₦airaland Forum

Superego:
Wirinet,

You see, even without you knowing it, your suggestions for the building of Africa are from a colonial perspective. This is a very hard problem to deal with, that I am able to spot it, is because I have paid attention to it, but it is a serious problem that destroys us.

Your four points all reek of our copying the white man and not developing our own barometer. Africa led in development in the past, and development should not be-western.

1. No, our education system does not have to be 'tertiary' or any other division the white-man invented. We need our own system, culturally organized.

2. No, who said we need rail? Maybe some other transport, maybe some easy, eco-friendly tele-transport system. Why rail?

3. Who said 'democracy' or 'demon-crazy', as Prophet Fela would call it is the method? I strongly as do Philosophers suggest 'Philosophy Kings' as our method of governance. Why demoncracy?


See the issue here is that we must recognize ourselves as Africans first and then any other thing later. I am not against western systems, but we must put it all on the table and then determine which we keep and which we disregard, otherwise we should as I said in my pointers, re-invite the white-man to rule us and complete making us white. And that's ok too.

I am disappointed by your illogical reasoning, i had very high regard for your intellectual approach to the issue, but you compromised you position by talking like a school boy.

What do you mean by "our education system does not have to be 'tertiary' or any other division the white-man invented. We need our own system, culturally organized." How to you develop the man-power necessary for individual and societal development in the global village of the 21st century. Please describe what you mean by "our system", did we ever had any system before our introduction to western education. Which other nation had developed their own system of education that is radically different from western education. I am not saying that local styles cannot infused, but the content is basically the same universally. The so called western education is a combination of all other educational systems and contents, from Asia, Africa and America. Western education is highly indebted to the Arabs and the Near and far east. If we had any system, we would not have been so completely overwhelmed by the Europeans.

Your second point is amazing flawed. You said No, who said we need rail? Maybe some other transport, maybe some easy, eco-friendly tele-transport system. Why rail? Please tell me how you can integrate different cultures without a means of effective transportation. How do you move goods and persons from one part of a country or continent to another. Do you suggest we develop also our own local system, maybe we should improve on horse (only horses were imported also) or we should just improve on our legs, Or maybe your eco-friendly tele transport system is "Witchery"

The greatest stumbling block to integration of African countries and Africa as a whole is the lack of fast and effective mass transportation. If we have fast transportation between lagos and Kano, you will find many cross country trade and relations between the two cities. A county as big as the US could could not have survived under one government without the rail road. That was why it was a National project involving everyone in the whole country.

You said "who said democracy?" Well i see you are very poor at history and the role of history in societies. I do not intend to lecture you, that is why I implore you to read about history of western civilization. Before democracy was arrived at the other forms of government had been tried. We had Different types of Monarchies, we had absolute Monarchy and benevolent monarchies, but greed and impunity by the monarchs, coupled the the instabilities caused by succession struggles caused the eventual down fall of such societies, even great empires. Democracy as introduced and practiced the the Greeks brought rapid development and stability, but other factors did not allow the democracy to last. It was the Americans looking for a system to integrate the emerging multicultural immigrant country they are building that borrowed from the ancient Greeks that introduced democracy. And immediately after almost all the countries of Europe say the potential of democracy and adopted it in one variation or the other. And they also started reaping the benefit of Democracy by having a responsible, accountable and stable government. So what form of government are you now advocating, and how is the issue of succession handled in your own "philosophy King" style of government. Where had this form of government been practiced in history, or you proposed we be the one to first experiment it?

Superego,

We have the same passions to see Black Africa develop and stop being the basket case of the world, but our solutions is different.

We are wasting to much energy blaming our unfortunate past and not working enough to remedy the present not to talk of charting a future.

I am not exonerating the European Jews of slavery, what i am saying is that Slavery was not a State policy. It was business men and merchants that came to Africa, negotiate the (goods)slaves with  the political elites and the elites deliver the goods at the warehouse (ports). They hire ship to the Americas an d sell them off ( and probably pay tax to the home government).
That was before Colonization. Colonization was government policy to get raw materials for their fledgling industrial revolution.  Yes i agree that Colonization caused a lot of problems for Africa, But if we did not have inherent structural deficiencies in our societies , we should have overcome the effect of it by now, 50 yrs after independence.

You do not need 100 yrs to develop, you can put in the structures for development in one generation, the structures are in order of importance.

1. Quality Education - compulsory secondary education for all and quality tertiary education.
2. Political Stability - Quality elections
3  Skilled Ready made man-power - Encourage Diasporas back home and steal as many from other smaller nations
4. Energy
5. Transportation - Particularly rail.

