Where-the-black-race-like-nigerians-have-continued-to-miss-it-as-a-people
September 7, 2020 | News
WHERE THE BLACK RACE, LIKE NIGERIANS, HAVE CONTINUED TO MISS IT AS A PEOPLE
In some of my past write ups on the African continent, which includes my country Nigeria, as well as the African-Americans in the United States of America (USA), I once asked this thought-provoking question: Have you ever wondered if there is something wrong with the Black race? This question comes to mind when we consider the fact that for centuries, the Black race has not been able to fully and truly live out its full potentials as a people. It has always been ‘them’ against ‘themselves’- in the advancement of the Black race. But I have also reiterated in the same write ups that, the greatest problem and danger to the black man is not the white man or any other thing out there. The greatest problem/danger to the black man is the black man, and his intrinsic desire for glory where he has not worked. That is why the issues of tribalism, ethnicity, nepotism and what have you, have always been a problem with the black people, especially those in Africa. And one of the factors that drive this is sheer Greed, and gross lack of love for one another as blacks. This disunity amongst the black race, regardless of the continent they are, is the major reason why we have not been able to get ahead of others we are far more endowed than, in the areas of civilization, development, and advancement.
The saddest part is that, despite all that had happened, and are still happening to the Blackman, we are yet to learn our lessons, identify where our problem lies, and what exactly that needs to be done for us to be robbing shoulders with the developed societies in Europe and America when it comes to global economic and political power and influence.
In a short studio interview video online by Blaxton Network in America, a vocal black advocate quest gave an insight of what we believe is the problem of the Black people, and what needs to be done to reverse the narrative. In his words: “I think as a people we have invested too much into politics and not enough into spiritual reform and economic reform of our people. We made a big mistake in the 60s, 50s and 40s, fighting for civil rights, when we should have been fighting for ‘Silver rights.’ We should have been doing more independent economic affairs, instead of wasting so much time trying to get them to accept us. We have at the time before integration; we had black hotels, black cab companies, black bus companies, black restaurants, and as soon as the white people say you all can come and eat with us, sleep with us, live with us, ride in our cars - all of ours went out of business. Integration meant disintegration because we misappropriated into civil rights instead of silver rights.
“Today, we are doing the same with politics. We are putting too much of our vested interests into electing a benevolent white person into office or a negro that is going to be the manager of white people’s affairs to become the highest opposition in the land. We need to invest more time into spiritual development and economic development as a people. I have never read in the Bible or the Quran where the politician freed the people. Every time I read the scriptures, the politicians were always in cohorts with the rulers and the kings that were the enemies of the messengers and the prophets. And we have seen this in Rome, Egypt, Babylon… Every time you have a nation where everything goes, that nation will soon be gone….” He continued by speaking about how Martin Luther King Jnr was killed at the moment he stopped talking about civil rights and started talking about silver rights, which meant ‘economic power and independence’. And that even his wife reiterated this before she passed away; “they killed my Martin because he got involved in Economics.
“Business in the activity of life. This is the responsibility of any people. God always blesses a people that have their own. Do you know we brought 1.2 trillion dollars last year? As a people? We brought in $600m more than Spain, 700 billion more than Mexico. Yet, Spain has 46 million people like we do, and they maintain a 208,000 square mile land mass, and they own everything. Mexico has a 131,700 million people, and they maintain a 771,500 square mile, with half of the money we have, yet they have a whole country. And we don’t have nothing we can call our own. Something happened to us. We have got to get back into what they call financial literacy. But we’ve got to do it quick, because we’ve got to start doing something for ourselves. We’ve got the dollars; we just need more sense to go with the dollars. We need more sense because right now, we are the leaders of unnecessary spending. We are always buying stuff we don’t need with money that we don’t have, to impress people that we don’t like and to impress people that we don’t even know. And the Negro/black mind right now has been hardwired where happiness is connected to SPENDING. When it needs to be hardwired to INVESTING AND IN SAVING. And if we could re-negotiate the contract in the Blackman’s psyche; from happiness to spending, to investing and saving. I think we could be able to have a bright future.”
