₦airaland Forum

Sue, definitely, sue! lol! What?! I can't even imagine it. I would ask serious questions of my folks if that ever happened! Impossible of course. Er, I hope,

Bakare and Buhari? Have I just entered a parallel universe? When, how and why did this happen? I'm in shock. I've just seen this news for the first time and my mouth has not yet closed,

No. Enough said!

Power failure.  We let a would-be terrorist through because of power failure.  Yet again, I hang my head in shame.  Unbelievable.

My opinion is that globalization has affected many countries and cultures, including Nigeria.  I think there's something natural about people wanting to emulate a culture that has essentially conquered theirs.  It's a form of "follow the leader", isn't it? 

When the British Empire was in existence, Nigeria aped British values more.  Now that America is more dominant, Nigeria has followed most of the world in embracing most things American.  Of course there are some who will strike back with deep-seated cultural pride and rebel against the dominant force (e.g. many middle-eastern cultures), but by and large, globalization is an extremely powerful force. 

This is nothing new; the Greek and Roman Empires affected the world so dramatically that we still feel the effects today in various spheres of life: writing, language, systems of government, etc. The "American Empire" is simply doing the same, through the far-reaching means of global media (satellite/cable TV, movies, etc.).

I encourage the preservation of indigenous cultures wherever possible, for it adds spice to our collective lives on this planet.  However, I do accept that some cultures and sub-cultures will go extinct at some point.  That's just the way it is.

For me, it's jollof rice and fried plantain!!! Yum yum!

Is it just me, or have many "well-known" people died this year? I don't have much fondness for IBB himself, but strangely enough my memories of Maryam Babangida are not at all negative,

I don't know what these people were thinking. I was shocked to discover that they planned the whole thing! For a while, I believed the police, or even the media, had got it wrong.  What a strange world we live in!

So, what's my prize?

The Lion King stood out for me! Great music, moving story. I must say, this one mildy traumatized me as a kid! I've since seen it on stage and that was an equally fantastic display. Three cheers for Disney!

I can't believe my eyes. Do people still carry on with statements like this?! Over 40 years since the start of the Nigerian Civil War and we're still on this topic. I hang my head in shame,

Shocking stuff.  I think it's unlikely that the unfortunate messenger had anything to do with it.  I do hope he's given adequate treatment before our beloved NPF get to work on him!    

Re: Dele Giwa, that is truly a sad chapter in Nigeria's history.  A very sad chapter indeed.  I wonder if the truth will ever be known in our generation.

I vote for the husband. Maybe that's just because I'm one,

Whoa, 1500! Not good,

Looks good to me! I only wish we would get past the second round for once,

Jomo! Are you well? If na joke make you stop am o!!!

I can recommend, along with many others, Head and Shoulders anti-dandruff shampoo. Daily use, then subsequent proper lubrication for the scalp will work wonders!

My favourite way to cook dinner? Let the Mrs do it!

Calm down, people.  Let the league begin! Deep down in our hearts, we know who'll be champions at the end of the day. Come on everyone, let's say it together:
M - A - N - C - H - E - S - T - E - R       [size=16pt]UNITED![/size]

I must admit, I have become rather discouraged over time by the behaviour of many of my fellow country men. I'm sad to say that I'm now at the point where I understand when people say that Nigerians are fraudsters. Biko, don't shoot me for this thought. Of course, I know it's not true - there are many very good and honourable Nigerians. Unfortunately, the dodgy ones are not exactly few in number either. I frequently tell the story of how, after the Asian Tsunami, many crooks set up fake charity phone lines to collect donations. Sky news researched one, apparently at random, and called live. When a western Nigerian accent answered the phone, I hung my head , Another one, my cousin who's a recruitment consultant received several CVs for a job. The top 2 were Nigerian. After going through referencing, it was discovered that the first guy's references and key CV points were fake. My cuz panicked and triple-checked with the second guy directly, who confessed that his references were fake as well. The poor lady was put in a difficult situation at work, especially as her name was clearly Nigerian! She almost swore never to deal with Nigerians again.

Rebranding Nigeria? Rebranding Nigerians? Whichever way, we've got a lot of work to do.

My thoughts? No point going back to that job is the same harassing boss is still there. It's just setting yourself up for more pressure!

Apologies if I'm simply repeating stuff that others have said before. I admit, I just hit reply straight away on this one!

(btw, is there any employment tribunal equivalent in Nigeria?)

Gosh, I can't even remember , when did I first earn money? Gosh, I'm getting old,

Andre Uweh:
Zibby: It is not certain what language you wish to learn. I think you have to be specific here. I understand you leave in London. If you are Igbo and needs help in Igbo language. Then, I will recommend an Igbo organisation that has been helping Young Igbo people to learn the language. It is not too late and can never be too late to learn your language.

Hi Andre, I'm actually Igbo. What's the name of this organisation?

Outstrip:
I want to learn Igbo. I wish there was Rosetta Stone for Igbo.

Lol! Rosetta Stone for Igbo. Now that would be nice!

I had a rather chunky Motorola! I can't remember the name, but I was very proud of it and wore it on my belt all the time!

Wow.  Here I've stumbled upon one of my favourite and most controversial discussions.  I have for long believed that we were not ready for independence.  However, I'm constrained by the argument of some here - when would we ever have been?  I have usually argued that the South Africans were more developed because they stayed "in bondage" for longer.  Recent events have made me despair.

Why is it that when we, black Africans, take over a country, things start spiralling downwards?  This is a very general and doubtless very provocative statement, but you must agree that the facts largely speak for themselves.  Why have we been so self-destructive?  Is it because the colonial powers destroyed the foundations of our society, tried to build a new society and left us to manage the new structure with inadequate training and experience?

In the midst of my despair, I am not without hope.  I do not believe that Nigeria is still progressively getting worse.  Every time I visit home, I can point to something that seems to be an advancement over what was there before.  I must admit, I spend most of my time in Lagos, so perhaps what I see is not a reflection on the general state of the country.

Things will change.  When? None of us can say.  The current world powers took centuries to get where they are, having suffered invasions, bloodbaths and all such upheavals.  It will not be different for us.  If Christ does not return before then,

Thanks guys,  I am really encouraged by (most of) your responses!  I'm sure the best option for me would be immersion - to get someone to speak only my language to me consistently.  It does seem rather daunting, though, to discipline myself to respond accordingly!  

Fellow Nairalanders, tell me this: do you think it's ever too late to learn your language? I am in the region of 30 years old and have still not learned to speak my mother tongue properly, despite having grown up in Nigeria. Admittedly, I grew up with a lot of English around me, and my parents did not try to teach me my language early in life. Sometimes I think it's too late to learn now, particularly as almost everyone with whom I interract in Nigeria knows English, and the precious few that don't may not be with us for very much longer. I can understand the language to a good extent, but can only speak very haltingly.

My people, what do you say? Is it too late for me? And how would you suggest I go about learning my native tongue now?