There are more but these are the most important ones. If our Oil revenue is consistently used for the above for a period of 15 yrs, we will become an industrialized nation.

Superego,
I enjoyed you posts until that last one about What we have done in 40 yrs and about the us getting to where it is today in 300 yrs, so we too should need 300 yrs to develop. I will come back to this later. But let me deal with the points you raised earlier.

Let me first start by stating that i am neither a Jew(in terms of religious belief) nor a Christian. I consider my self an Evolutionist, so i do not support Israel on sentimental views. I love their resilience on overcoming very difficult adversities. Although they are a tiny population, they were able to develop strong and enduring religion, culture, their own writing, language, technology and most of all they were able to resist external contamination to their way of life through many millennia. So i disagree with you when you compare the what we endured over a period of about 300yrs to what the jews endured over a period of 3000yrs. The Germans are paying reparations to Israel because the Germans made it a state policy to eliminate the Jews and murdered over 6 million of them. So the German state is paying compensation.  Besides the Jews became influential and powerful enough to force the germans to pay the compensations.
Our own case was different, the whites bought slaves from our Obas, Chiefs, etc. They paid in mirror, Gin, Guns, etc. So our kings built their empires on a thriving slave trade.  Even if we have a case for reparation, are we cohesive , powerful and influential enough to force the whites to pay?
Let me ask you a simple question, Was it slave trade and colonization that caused our society to be so fragmented or was it our fragmented society that made slavery and colonization by foreigners possible. Because our society was highly fragmented with every 1000sq.km a different tribe and language.

As per nations that went through very difficult times in the hands of foreigners, i still mention Israel, another is Gaul (France), there is Poland (so many times), even Germany came out of two world wars and is still strong less than 30 yrs after being destroyed.

I must confess, I had never heard of 'King Leopalds Ghost'. I will look for it and read it to get your perspective.
Let me finish by saying the cruel truth about survival of countries, tribes, etc, A superior society always dominates and exploits weaker societies. My question is why had  Black African never been able to build strong society. As long as our society is as weak as it is today, we will always be exploited. Now it is the turn of the Chinese to exploit Black Africa.

I strongly disagree with you that we have made progress in 40 yrs, In which aspect have we made progress? is it economic, political, technological, social. Please tell me which aspect.

Kenezi:
You said the country of Israel, don't twist your words.

I am not twisting words, when i said country, you should know i was talking about the people occupying the present land called Israel. Because with your skewed argument a land called Nigeria was never involved with slavery and colonization of Nigeria started in 1914.

busi-bodi:
you must be joking. right or go read your history well.

Isreal was formed in 1948. It never had any history colonisation or slavery.

Please read your History well, and if you do not like history then read the Bible.

I am talking about the people of Israel, I assume that when you are talking about Africa, you are talking about the people. The Israelis had been either held captive or colonized by every super power the world had produced except the US - Babylonia, Egypt, Rome, Britain. An Independent state of Israel was first established by David, After David solomon ruled, but soon After they were driven out of the land and scattered again. I AD 70 the Romans Dealt with Israel for rebellion burned their temples and scattered them around Europe, it was not until 1948 that they came together again to form a state.

To tell the Jews that they did not suffer any Slavery of colonization smacks of utter ignorance.

Superego

Thanks for your postulations, I am always happy when Nigerian look for the reason we are un-develping in every indice of life, but please also go a stop further by postulating solutions and making physical impact.

Having said that i partially  disagree with you. Until we can overcome the excuses we always bring up to justify our failing as a people, we would not get any where. Blaming our current state of development on the slave trade and colonization is escapist. I would employ you to also read history, especially the history of western and eastern civilization. You will find out that except for a very few countries, like England, Ethiopia and maybe japan(until it was conquered by the US), no nation had escaped slavery and colonization. The country that suffered the worst in terms of slavery and colonization is Israel,   for over 95% of its existence it was either under slavery or colonization, and we never heard them giving up and blaming colonization for all their woes, they even never at any time blame their oppressors, they always blame themselves. Even before the advent of the slave traders, we were taking our selves as slaves.

What we should be studying is why an average African can sell his soul to the devil for material gratifications, that was why the slave trade succeeded as the Europeans slave traders did not come with their army but with their Bibles and mirrors, gins, etc.

You also need to postulate why Black African did develop scientific reasoning, astronomy, mathematics, writing, literature , strong political societies,  etc, when all other cultures were way ahead in those indices.

I have to go now, please lets hear your answer to these questions.

China has taken over as the second most influential country in the world and is almost becoming a superpower, Iran has launched its own satellite in space (not pay the Chinese to to it for them as done by us) and is building nuclear capability against western wishes, other countries are progressing at various rates, even Ghana is making progress. But the Giant of Africa cannot organized an election in 61 wards in a small state successfully.