While this describes the situation with the African Americans in the USA, it also literally describes the Nigeria situation with the rest of the developed world. Are we not a people who have not been doing much on independent economic investment to grow our economy and nation amongst community of nations, instead of wasting so much time trying to get the developed world to accept our mediocre status? Are we not a people who have putting too much of our personal vested interests into the kind of politics we play, against the general interests of all and sundry regardless of ethnic and religious differences? Are we not a people who have refused to aggressively invest in the economic development of its citizens by investing more in Capital Expenditure that give rise to increased provision for basic infrastructure, as against mismanagement of public funds in Recurrent Expenditure that only increases the private pockets of the few political leaders in Government space at all levels? Are we a nation that can really proudly say that “this is our own” at the commercial global economic front? Are we not a nation with so much money but without the commensurate sense to use that same wealth and transform the lives, the environment and living standard of the entire citizenry?
Are we not the leaders of ‘unnecessary spending’ on a global scale? Are we not as a nation, always buying and importing stuff we don’t need with money that we don’t have, to impress people that we don’t like and to impress people that we don’t even know? According to the statement purportedly from the Central Bank Governor (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, some years ago: “Even with our ta-she-re money we all want to wear designer clothes and carry designer bags, Armani, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton etc. We all want to drive jeeps with American specs, our children must now school overseas and acquire the necessary accents to come back home and bamboozle their ‘bush and crass’ contemporaries that they left behind. Who holidays in Nigeria anymore, is there Disneyland here? No one buys made-in-Nigeria school bags for their children, after all no Superman or Incredible Hulk or Cinderella on them. We are no longer top exporters of anything and the demise of oil means we have zilch… zero. A country of 170M fashion- conscious people has no textile industry. We take delight in showing how our made-in- Switzerland Aso Ebi is different class to everyone else’s... “
In other words, aren’t we as Nigerians, hardwired to think that “happiness is connected to SPENDING? When it needs to be hardwired to INVESTING AND IN SAVING.” This is where we, like every other Black people in Africa and in the rest of the world, have continued to miss it as a race. Not that there are no very successful Black people in Nigeria, Africa and across the world, far from it. But it is that on a large scale, and comparing nations with nations, the Black people have not made their mark count as it should, especially for African nations like Nigeria, considering its enormous human and natural resources and endowments that far outweighs other nations who are far well-developed today with less than what we have. And until we change this African mindset and way of doing things, we will always be regarded as Third-Class Citizens and The Undeveloped People/Societies of the world.
I am yet again, forced to ask Who Did This To Us as Nigerians and Africans? Is there something wrong with us as Nigerians, who are part of the Black race in Africa and in the world? If you are someone who has pondered on this thought-provoking question, then you would agree that, that question only arose on the premise that, despite our being blessed beyond measure in all ramifications, we are still the most underdeveloped and backward nation and continent in the world. And one then begins to wonder why? Will Nigeria, and indeed Africa, ever be regarded as one the most developed societies across the globe in the far future? Or is our case simply a hopeless one?
These are valid questions that are worth being considered because until we find answers to them, we will forever be going in circles as a people, and things will only continue to get worse. Agreed, beyond any shadow of doubt, that bad leaders have always been the bane and problem of Nigeria and Africa’s developmental progress, but where does that leave us the people? These were the same line of thoughts and questions, reiterated recently in a well-circulated short video message by Dr. Israel Nonyerum Davidson. In his words: “Fellow citizens, please lend me your ears and concentration for just four minutes. Four several years now, I have had the privilege and blessing of travelling and working with professionals and educating students across the world; UK, China, Singapore, Malaysia, South-Africa, Greece. However, ever so often, I engage in soul-searching thoughts on Africa, Nigerian our homeland, and the black race in general. I can’t seem to work out why, despite our abundant human and natural resources, and exemplary achievements of Nigerian-born professionals abroad, our nation remains backward in all indices of human progress?
