a piece to correct President Buhari's speech that Nigerians are known for criminality
Historically, it started as far back as the fifteenth century, history records it that Pastor Lacacas and the Portugese, in trying to build the ‘new world’ discovered that Africans were much more stronger, energetic and hardworking, they would till the ground under the scorching sun for hours. Since their service was required to build the new world therefore, the European would legitimize slave trade. Africans were captured, exported, bruised and brutalized, they were compelled to work the unsalaried, even under the worst condition imaginable and this continued for over three hundred years! Subsequently, “since slavery is useful for early accumulation of capital but too rigid for industrial development” as recorded in the words of Walter Rodney (1974), the Europeans would resort to a new form of slavery, they would ‘capture the mind so that the body goes where the mind wants’. Afterall, the Europeans knew that if they did not control the minds of Africans they would not be able to control Africans physically and politically. They therefore renew this form of slavery with different names; development, civilization, capitalism, globalization etc… meanwhile, one of the greatest means of utilizing this weapon is to sell to us that they are superior in all ramifications and they did justice to that by continuously telling us the positive part of their story such that their countries have become a kind of paradise before us and when we compare our state with theirs, we tend to wail.
Indeed, we may be less developed, compared to the level of development in the countries that robbed us, perhaps we should not forget that Africa did help to develop Europe in the same way as Europe helped to underdevelop Africa. An African adage says “Until the Lions have their historians, tales of hunt will always glorify the hunters”. Thank God for the Neo Marxist and the contemporary African writers who have dealt with this on an equilibrium level. A renowned novelist Chinma-Amanda Adichie once posit that the danger in a single story is that they make ones story become the only story and that it is only when we realize that there’s never a single story about any place that we regain a kind of paradise. Howbeit, when the story of Africa and Africans are told, only the negative parts are touched, the inter-ethnic wars, the rampant diseases, military coup, rape, attacks etc… Nigeria is also a victim of this, but what is most painful is that this single negative story is not just told by those who are not really familiar with Nigeria but re-echoed by the indigenes. We seem to have forgotten the richness in our culture, the weather that some part of the world would pay and pray for (even if we don’t celebrate it), our rich percussions and music, the beauty of the diverse language and most importantly, the energetic, happy, brilliant, resourceful, talented and hardworking citizens!
Edmund Burke once posited that “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do npthing”… in the same vein, when part of people’s story are told and all that is told is the negative part, it would be ‘triumph of evil’ if no one stand to tell the other good part of the story.
As much as I believe in the incumbent government in Nigeria to outperform the previous administration irrespective of the challenge(s) it faces now, I would like to reiterate that what matters most is that Nigeria is great again and at the expense of my support for ANY administration, the truth must be spoken at any given point, since that is needed for effective actualization of the change we all seek. It is against this backdrop that this piece is written to emend Mr President’s statement in an interview with U.K newspaper, that Nigerians have got reputation for criminality. Might I start by saying that the biggest fraud or theft in America (perhaps in the world) by an individual, (60 Billion U.S Dollars) was named to Bernie Madoff, an American, meanwhile this doesn’t mean that Americans have reputation for criminality, as a matter of factual I’ve got friends from America in whom every bit of a good person to be with can be found. Shelby Grossman, a PhD student in Havard University, Meredith Startz, a PhD student in University of Yale, Derek Burke, a close pal and many other Americans who are hardworking, inquisitive, friendly and brilliant! It would be an insult on the personalities of other Americans to conclude that because Bernie stole that much, other Americans are criminals. Apart from insults on personalities, another implication is that such assumptions would not only ruin their reputation in the globe but retract foreign investors from the American soil and Americans who are outside the shores of their country may find it difficult to earn a living, afterall, who would want to employ a criminal? Also, we hear of rape cases often in some countries, some countries are known for drug trafficking, however, there was no time that any of their leaders assume that their people are rapists or drug traffickers, especially on the international stage.
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Perhaps, if Mr President had posited that some of the Nigerian leaders have failed the country, it would have been another ball game entirely, because we are aware that a certain former leader of Nigeria once said that ‘Nigeria’s problem was not money but how to spend it’. Also, we have not forgotten that over $16Billion oil revenues were lost between 1979-1983, under President Shehu Shagari, how about the $12.4Bilion oil windfall that the Babangida administration squandered? Of course, the remains of the Billions of Dollar siphoned under Abacha’s regime still manifests till date. Christopher Kolade’s panel also reported how much of the country’s resources General Abdusalami Abubakar’s administration stole, even within a year. The fourth republic was no exception, Alamieyeseigha $55million embezzlement, Tafa Balogun 13Billion naira in 2004, Abubakar Audu 4Billion Naira, Madam Etteh furnished her house with 628 million Naira, Mohammed Abacha’s 446Billion Naira, John Yakubu stole pension fund which amounts to 27.2Billion Naira, an incumbent Governor in a south west state of Nigeria was once faced with 51 count charges of about 1.3Billion Naira, meanwhile, there was a time under the last administration when $20Billion Dollars suddenly disappeared from the treasury… interestingly, all of these are just part of the whole loot by the so called leaders. But Mr President had chosen not to talk about this but to assume that we are ALL criminals!