Nigerians in particular and Africans in general (except South Africa)wants to be spoon fed, we want to sit in our homes in the comfort of our living room, while some messiah, whether in khaki, agbada or french suit fights for our rights - political, social and all. Then come out to enjoy the fruits if they succeed.

We fail to realize that all advanced societies we are flocking to today, were built on the struggles and blood of the masses. They fought against their own parasitic elites who were oppressing them. Others fought very bloody wars to establish the society they wanted. But we want to be spoon fed.

Taking real power from a corrupt and parasitic elite is never easy. A cohesive action by the masses is no match for the elite with its police, army and even if they employ external help. The problem is that nigerians are so disunited by tribe, religion and class, that they cannot act in unison. Even a particular tribe is separated by clan, local govt and state.

Until we learn that the real enemy is not someone of different tribe or religion but all the political elite, then we will retrogress until we get to our own dark age.

Nigerian are very inconsistent. Last week many people were blaming Ekiti REC for resigning and refusing to accept Idosi results.  The arguments then was that she should have been courageous enough to announce the cancellation of Ido-osi results, even though her security details had been withdrawn, she was being threatened by PDP, her boss and thugs. She was not protected by the people she was trying to help - the Ekiti masses. No body knew how she got to Abuja.

She tried to run away by resigning her appointments, but she was threatened by the federal govt. through Dora by insinuating  she is a traitor an was declared wanted by the Nigerian Police. Instead of Nigerians rallying around to give her support, the kept mute while some are insulting her. Even her church and can did not show solidarity as she claimed she was following her christian faith.

So after coming out of hiding, meeting with the Inec chairman, the IG and probably with the president and former president. She suddenly became once again a member of the INEC family. And went ahead to compete the INEC mandate under very tight security.

Nigerians have been known to leave you high and dry when it comes to the crunch. Ask the Abiolas, the Fawehinmis,  the Nwosus, the Umars, and so on. Nigerians would not put themselves on the line to support you.

How many political murders have gone unsolved in Nigeria, what did the people do to make sure the culprits are caught.  If Mrs Ayoka was attacked by" armed robbers" or "thugs", and killed, what will happen. If she was arrested and sent to kirikiri, what will the people do. Do people really think that a 74 yr old woman can stand the might of the Federal Government?

I remember the Romanian Revolution in 1989, which was started because the govt wanted to arrest a critical reverend father. The people of the town formed a human shield around the church of the reverend so the police could not arrest him. The army was called in and more people from all surrounding towns came to protect the reverend - including women.  After shooting of innocent civilians was getting too bloody, the army became divided   ( as their family was being killed too), and the president Nicholas Couchescu was deposed, tried and killed on Christmas day 1989

Even recently the people stomped Georgia's Parliamentary building to remove the president with bare hands because he was said to have rigged parliamentary elections. The president had to be evacuated from the building by helicopter. 

So PDP will rig with impunity as long as Nigerian will debate, argue, discuss and not take physical action.  The let every body have their say while they have their way.

I am amazed people are still arguing about someone inventing a machine that can convert vegetable oils to bio-diesel in 21st century Nigeria. This should be a project for SSC3 students or at best a practical assignment in 200 level chemistry on esterification of oils.

Since most people are too lazy to google, i will help to people. I googled " how to biodiesel" and i have over 2 million results.
here is the link http://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+biodiesel&sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1B3GGIC_enNG266NG277 .

I think our science education is so poor that the smallest science experiment gets accolades and awards.

texazzpete:
@wirinet
Yeah, but you threw in oil companies etc along with banks as an example of 'administrative work'. That's wrong.

Yes, I threw in oil companies because most of the science and technical graduates employed by them are put into administrative duties. Majority of the Technical jobs are handled by foreigners. that is why after over 40 yrs of oil exploitation in Nigeria, we cannot handle the technical side of the oil industry, we are still heavily dependent on foreigners.

Seun:
Vegetable oil is more expensive than fuel, so while I applaud this achievement, it's not too helpful.

Turning Organic oil into bio-diesel in not a major achievement, use google and you will have enough information in 20 mins.

texazzpete:
There's something really entertaining about the new, aggressive Kobojunkie. I got a kick out of being called 'supposedly intelligent' the other day .


Working in offices also helps the country. You think bank workers aren't doing their bit to boost the economy? Abeg no belittle those of us wey dey work o!