“Recently, a 1988 statement by Pieter Willem Botha of the Apartheid South-Africa, challenged me to tears. He said: “Black people cannot rule themselves because they don’t have the brain and mental capacity to govern a society. You give them guns; they will kill themselves. You give them power; they will loot the treasury. Give them independence and democracy, and they will use it to promote tribalism, ethnicity, bigotry, hatred, killings and wars.” Fellow citizens, let me challenge you. have you, and your leaders and governments proved the racist South-African wrong since the statement was made in 1988? Think about it. You see, we are the only race, that is ready and willing to sacrifice meritocracy, national developmental progress; to favour protection of tribal and religious loyalty, despite the recycling consequences before us since independence. Take a look at the literacy rate in Nigeria. At 62% for young adults of 15 to 24, one expects informed national decisions with positive national impacts. One for example, is the quality of the national leaders. We are not moved by these economic and security realities in human suffering in our Nation.”
As also noted by Paul Akporowho: “It is a very complicated matter for politicians in Nigeria. Those that have "political values" usually lack integrity, capacity and innovation. The need to reward "party faithfuls" and thugs who help to deliver the election, often makes it difficult to give consideration to non- partisan technocrats who are usually men of integrity, highly productive and purposeful individuals who would have nothing to do with ‘I go die’ politicking!”
Dr. Nonyerum continued with: “We are not moved by the quality of our leaders. Or, how and why the Blackman is being ridiculed world-wide, provided our tribe, political party, religion; controls political power. That is shameful! Even our highly educated elites and professionals, and media outlets in North and South, keep a blind eye to the realities of the Nigerian state for tribal, religious and personal enrichment considerations. Yet, we wonder why our nation remains the poverty capital of the world. Yet, we wonder why the black race is increasingly undervalued and humiliated all over the world? Who did to us? Who did this to us? Do you ever ask this question? Covid-19 has exposed the state of our nation, and the accumulated impact of the quality of our leadership over several years. Our leaders are repeating the errors of five hundred years ago, when our Kings and military aristocrats sold our people into slavery for nails and gun-powder. They fail to realize that by their decisions, they have confined future generations into perpetual slavery, exploitation, and abuse.
“Today, foreign powers are acquiring hectares of land outrightly across Nigeria and Africa for the next phase of our slavery and colonization. Once more, our leaders are mortgaging the future, freedom, existence, survival and progress of generations. For short-term, worthless, stage-managed red-carpet receptions, hand-shakes, cheap collateral loans, travel visas and personal gains. These colonizing countries are not to blame for taking decisions in their own national interest. The question is, are our leaders making the necessary decisions in our national interests? I put this to you, as a matter of urgency, WE MUST IDENTIFY, DEVELOP AND EMBRACE A NEW BREED OF COMPETENT AND PATRIOTIC LEADERS, WHO DESIRE TO SEE OUR NATION AND AFRICA, HELP AFRICANS DEVELOP CONFIDENCE IN THEMSELVES, THEIR CULTURE, FOOD, DRESS CODES, AND THE WAY THEY WALK AND TALK AND TO TAKE FULL CONTROL OF THEIR NATURAL RESOURCES AND NATIONAL BORDERS. Please, join me to awake the conscience of Nigerians and Africans in general, before it is too late. Share this message as a duty to the rest in your country and the continent. Our lives, our future, our survival; depends on our collective contributions. This message is not about me, it is about us, and our future. I am playing my part. I hope you play yours.”
Even the Nigerian media are not helping matters with their skewed reporting. The emphasis on the politicians is more than the emphasis on the Nigerian economy. The so-called media publicity on the politicians is uncalled for. Politics in Nigeria, and indeed most African countries, has become the surest and quickest way to become a billionaire overnight. Nigerians chose to follow this path of only grabbing political power since it is the surest means to instant wealth. If one is connected to a State Governor, then one has arrived. It is now a thing of pride to say that a State Governor is your friend. Is that not foolishness? If a State Governor answers one’s calls, then your day is blessed. We have so highly-exalted these public offices to the point that many have continued to run after these same politicians who have stolen our collective wealth. What a shame!
Like we have often reiterated, no foreigner can effectively and efficiently develop our country, continent and race for us. That onerous task, no matter how daunting and challenging it might seem, only belongs to us the Black people, and can best be done by us. So, it is high time our political leaders and the general masses stop making excuses and start using their ‘thinking faculties aright’ in harnessing the enormous strength, human and natural resources that God has left in their disposal, regardless of where they are as a Black race. It is those race that command Economic Power that ultimately command Political Power and enormous influence at the global scale.
