Us and Them

There is no need to beat around the bush on this one. I think its necessary that we are sincere and not mince words. We can't keep calling a blind man "a visually impaired person" or calling a dull child "special", just because it sounds better.

 YES I wasn't born when Nigeria was governed by British officers like Lugard, Clifford, Mcpherson, Richards, Lyttleton and co; however, I studied the history books extensively and also took a good look at the common modus operandi of the colonial officers. Though some rulers were more "open" than the others, one thing was constant; They never gave a rat's ass about us, it was strictly business.

 They were merely concerned with furthering British interests in Nigeria as they cut and sewed almost anything just to deliver the goods. The saddening thing is that our leaders shamelessly kissed these colonial butts in a quest to be relevant. They did their bidding and were always eager to be 'boy-boys' to the "white" just to be rewarded with flights to England "to see the Queen" at the slightest opportunity. The question is..."whose Queen"?

 On the other hand, the colonialists were watching with a keen eye. To add pepper onto the injury, these calculated Brits in their willy style cultivated some low intellect Nigerians, loaded with some millions of pounds and exposed them to the goodies of the West i.e. Small cars, Television sets, trips to Europe, lunches/dinners with the "white folks" etc

 In no time, these "money miss roads" were acting like kings over the pretty much contented/unexposed Nigerian populace. They started having a superiority complex just because they drank tea every morning in a tiny cup and drove the Morris Minor. Every other person was inferior and "bush" because they hadn't been to Essex or Glasgow before.

Laughing and making merry over the foolhardy nature of our leaders, the British lay back, grabbed their joypads (Early Nigerian Millionaires) and dabaruuuud our country a.k.a Divide and Rule.

 Its 2013 and we are still suffering from what the Legendary Fela Anikulapo called "Kolo-Mentality". We claim to be independent yet we are still very much tied to the aprons of them that colonised us.

 Parents sheepishly teach their kids with foreign books and materials, kids lie to their peers that they were born in London or America but their parents relocated to Nigeria when they were yet toddlers. Young ladies speak in fake funny accents just to be regarded as "cream", Young men hustle citizenship by marrying unattractive "white women" just to get a passport. Grand parents brag to their fellow geriatrics on the number of offspring they have overseas.....its a national menace!

 Its rather foolhardy of us to let our lives be defined by people who don't give a hoot about us. I suggest we focus on ourselves, disregard whatever report or list they release, dump in the junk yard their theories/maxims, impart our young with African styled education, if we are to experience growth/development.

 After many years of le struggle, it is quite evident that letting them decide our fate has kept us underdeveloped and stagnant. Countries like China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Brazil, Angola, Venezuela have been able to experience steady growth even in the wake of a global economic crunch. The interesting thing is that they used their unique national knowledge/ideas/methods to achieve feats while the other countries that heeded to the western call remained in the Third World (The special jacuzzi created by the west for those they want to be constantly underdeveloped).

 On a more personal level, you are encouraged to live your life like its yours (Y.O.L.O), determine your own future and make choices knowing that you would be held accountable for whatever decision you make. Stop living at the mercy of others; wondering what they would say or think. Remember, if you fail, you would be blamed and categorised among the banquet of losers.