I am not trying to underestimate the importance of bank workers, admin worker and service providers as a whole. What i am quarreling with is where the best technical and scientific brains go into banks and administrative jobs, so most of the time we have to import technicians and scientists from abroad to handle technological challenges. We are therefore doomed technologically as a nation, and no nation can develop without technology - indigenous technology.

I have seen chemical engineering, computer engineering, electronic engineering, agic engineering and a host of other science graduate working in the banks and other admin jobs to the detriment of the technical sector.

In normal situations banks and co are supposed to support the technical and innovative sectors of the country, but in Nigeria it is the reverse.

I have nothing against lawyers, accountants, sociologists, business admins, etc working in the banks.

Eziachi:
Rulers of Nigeria don't like this sort of progress or invention because to them it takes time to see some dollars comes out of it.
To them why waste your time growing groundnut that takes time to grow and harvest, process it to get the oil and do the research on how to extract the bio petrol from it, when they can run down to the South East/South South dip pipe into the ground, get the the black oil by 12 pm, sell it by 1pm and bank it in Switzerland by 2pm. Easy!! pizzie!!

And you want them to waste their time talking about vegetable oil.

Turning Vegetable oil into bio-diesel is not an economical viable project on a large scale according to today's economic climate. When we cannot even grow and process enough vegetable oils to eat, how do you think we can grow enough to fill our fuel stations. If vegetable oil now sells for between 400 - 500 naira per litre, how much will it be when we start processing the little we have for fuel?. We have not even researched on how to utilize our huge gas reserves which need little or no processing at all for our energy needs and you are talking of very expensive and non available vegetable oil.

Finally, the main reason why biofuels are not practical now is that it will put too much strain on food production in terms of land, manpower and capital, and its it the teeming masses who need cheap food that will suffer.

I congratulate the young engineer Mr. Nwakaire Joel  for breaking with the Nigerian tradition, where young science undergraduates just pass exams and then sit behind an airconditioned desk in a bank, oil company, government agency or other administrative functions.  We need more people like him who can channel the creative and physical energy of of their youth to inventions and technological breakthroughs that will help the country.

Having said that, I think we over celebrate little achievements. Making biodiesel from vegetable oil or any other organic oil is not a technological breakthrough, It is a simple esterification process and it has been done for decades. In fact the first biofuel car to run on groundnut oil was demonstrated in 1900 in France.  It is a simple chemical process. Anybody with a little knowledge of G.C.E level chemistry can Google biodiesel and with some motivation, time and money, can produce biodiesel from his backyard.

"Rudolf Diesel, the manufacturer of the diesel engine in 1912 used peanut oil to run diesel engine; but the problem with using the common vegetable oil is the viscocity and clogging of the injector. So we thought about modification. When I brought my report about the use of vegetable oil as an alternative fuel for diesel engine, I told Prof. Onwualu about the problems I encountered.

"He suggested that since this problem stopped scientist Rudolf Diesel from using peanut oil, I should find modifications. I went into research again and I was able to change the vegetable oil, with some reactants into what is called methyl estal which is called bio-diesel.This was done through the verification process."

This statement is false, in fact Rudolf Diesel invented his first engines to run on biofuel because petroleum was  not available then, and had to modify his engines to utilize petroldiesel when petroleum became readily available and cheaper.

He not only had the task of designing a refining process that is functional, he also had to design one that can be replicated easily at minimal cost; and most importantly, one that is affordable, easy to construct, environmentally and that is climate-friendly.

Biodiesel cannot meet all the following criteria in the foreseeable future. Bio-groundnut oil  is very expensive, a litre of groundnut oil is about N500, so how much will it go for after refining. Also you cannot compare the effect on the environment of manufacturing bio groundnut oil to that of extracting and refining petroleum. With groundnut oil, you have to clear large hectres of land for farming, harvest and transport the groundnut to the refinery (using fuels of course), go through additional process of processing the groundnut oil before esterification and refining. With petroleum you just extract, transport and refine.

According to the young inventor, who currently drives his diesel engine Triumph car with the bio-fuel produced by him, the goal of his degree (B.Eng) project was to produce the bio- diesel without using a complicated system but by just using a stove, cooking pot and the right temperature to produce diesel. And it worked.

Joke of the century, someone is calling a system that uses a stove and cooking pot as a complicated system that the industrialized countries of the world who spends billions of dollar on research have not been able to find out.

As i said, it is good that this young man is doing something good by researching, but biodiesel cannot replace petroleum even if it becomes $200 per barrel

It was in the News about 30mins ago that the Ekiti Rec told news reporters that she did not resign her appointment and she is still a member of the INEC family. She said she is also on her way to see the IG.