Zik Gbemre.
July 17, 2020.
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
In some of my past write ups on the African continent, which includes my country Nigeria, as well as the African-Americans in the United States of America (USA), I once asked this thought-provoking question: Have you ever wondered if there is something wrong with the Black race? This question comes to mind when we consider the fact that for centuries, the Black race has not been able to fully and truly live out its full potentials as a people. It has always been ‘them’ against ‘themselves’- in the advancement of the Black race. But I have also reiterated in the same write ups that, the greatest problem and danger to the black man is not the white man or any other thing out there. The greatest problem/danger to the black man is the black man, and his intrinsic desire for glory where he has not worked. That is why the issues of tribalism, ethnicity, nepotism and what have you, have always been a problem with the black people, especially those in Africa. And one of the factors that drive this is sheer Greed, and gross lack of love for one another as blacks. This disunity amongst the black race, regardless of the continent they are, is the major reason why we have not been able to get ahead of others we are far more endowed than, in the areas of civilization, development, and advancement.
The saddest part is that, despite all that had happened, and are still happening to the Blackman, we are yet to learn our lessons, identify where our problem lies, and what exactly that needs to be done for us to be robbing shoulders with the developed societies in Europe and America when it comes to global economic and political power and influence.
In a short studio interview video online by Blaxton Network in America, a vocal black advocate quest gave an insight of what we believe is the problem of the Black people, and what needs to be done to reverse the narrative. In his words: “I think as a people we have invested too much into politics and not enough into spiritual reform and economic reform of our people. We made a big mistake in the 60s, 50s and 40s, fighting for civil rights, when we should have been fighting for ‘Silver rights.’ We should have been doing more independent economic affairs, instead of wasting so much time trying to get them to accept us. We have at the time before integration; we had black hotels, black cab companies, black bus companies, black restaurants, and as soon as the white people say you all can come and eat with us, sleep with us, live with us, ride in our cars - all of ours went out of business. Integration meant disintegration because we misappropriated into civil rights instead of silver rights.
“Today, we are doing the same with politics. We are putting too much of our vested interests into electing a benevolent white person into office or a negro that is going to be the manager of white people’s affairs to become the highest opposition in the land. We need to invest more time into spiritual development and economic development as a people. I have never read in the Bible or the Quran where the politician freed the people. Every time I read the scriptures, the politicians were always in cohorts with the rulers and the kings that were the enemies of the messengers and the prophets. And we have seen this in Rome, Egypt, Babylon… Every time you have a nation where everything goes, that nation will soon be gone….” He continued by speaking about how Martin Luther King Jnr was killed at the moment he stopped talking about civil rights and started talking about silver rights, which meant ‘economic power and independence’. And that even his wife reiterated this before she passed away; “they killed my Martin because he got involved in Economics.
“Business in the activity of life. This is the responsibility of any people. God always blesses a people that have their own. Do you know we brought 1.2 trillion dollars last year? As a people? We brought in $600m more than Spain, 700 billion more than Mexico. Yet, Spain has 46 million people like we do, and they maintain a 208,000 square mile land mass, and they own everything. Mexico has a 131,700 million people, and they maintain a 771,500 square mile, with half of the money we have, yet they have a whole country. And we don’t have nothing we can call our own. Something happened to us. We have got to get back into what they call financial literacy. But we’ve got to do it quick, because we’ve got to start doing something for ourselves. We’ve got the dollars; we just need more sense to go with the dollars. We need more sense because right now, we are the leaders of unnecessary spending. We are always buying stuff we don’t need with money that we don’t have, to impress people that we don’t like and to impress people that we don’t even know. And the Negro/black mind right now has been hardwired where happiness is connected to SPENDING. When it needs to be hardwired to INVESTING AND IN SAVING. And if we could re-negotiate the contract in the Blackman’s psyche; from happiness to spending, to investing and saving. I think we could be able to have a bright future.”
