Nigeria

Nigeria is the giant of Africa. The home of the largest number of black people in the world. It is believed that one in every four black man on earth is a Nigerian.

Abuja is the new Federal capital of Nigeria, while the former capital city, Lagos, now serves as the economic capital of the country. . The official language is English and the national currency is the Naira. Officially, Nigeria is a federal republic made up of 36 states and Abuja, the Federal capital territory. The country is a republic with a presidential form of government.

Nigeria started off as an amalgamation of three major tribes and more than 250 smaller tribes that make up only about thirty per cent of the population, by the British colonialists. These were tribes who all speak different languages, have different cultures, religions, food and dress code! Even the topography is different. It varies from deciduous rain forests in the south of the country through a savannah belt to the Saharan north.

The name Nigeria was coined by the British colonialists in 1898 to describe the land trisected by the rivers Niger and Benue inhabited by different peoples. The major reason for this amalgamation was to enhance the economic, trade and business interests of the colonialists.

In 1914, the amalgamation was completed and Nigeria became one nation. Sadly most Nigerians still identify more with their ethnic group than with the nation. There is a Nigerian proverb that says ‘if everybody’s father dies, he will rot in bed’ because everybody will be bickering on how best to bury him. A mother is more precious and there is usually more cohesion in dealing with affairs relating to ‘mother’.

That seems to be the major problem of Nigeria, the father of everybody. The day Nigeria becomes ‘motherland’ as against ‘fatherland’; she might be on the right path to greatness.

Right now the country is bedeviled by a fierce scramble for Nigeria. Every tribe, regional groups, ethnic groups, interest groups and powerful individuals are in this fierce scramble to control the wealth and resources of the country. Policies are skewed to attain this objective and implementation of laws and policies etc, are manipulated to fit in. Hence the desperate and sometimes violent struggle for political power which is the ultimate conveyor of power, privilege and wealth to do exactly whatever one wants without any fear of challenge. Most likely, this arrogant impunity which is the bane of most African countries is what is holding Nigeria down.

This seems to be the most rational explanation of why a country so richly blessed in human and natural resources is still wallowing in poverty, disease and underdevelopment.

Nigeria is a country of over 160 million people crammed into a land area of 356,667 sq mi (923,768 km2). President Festus Mogae, past president of Botswana, while speaking at the 10th annual dialogue sponsored by the Daily Trust in Nigeria, in January, 2013, described Nigerians thus:

“They have the most educated critical mass of educated and experienced people. Nigerians as a people are very enterprising. They are also very confident and combative”

This is one of the reasons why Nigerians have excelled in all fields of endeavor all over the world, be it professional, high skill, low skill or manual. They are also an easy going, maybe too easy going, people who love to criticise and laugh at themselves but do not take it kindly if outsiders criticize them. They also are very friendly, hospitable and accommodating, always willing to give an advice on how to make the nation better. It is easy in Nigeria to hear a carpenter, who cannot construct a stool properly, to advice a brain surgeon on how to carry out the operation. Giving advice, no matter how ridiculous, is a major Nigerian pastime. That is why Grotto Afrique too has joined in. That is why too, a wise man will sift through all. That is why Grotto Afrique has a section for comments, click “contact us” Nigerian leaders can pass as the most advised group in the world by Nigerians and foreigners alike.

So what has gone wrong? Why is the country still having problems?

A divided country with fatherland mentality will always have problems and remain underdeveloped.

The leaders love to play the ostrich seemingly oblivious to the problems of the country while indulging in praising themselves and always scoring themselves high on their ‘achievements’. Especially with an over bloated and obsessive anti corruption campaign that seems corrupt both in conception and implementation. The followers also are generally arrogant and disrespectful. Could this therefore be a case of bad and arrogant leaders and equally bad and arrogant followers?

Nigerians strongly believe that their problems will be solved one day. How, when and by whom is the major question. But whenever that happens, Nigeria will be one of the greatest nations on earth and the pride of the black race.

The Nigerian Presidents