Kobojunkie:
Adebayo was IN CHARGE of the operation@ Xavier. She was the Supervisor/Manager for the election and so if anything was not going right, it was her duty to report, I believe to the president. So far, it seems she did not report at all to anyone. Seems all she did, when she observed whatever it was that suddenly made her change her mind about this organization, she resigned and went home.  Or are you going to tell me that up until 3 days ago, she believed in INEC? roflmao!!

Lets look at this scenario. Lets assume the people causing all the problems are the President's men and president's party and also her boss (Chairman). Also what if the the Vice president who is overseeing the elections is also part of the problem.  Add to that is a perceived threat to your life and and being announced sick by the government without you or your doctor's consent, only to appear in SSS office one day later.
So in that scenario what would you do. (remember you do not have direct access to the president - protocol et al)

A. Drive yourself back to Ekiti to finish collating and announce the results.
B. Resign and run for cover
C. Close your eyes to the wrong (as you had always done anyway), collect your share and enjoy yourself.
D. Call a world press conference and implicate and accuse all the principal actors (including the VP) of the wrong doings.

dnex:
As long as you agree that they are white and you are black, they are good and you are bad. They are right and you are wrong. They are rich and you are poor. They are kings and you are pawns.

I think you put too much meaning in appellations, black and white is just an appellation to distinguish the most divergent colour skin tone. Because a "white" man has the lightest skin tone, while a "black" man has the darkest skin tone. There is no other connotations to it as far as i am concerned and i as a person have no problem with it.
Since all humans have brown colouration (due to the degree of melanin in their skin), would you be more comfortable with very dark brown and very light brown to describe skin differences?

What do you want the Asian people who are classified as yellow people when their skin is also a shade of light brown and not yellow to do.

What about others like the Indegenous Americans who are called RED, when also their colour is a light shade of brown.

Some people put too much attention on irrelevances.

Kobojunkie, I am sure you or your family has serious interest in the PDP. I think Dora should resign and yaradua appoint Kobojunkie as Information minister.

Please re read the following statement and use your propaganda skills to justify it.

“The letter is intended from all indications to undermine and discredit the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, especially in its effort to build a credible democratic system in the country. There is a need, therefore, for Adebayo to come forward urgently and clarify the issues raised in the letter purportedly written by her.

“Government rejects this letter of resignation purportedly written by Adebayo as there is no evidence that she was impeded from carrying out her statutory assignment.”

How can people be surprised at dora's actions. Did you not see how she left her NAFDAC job to Join Yaradua's campaign organization befor the elections in 2007. Did you not she Her as the chief cheerleader during and after the Supreme court judgment.
Also did you not hear Adedibu's allegations that Dora was closing his shops in Ibadan because he did not support her bid to become a minister, an allegation she did not refute.

Okiro declares her wanted. Joke of the century.

Declared wanted when she was with SSS a few hours before. Was she declared wanted because of her resignation letter, or was she declared wanted because of the content of her resignation letter. Is resignation due to personal religious convictions an offense in Nigeria?

The most absurd thing is that she is the first person in the history of Nigeria to be declared wanted due to Electoral issues. thugs caught red handed with guns had had been declared wanted by Nigerian police, ballot snatchers had never been declared wanted, election riggers (according to court judgments) had never been declared wanted by the police, they are only asked to go and try again in the name of re-run.

I wonder if she turns her self in, what the police would charge her for under the electoral law. Or will they hold her more than the 24 hrs allowed by the court.

Mrs. Adebayo should be regarded as a heroine by the yoruba's and Nigerians in General, she resigned instead of doing the hatchet job of the government. She did what very few Nigerians had been able to do, when people like all past inec chairmen and commissioners, ministers and state commissioners, and even people like Ribadu had not the courage to deft the Govt.
Some people make me laugh by asking here to announce the result in clear defiance of of govt directives, maybe they have forgotten what happened to Nwosu when he went against Govt directives to announce June 12 elections.  In a country where people (including an AG) are assassinated without any trace of perpetrators, you expect her to go against the govt.

If we have more "born agains" like Mrs. Adebayo, nigeria would be indeed a better place.

Here we go again, always crucifying the messenger and his works while ignoring the message.
I do not approve of OBJ's sexual morality but i do not see how this revelation by Mrs Oluremi Obasanjo has anything to do with the Ekiti situation.

The story is being economical with the truth, because it was wrong to give the impression that OBJ was still in a relationship with Oluremi before he was Imprisoned. OBJ left Oluremi sometimes in the 70's. I know because i used to live very close to her flat. She lived inf lat at Laurence Rd near Shaw Road junction.  OBJ married Stella around 1980 and moved to Otta with her, and he had been with stella since then. So If any body should complain about OBJ's affairs, especially after his release from prison,  it should be Stella and not Oluremi.

Kobojunkie

Up till now i had always respected your comments on issues, but your present stance here is shocking to me. It seems to me that you have stayed too long away from home that you are out of touch with present reality at home.

I do not think that it requires an I.Q of 200 to know the reason why the main electoral officer would disappear in the middle of an election without announcing announcing the result and then declared sick (which was denied by her family) only to appear in SSS's headquarters, then tenders her resignation soon after.

Did you not follow the last general elections in Nigeria? The PDP have a well oiled and perfected rigging system which involves
1 . Over inflating the electoral register by adding fictitious names
2. Reducing electoral materials to areas where their opponents are popular.
3. Over inflating the figures in their stronghold to just below the number of registered, and even sometimes above it.

Now most of the elections are taking place in the supposed strong hold of the PDP including the home town of Oni and Arise. And Ac is already ahead by over 11,000 votes. So the PDP needs to over inflate the votes from these areas to over 15,000 votes to be declared winner. So what they do is cause mayhem so actual voters (and journalists, election observers, other party agents, etc) would stay away, then they can ballot stuff in peace, all they need to perfect the rigging is an electoral officer to accept the result, and its deemed legal. It is just that this time she refused.

The post did not turn out as i envisaged so i posted it again.

This is a very important thread because if we take Lord Lugard's observations with the right attitude, it might nudge us in the right direction.

I think we should stop our cultural practice of always attacking the messenger with ignoring the message.
For me I do not care if the message is being delivered by Lord Lugard, Hitler or even the devil itself, I will look at the message and treat it according to its merits.

Now let me highlight Lord Lugard's observations

<quote>1. In character and temperament, the typical African of this race-type is a happy, thriftless, excitable person, lacking in self-control, discipline, and foresight.

[/quote]I think this observation is spot on. You can see it in the way we celebrate every little thing extravagantly. We celebrate a new house (house warming), a new car (even a tokumbo one dumped by its original owner in Europe), a new promotion (career job or honourary titles like chief), death of a close relative especially parents ( including 1, 5, 10 and 20 year anniversary of their death)
Of course the Europeans do not engage in these celebrations and it would naturally seem strange to Lord Lugard.

2. 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.

I think Lord Lugard is not completely right here. We are yes naturally courteous, polite and full of personal vanity (chief, Dr, bishop, excellency so and so). But naturally courageous and loving weapon - no. most nigerians would faint at the sight of a gun.

3. 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.

Yes, we do not seem to have the ability to foresee the future or learn from the past as it usually quickly forgotten.

4.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.

I disagree with the Lord here. The problem with us is not problems of the mind. It is a problem of not being able to form stable societies due a so many influences - both external and internal. The same mind reaches enviable heights when transported to stable societies. This is where i can accuse Lord Lugard of bias.

5.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.

This is stating the obvious. Even our so called practice of Christianity and Islam is heavily tainted with our African traditional practices and still offers no clear definable religious creed.

6.He lacks the power of organisation, and is conspicuously deficient in the management and control alike of men or business.

I think this is partially correct, we can manage small business or political entities but fail woefully in managing bigger entities. Maybe because our political entities never went beyond clans and villages until the coming of the Europeans.

7.He loves the display of power, but fails to realize its responsibility.

This is spot on, as can be seen in almost all black African Nations. Politicians seek and acquire power for the sake of power and not use the power responsively.

8.He will work hard with a less incentive than most races.</quote>
True because he is coming from a poor background, so he is ready and happy to collect less money than say the Europeans and work harder than them. Eg African footballers playing in Europe.
[quote]9. 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.

This is also mostly true. This is because of slavery and the way we were colonised. We view the white man as next to God. Thus I can understand why Lord Lugard feels this way when he was virtually worshiped.
[Quote]
10 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"

I have dealt with this

So lets take a look at the observations of Lord Lugard and use the aspects we find true to reform our character. Because since he wrote these things, not Black African nation had risen beyond mediocrity, we should be worried and ask our self why.

I also fault the people accusing Lord Lugard of being white supremacist. I cannot say he was racist but saying the British were supremacist is bit exaggerated. It was the Germans that believed and fought for white supremacy. It was the British that fought to abolished the slave trade even when the African elites were against the abolition of slavery.[/quote]

This is a very important thread because if we take Lord Lugard's observations with the right attitude, it might nudge us in the right direction.

I think we should stop our cultural practice of always attacking the messenger with ignoring the message.
For me I do not care if the message is being delivered by Lord Lugard, Hitler or even the devil itself, I will look at the message and treat it according to its merits.