While this describes the situation with the African Americans in the USA, it also literally describes the Nigeria situation with the rest of the developed world. Are we not a people who have not been doing much on independent economic investment to grow our economy and nation amongst community of nations, instead of wasting so much time trying to get the developed world to accept our mediocre status? Are we not a people who have putting too much of our personal vested interests into the kind of politics we play, against the general interests of all and sundry regardless of ethnic and religious differences? Are we not a people who have refused to aggressively invest in the economic development of its citizens by investing more in Capital Expenditure that give rise to increased provision for basic infrastructure, as against mismanagement of public funds in Recurrent Expenditure that only increases the private pockets of the few political leaders in Government space at all levels? Are we a nation that can really proudly say that “this is our own” at the commercial global economic front? Are we not a nation with so much money but without the commensurate sense to use that same wealth and transform the lives, the environment and living standard of the entire citizenry?
Are we not the leaders of ‘unnecessary spending’ on a global scale? Are we not as a nation, always buying and importing stuff we don’t need with money that we don’t have, to impress people that we don’t like and to impress people that we don’t even know? According to the statement purportedly from the Central Bank Governor (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, some years ago: “Even with our ta-she-re money we all want to wear designer clothes and carry designer bags, Armani, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton etc. We all want to drive jeeps with American specs, our children must now school overseas and acquire the necessary accents to come back home and bamboozle their ‘bush and crass’ contemporaries that they left behind. Who holidays in Nigeria anymore, is there Disneyland here? No one buys made-in-Nigeria school bags for their children, after all no Superman or Incredible Hulk or Cinderella on them. We are no longer top exporters of anything and the demise of oil means we have zilch… zero. A country of 170M fashion- conscious people has no textile industry. We take delight in showing how our made-in- Switzerland Aso Ebi is different class to everyone else’s... “
In other words, aren’t we as Nigerians, hardwired to think that “happiness is connected to SPENDING? When it needs to be hardwired to INVESTING AND IN SAVING.” This is where we, like every other Black people in Africa and in the rest of the world, have continued to miss it as a race. Not that there are no very successful Black people in Nigeria, Africa and across the world, far from it. But it is that on a large scale, and comparing nations with nations, the Black people have not made their mark count as it should, especially for African nations like Nigeria, considering its enormous human and natural resources and endowments that far outweighs other nations who are far well-developed today with less than what we have. And until we change this African mindset and way of doing things, we will always be regarded as Third-Class Citizens and The Undeveloped People/Societies of the world.
I am yet again, forced to ask Who Did This To Us as Nigerians and Africans? Is there something wrong with us as Nigerians, who are part of the Black race in Africa and in the world? If you are someone who has pondered on this thought-provoking question, then you would agree that, that question only arose on the premise that, despite our being blessed beyond measure in all ramifications, we are still the most underdeveloped and backward nation and continent in the world. And one then begins to wonder why? Will Nigeria, and indeed Africa, ever be regarded as one the most developed societies across the globe in the far future? Or is our case simply a hopeless one?
These are valid questions that are worth being considered because until we find answers to them, we will forever be going in circles as a people, and things will only continue to get worse. Agreed, beyond any shadow of doubt, that bad leaders have always been the bane and problem of Nigeria and Africa’s developmental progress, but where does that leave us the people? These were the same line of thoughts and questions, reiterated recently in a well-circulated short video message by Dr. Israel Nonyerum Davidson. In his words: “Fellow citizens, please lend me your ears and concentration for just four minutes. Four several years now, I have had the privilege and blessing of travelling and working with professionals and educating students across the world; UK, China, Singapore, Malaysia, South-Africa, Greece. However, ever so often, I engage in soul-searching thoughts on Africa, Nigerian our homeland, and the black race in general. I can’t seem to work out why, despite our abundant human and natural resources, and exemplary achievements of Nigerian-born professionals abroad, our nation remains backward in all indices of human progress?
“Recently, a 1988 statement by Pieter Willem Botha of the Apartheid South-Africa, challenged me to tears. He said: “Black people cannot rule themselves because they don’t have the brain and mental capacity to govern a society. You give them guns; they will kill themselves. You give them power; they will loot the treasury. Give them independence and democracy, and they will use it to promote tribalism, ethnicity, bigotry, hatred, killings and wars.” Fellow citizens, let me challenge you. have you, and your leaders and governments proved the racist South-African wrong since the statement was made in 1988? Think about it. You see, we are the only race, that is ready and willing to sacrifice meritocracy, national developmental progress; to favour protection of tribal and religious loyalty, despite the recycling consequences before us since independence. Take a look at the literacy rate in Nigeria. At 62% for young adults of 15 to 24, one expects informed national decisions with positive national impacts. One for example, is the quality of the national leaders. We are not moved by these economic and security realities in human suffering in our Nation.”
