Hey,
It has been quite sometimes I wanted to make a reply to this, or particularly Husnaa’s lengthy reply and the replies it calls forth in this thread. Let me jam the gun, as they say, by, from the onset, stating (that) I am 50/50% with both sides—those who view the cause(s) of our persisting and festering problem is we Nigerians, and no one else’; and those (or Husnaa alone) who sees the West or Western countries as the root cause of our problem. Each argument is but based, reasonable and justifiable; though the latter is veiled with unstated reality while the former is explicit.
Let us examine both cases carefully:
I feel it’s rather pertinent by preamble to state how 20th century Africa is categorized by Horace Campbell (2010). He divides that into 5 sequential categories, according to the occurrences of the events:
●Traditions of enslavement, colonization and partition
● 1900-1925 Unfinished partitioning and war
●1925-1945 Depression and war
●1950-1975 Decolonization and independence
●1975-2000 Anti-apartheid victories
(The scope of the issue being discussed is expanded because Nigeria accounts for over half of West Africa's population).
I beseech you to look at the aforementioned, reflect back and ponder the present. I know one shall understand that whatever Western nations are accused of doing or masterminding concerning Africa’s affair is nothing surprising or unbelievable. They had us for virtually a whole century, so to speak. They still have us to some extent, as outlined Husnaa.
More-over, look at the interlocking crisis that bedeviled Africa ranging from religious, democracy, capitalist (recession and depression), energy, name the rest. That reminds me of the famous words of Desmond Tutu that West “condemns Africa to incineration”.
For a typical example: Niger Delta militants are apparently sponsored by “interested foreign parties”; our crude oil is still refined in foreign shores; our leaders do solely rely on what their mentors tell them to do from outside, for e.g. number of barrel to produce per day; even the country in spite of all the monies it has in treasury still go to foreign banks for loan, etc. West remain a puppeteer of our many internal matters.
Yet (a big yet!), all these notwithstanding, we can (and ought to) fight against that foreign force. Resist the pressure, push back as practically done by many countries. For a typical example: the South Africa of today. No-one would dare trying comparing that wonderful country with Nigeria. Why? That’s where the reasonableness of the other contention lies. We are, from this perspective, if not the constructors, the re-constructors of those problems.
Nigeria is an exceptional country in Africa, and its problem matchless. The country is endowed with virtually everything any country would hope for for it to strive and develop; yet it is confounded with problems that no country would hope for for it could lead to its death. Undeniably all that we lack is good leadership. Our leaders are only after enriching themselves, their kith and kin and nobody else. Their interest first, everything not even next but last.
Unless and until we have good leaders who are able to resist western influence and can render selfless, honest and dedicated service for their fatherland we will remain where we are, if not worsen.