Now let me highlight Lord Lugard's observations

<quote>1. In character and temperament, the typical African of this race-type is a happy, thriftless, excitable person, lacking in self-control, discipline, and foresight. </quote>

I think this observation is spot on. You can see it in the way we celebrate every little thing extravagantly. We celebrate a new house (house warming), a new car (even a tokumbo one dumped by its original owner in Europe), a new promotion (career job or honourary titles like chief), death of a close relative especially parents ( including 1, 5, 10 and 20 year anniversary of their death)
Of course the Europeans do not engage in these celebrations and it would naturally seem strange to Lord Lugard.

<quote>
2. 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. </quote>

I think Lord Lugard is not completely right here. We are yes naturally courteous, polite and full of personal vanity (chief, Dr, bishop, excellency so and so). But naturally courageous and loving weapon - no. most nigerians would faint at the sight of a gun.

<quote>
3. 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. </quote>
Yes, we do not seem to have the ability to foresee the future or learn from the past as it usually quickly forgotten.
<quote>
4.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. </quote>

I disagree with the Lord here. The problem with us is not problems of the mind. It is a problem of not being able to form stable societies due a so many influences - both external and internal. The same mind reaches enviable heights when transported to stable societies. This is where i can accuse Lord Lugard of bias.
<quote>
5.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.
</quote>

This is stating the obvious. Even our so called practice of Christianity and Islam is heavily tainted with our African traditional practices and still offers no clear definable religious creed.

<quote>
6.He lacks the power of organisation, and is conspicuously deficient in the management and control alike of men or business.
</quote>
I think this is partially correct, we can manage small business or political entities but fail woefully in managing bigger entities. Maybe because our political entities never went beyond clans and villages until the coming of the Europeans.
<quote>
7.He loves the display of power, but fails to realize its responsibility.
</quote>
This is spot on, as can be seen in almost all black African Nations. Politicians seek and acquire power for the sake of power and not use the power responsively.
<quote>
8.He will work hard with a less incentive than most races.</quote>
True because he is coming from a poor background, so he is ready and happy to collect less money than say the Europeans and work harder than them. Eg African footballers playing in Europe.
<quote>
9. 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.
</quote>
This is also mostly true. This is because of slavery and the way we were colonised. We view the white man as next to God. Thus I can understand why Lord Lugard feels this way when he was virtually worshiped.
<Quote>
10 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"
</quote>
I have dealt with this

So lets take a look at the observations of Lord Lugard and use the aspects we find true to reform our character. Because since he wrote these things, not Black African nation had risen beyond mediocrity, we should be worried and ask our self why.

I also fault the people accusing Lord Lugard of being white supremacist. I cannot say he was racist but saying the British were supremacist is bit exaggerated. It was the Germans that believed and fought for white supremacy. It was the British that fought to abolished the slave trade even when the African elites were against the abolition of slavery.

I think some Christians suffer from paranoia when it comes to indegenous cutures, because this eyo festival they are loosing sleep on only takes place on a few streets in lagos island. If you want to see eyo in action, you might actually have to search for them, because they move around.
Also Eyo Festival do not ask women to stay indoors, it only asks people not to wear shoes.

Eyo festival is one of the most popular festivals in Nigeria and it could be rebranded to pull in tourists from abroad, which can be a money spinner for lagos.

The most occutic religion is "evangelical christianity". They are the once that invoke spirits (holy one) to solve all problems. They chant mantas (speaking in tongues) in the dead of the night. They cast, bind and the loose demons and spirits spirits.
They are the onces that sees demon everwhere and in every problem.

Moonstone:
I agree that Eyo festival is occultic to me ONLY because I'm a Christian.
Just because it is a part of our ancient tradition does not make it right. Killing twins was part of our tradition once upon a time. I hope they will at least keep it away from my streets and I won't judge them for what they are doing.

The keyword here is was, meaning it is not being practiced anymore, and besides it was only a few tribes on the Niger Delta that practiced killing of twins and not the whole Nigerian tribes.

Offering of once's son as a sacrifice to show obiedience to God was once a part of Jewish culture.
Burning of once biggest farm animal and crops was once a part of Jewish culture.
Burning of witches and heretics( any saying against church doctrines) was once a part of European culture.
Covering once's self with spiritual blood of god's only begotten son, spilt over 2000 yrs ago is still part of christian culture. ( I can stand blood - spiritual or otherwise)

So why do you not harp on these practices but just your own native cultural practices.

Moonstone:
There should be freedom of movement. When someone puts me under house arrest to perform their rituals, I have a problem with it. Besides, Christians don't scare me with any masquerades or any crazy incantations. They speak english or words that I can understand and they don't shut down my streets and ask me to stay in till they do things.