As also noted by Paul Akporowho: “It is a very complicated matter for politicians in Nigeria. Those that have "political values" usually lack integrity, capacity and innovation. The need to reward "party faithfuls" and thugs who help to deliver the election, often makes it difficult to give consideration to non- partisan technocrats who are usually men of integrity, highly productive and purposeful individuals who would have nothing to do with ‘I go die’ politicking!”
Dr. Nonyerum continued with: “We are not moved by the quality of our leaders. Or, how and why the Blackman is being ridiculed world-wide, provided our tribe, political party, religion; controls political power. That is shameful! Even our highly educated elites and professionals, and media outlets in North and South, keep a blind eye to the realities of the Nigerian state for tribal, religious and personal enrichment considerations. Yet, we wonder why our nation remains the poverty capital of the world. Yet, we wonder why the black race is increasingly undervalued and humiliated all over the world? Who did to us? Who did this to us? Do you ever ask this question? Covid-19 has exposed the state of our nation, and the accumulated impact of the quality of our leadership over several years. Our leaders are repeating the errors of five hundred years ago, when our Kings and military aristocrats sold our people into slavery for nails and gun-powder. They fail to realize that by their decisions, they have confined future generations into perpetual slavery, exploitation, and abuse.
“Today, foreign powers are acquiring hectares of land outrightly across Nigeria and Africa for the next phase of our slavery and colonization. Once more, our leaders are mortgaging the future, freedom, existence, survival and progress of generations. For short-term, worthless, stage-managed red-carpet receptions, hand-shakes, cheap collateral loans, travel visas and personal gains. These colonizing countries are not to blame for taking decisions in their own national interest. The question is, are our leaders making the necessary decisions in our national interests? I put this to you, as a matter of urgency, WE MUST IDENTIFY, DEVELOP AND EMBRACE A NEW BREED OF COMPETENT AND PATRIOTIC LEADERS, WHO DESIRE TO SEE OUR NATION AND AFRICA, HELP AFRICANS DEVELOP CONFIDENCE IN THEMSELVES, THEIR CULTURE, FOOD, DRESS CODES, AND THE WAY THEY WALK AND TALK AND TO TAKE FULL CONTROL OF THEIR NATURAL RESOURCES AND NATIONAL BORDERS. Please, join me to awake the conscience of Nigerians and Africans in general, before it is too late. Share this message as a duty to the rest in your country and the continent. Our lives, our future, our survival; depends on our collective contributions. This message is not about me, it is about us, and our future. I am playing my part. I hope you play yours.”
Even the Nigerian media are not helping matters with their skewed reporting. The emphasis on the politicians is more than the emphasis on the Nigerian economy. The so-called media publicity on the politicians is uncalled for. Politics in Nigeria, and indeed most African countries, has become the surest and quickest way to become a billionaire overnight. Nigerians chose to follow this path of only grabbing political power since it is the surest means to instant wealth. If one is connected to a State Governor, then one has arrived. It is now a thing of pride to say that a State Governor is your friend. Is that not foolishness? If a State Governor answers one’s calls, then your day is blessed. We have so highly-exalted these public offices to the point that many have continued to run after these same politicians who have stolen our collective wealth. What a shame!
Like we have often reiterated, no foreigner can effectively and efficiently develop our country, continent and race for us. That onerous task, no matter how daunting and challenging it might seem, only belongs to us the Black people, and can best be done by us. So, it is high time our political leaders and the general masses stop making excuses and start using their ‘thinking faculties aright’ in harnessing the enormous strength, human and natural resources that God has left in their disposal, regardless of where they are as a Black race. It is those race that command Economic Power that ultimately command Political Power and enormous influence at the global scale.
Zik Gbemre.
July 17, 2020.
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes