state houses, commisioners, ministers, is not going to get us anywhere. And increasing this inefective bureaucracy by more state creatiion will only lead us down a part started by animosity and schemes of the Gowon era. Leaving the status quo of 36 "states " is as pathetic too

We are wasting time discussing something that will not advance us even though I get y most people would want an additional state in the southeast