You are very economical with the truth here. Eyo festival celebrations do not keep you under house arrest.
You do not shout freedom of movement when christian block our roads and expressway when you have your crusades.
You do not shout freedom of sanity when you people engage in shouting tournaments every friday in the name of night vigils.
When you people disturbs and distrupts other people's lives, you feel it is an injunction from God. But when others carry out cultural practices you do not approve of, you "shout freedom of movement".

My compatriot Mr McKren,
Advocating for a coup is not the answer as we had been down that road so many times, and each time we come off worse.

Advocating for a coup is like the typical nigerial belief of solving a protrated problem instantly. No one man or a few men cannot solve nigeria's problem, we - you and me, have to be involved.

There are many ways of getting involved, you can influence people around you with your ideas, you can form mini political ideas and ideology and propergate them among your surroundings. you can support certain causes, financaily, intellectually or morally.

The millitary is part of Nigeria and the Nigerian problem. The Military elites also oppress the Military masses. And the Military Elites are hand in glove with the political elites.

blacksta:
I have been monitoring events ever since the tribunal called for fresh elections and sorry i forgot to give credit to few that are fighting the majority who want to manipulate election results.  The question is who are these majority?.  The majority are the still people.  it is not pratically possible for fayemi or oni to rig elections it has to be done by the people.

Until the good few can change the ideology of the bad majority then we will not see change yet.  I just hope and pray that people votes are allowed to count.

Who are these thugs
who are these inec officals
who are these mopol

I will be glad to inform you that all of the above are still the "people".  South Africa just concluded an election. An election that was conducted all over the country and not  in 64 wards and not a single report of violence.  What is wrong with our people. South Africa for God's sake got independence after Nigeria.

You are not looking at the big picture. When the political elite decides to pauperise and  illiteratise its people. Then the people depends on the elites for survival. Add that to the destruction of moral and social values. Then you have willing tools in the hands of the elites - that is the genesis of the Niger Delta conflict. Soon we will have the Nigerian conflict is the situation is not reversed.

Who are the thugs? how many are they? who is bankrolling them. Can a thug afford one bullet not to talk of an AK -47, which costs about N350,000 each.

Same for Inec officials, do you think the political elite would ever appoint someone like you (assuming you are a honest person) an Inec official?

Then the mopol, who pays the mopol and gives them orders. is it the people?

ElRazur

My stance is that a society should use violence only as a last resort to confront political robbery. I believe the worst thing to do is to stand idle and "siddon look", the join them if you cannot defeat them syndrome. These will always lead to a failed society.

If we study the history of societal conflicts, it is always due to the political elites pushing the masses into the wall. The only thing keeping Nigeria together today is Cheap Oil Revenues which the political elites are fighting over while the masses pick up the crumbs. If the price of oil crashes to say $29 per barrel or our oil reserve dries oil, Nigeria would break appart as a result of  socio -political conflicts. That was why the CIA predicts Nigeria would be a failed state, maybe their satalite pictures had calculated Nigeria oil reserve to last 15 yrs - sorry for the digression.

I believe we (the masses)should all resist internal colonialization the way we resisted external one by using  every  means at our disposal. Even our comments on NL is one means of resistance. And use violence (like south Africa, french revolution etc) when every thing else fails

blacksta:
This Election clearly confirms the following

1. Our leaders are not the problem

2. The people are the problem. ( violence, rigging, backward thinking, primitive)

3. Nigerians are not ready for change henceforth PDP is going to rule for 60 years we might as well adopt a "One party system"

I am very saddened by your statement. How can you say the people that have been cheated, traumatised and pauperised by the political elite are the problem. Please answer the folowing questions;
Is is the people that appoint inec officials?
Is it the people that deploy mopol, police and the army?
Do the people have the resources to deploy political thugs both from within and without.

You should at least comments the people of Ekiti for attempting to enforce their political rights, whether they can defeat the rigging machinery of the pdp is another matter. You making these allegations, have you ever fought for your right? in any way whatsoever. The slightest sound of danger and you would run.

Well done to the people of Ekiti for trying to defend their democratic rights, if more states do that i am sure Nigeria would improve.

Another Brainwashed, inferior complexed, colonial mental and confused black man.
If Eyo festival is occultic, what about other imported ones, some of which you gladly celebrate even though you do not know their origin.

1. Christmas
2. Easter
3. Haloween
4. Valentine

Others you should consider occultic
1. Osun festival
2. Arugungun fishing festival
3. All cultural festivals

So you are advocating abandoning all our festivals and cultures because your white colonial masters branded them occultic.