When I wrote Trageria, I remember I mentioned that it was not to take anything away from the achievements of the brilliant, energetic and true Nigerians who against all odds have stood up and risen above the ‘would have averted challenges’ created by some leaders to make it to wherever they are, both home and in diaspora! Shall I tell you about Ikiliagwu Nonso, my friend, who despite economic challenges studied for her first degree in Nigeria, won a scholarship for her postgraduate studies in America and today, mentors young ladies all over the country. Ayodele Dada, a friend of friend, studied Psychology in my alma mater, University of Lagos and graduated with a cumulative grade point average of 5.0 of 5.0, that’s 100 all over 100! ChinmaAmanda Ngozi Adichie is a renowned international writer whose writings and speeches attracts attention worldwide, so much that it motivates even international artistes. Deola Sagoe is a Unilag Alumna whose lively and colourful fashion designing skills has earned international notoriety. Phillip Emeagwali is an inventor and scientist who was voted the greatest African scientist of all time! Recently in U.K, Chris and Ann Imafidon and their children (from Edo state, Nigeria) were voted the smartest family in the whole of the United Kingdom for their brainstorming achievements. How about Damian Anyawu, a man who built the first private operated radio station in Nigeria, he developed a radio short-wave transmitter powered by herbs and he’s the founder of Damian Anyawu Research Center Inc. (DARCI) in the U.S. Dr Olurotimi Badero is the ONLY combined Cardiologist and Nephrologist (Heart and Kidney) in the whole of America, perhaps in the whole world! Saheela Ibraheem, a 19 year old Nigerian, Havard Neurologist undergraduate, was in 2015 recognized as one of the world’s 50 smartest teens. Ramola Adeola (26) is the youngest PhD graduate of Law in the history of centre for human rights. Adebayo Ogunlesi, an investment banker from Ogun state owns Gatwick international Airport, the second largest Airport in London. Bunmi Awoniyi, is the first Nigerian to be appointed a superior court Judge in the U.S (California). Nike Okundaye, a 64 year old textile and Batik designer, does not even have a formal education but lectures at Havard University, Dr Salamat Aliu is the first certified Neurosurgeon in West Africa and the first indigenous trained female Neurosurgeon in Nigeria. Jelani Aliyu who hailed from Sokoto, designed the Chevrolet Volt. Sowore Omoyele is the founder of Sahara reporter, a website which operates with high level of transparency such that it earns the name ‘Wikileaks of Africa’ by an America news reporting website, The Daily Beast. Oviemo Ovadje produced a manual emergency autologous blood transfusion device. Ezekiel Izuogu constructed a saloon car Z-600. How about Bisade Ologunde, popularly known as Lagbaja, who keeps alive the kind of African and Nigerian music, Agbani Darego was the first native back African to be crowned Miss World, Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka (Wole Soyinka), a literary icon who earns the first African Laureate and many other Nigerians… I saw on the news some few months back, the convocation ceremony of a technology institution in Ghana and the best two graduating students were Nigerians, also a report I read recently claims that Nigerians are about the most educated migrants (international students) in the world, guess what? ALL of these People are Nigerians! Although the list seems endless but this constitutes less than 10% of the feat Nigerians have achieved both home and abroad!
How do we then say that NIGERIANS have got reputation for criminality? Williams Shakespeare in his famous work Romeo and Juliet maintains that ‘the name does not make the person because a rose flower would smell the same even if it’s called by any other name’. I strongly believe that though we are ‘mistakenly’ referred to as ‘Criminals’, probably the word ‘some’ would have changed the collective outlook of the statement, yet I know that WE are NOT Criminals.
Apologies to over 180 million Nigerians, on behalf of the Presidency. My name is Adesanya Samuel Oluwadamilare, a fresh graduate from the University of Lagos, I drop my pen with these words; NIGERIANS are great people and NIGERIA is a great nation.
God bless Nigeria!
Damilare Psalmuel
@Expletandum
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