Sunday, September 30, 2012

USA Africa Dialogue Series - How Not to Build a Nation: Reflections on Nigeria @ 52 (Part 1)


How Not to Build a Nation: Reflections on Nigeria @ 52 (Part 1)
By
Chido Onumah
 

 

"Except in the eyes of the extremely naive and incurable swindlers in the corridors of power, this country has already collapsed; only that the horror of its probable disintegration would be difficult to face." This fascinating quote by journalist and activist, Godwin Onyeacholem, truly captures the Nigerian reality today. It's been 52 years in the making.

On October 1, 2012, the Nigerian State under the supervision of President Goodluck Jonathan will perform the ritual of celebrating the country's independence. It is noteworthy that the Jonathan administration has decided not to go for the pomp and circumstance associated with such celebrations which really would have added insult to our collective injury. But typical of our ruling elite, the planned sombre celebration is  just another ruse, meant to pave way for a more elaborate, yet misguided, multi-billion naira celebration in 2014 to mark the centennial anniversary of the creation of Nigeria in 1914.

By every standard one decides to judge Nigeria, it has failed woefully as a nation. It is worth repeating because there are those afflicted with eternal delusions about, to use the weasel words of our politicians, "moving it forward", the way it is presently constituted. It is mere wishful thinking. No amount of fancy talk or transformational balderdash can alter the fact that Nigeria is a full-blown "kleptocracy", a state ruled by thieves, in the words of Prof. Niyi Osundare, on the way to imminent implosion.

It has been said that Nigeria is a country of great potential and promise. It remains just that after 52 years: a country of great potential and promise. The reality, to quote Chinua Achebe, is that "Nigeria is not a great country. It is one of the most disorderly nations in the world. It is one of the most corrupt, insensitive, inefficient places under the sun. It is one of the most expensive countries and one of those that give least value for money. It is dirty, callous, noisy, ostentatious, dishonest and vulgar. In short, it is among the most unpleasant places on earth."

That was almost three decades ago. We have since raised the stakes. "Today, rogues, armed robbers are in the State Houses of Assembly and the National Assembly,'' former President Olusegun Obasanjo – a man who ought to stand trial for his unqualified misgovernance of Nigeria -- said a few months ago. Obasanjo should know. He, more than anyone else, facilitated the emergence of these scoundrels who have taken over our democratic space.  

Very few countries in the world can take the unrepressed pillage, outrageous abuse and unmitigated violation which the self-acclaimed giant of Africa has received and remain standing. David Cameron, British PM, has been quoted as saying, "If the amount of money stolen out of Nigeria in the last 30 years was stolen in the UK, the UK would not exist again." There are many figures in the public domain about how much our leaders have siphoned from the country since independence. From Nuhu Ribadu, former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), we learnt that the amount is "more than six times the total sum that went into rebuilding Europe in the aftermath of the Second World War via the famous European Recovery Programme, ERP programme or Marshall Plan". The ERP programme was $13billion. Interestingly, Germany, the choice location for medical care for our leaders, was one of the beneficiaries of the Marshall Plan.

We can spend the next few weeks cataloguing the problems of Nigeria and we would not have scratched the surface. Where do we start? Is it something as basic as education where it has been revealed that "Nigerians commit about  N160 billion ($1billion) to the education of their children and wards in Ghanaian universities every year". A recent newspaper report quotes the Chairman, Committee of Pro-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, Dr. Wale Babalakin, as saying "the cost excludes huge amounts also spent on education of Nigerians in other countries such as the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Canada and Malaysia". From Dr. Babalakin we also learnt that there are about 75,000 Nigerian students in Ghana, a country which, in the last decade, has been spending up to 35 percent of its annual budget (far beyond the UNESCO recommendation of a minimum of 26 percent) on education.

Let's take a minor issue like polio eradication. Just recently, the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) issued a report which noted that "of six global sanctuaries for the poliovirus (which stand against the anticipated eradication), Nigeria's Kano and Bornu States are the most problematic".

"Apart from Afghanistan, Nigeria's northern region specifically constitutes major concern for global polio fighters, who now worry over the quality of local personnel and efforts. Although Kano, Bornu, and four other global (problematic) spots represent a relatively tiny proportion of the earth's land surface area, the Monitoring Board had hinted that they 'pose disproportionate risk to the likelihood of success for the entire globe'", the report noted. "There are now just six countries with persistent polio transmission. Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan have never interrupted transmission. Angola, Chad and DR Congo have 're-established' polio. Nigeria has slipped back in a quite alarming way. Afghanistan's programme is consistently performing at a reasonable level."

This is a snapshot of the sorry story of Nigeria. We are not just the poster child for corruption. Whether we are talking about education, maternal or infant mortality, security, justice and rule of law, we rank at the very bottom and are constantly in competition with the world's most retrograde countries.

The failure of Nigeria is essentially the failure of leadership. For some strange reason, it appears, we have been cursed with bad leaders right from the moment the colonialists departed 52 years ago. Unlike in places like Ghana and Tanzania, our post-independence rulers, rather than building a new nation and an egalitarian society, were more eager to replace the departing colonizers and subsequently initiate a more malicious brand of internal colonialism from the contraption that was handed over to them.

Over the years, the quality of leadership has degenerated, breeding various vices and entrenching unparalleled corruption which has now become a directive principle of state policy. There are those who accuse "ordinary" Nigerians of complicity in this rot. A typical example would be to point to the policeman or woman at a "road block" and conveniently say corruption is a Nigerian and, therefore, there is nothing we can do about it. I disagree. If the man on the street is corrupt, it is simply because the country's leadership has not led by example.

Where is the incentive for the policeman to be upright? Is it that his take-home pay can take him to and fro work in a month? That his children can get basic education or that his family can afford adequate medical care when they  need it? Never mind that he is more likely to buy his own uniform and other paraphernalia of policing. That's after he must have paid around N200,000 ($1250) to middlemen to join the police. Meanwhile, his Inspector General is the proud owner of numerous housing estates and companies and would rank amongst the richest men in the country.  

Can a people really rise above the leadership they are confronted with? Leadership is everything! Since my encounter with Chinua Achebe's book, The Trouble with Nigeria almost three decades ago, I have found it a constant companion. Achebe's book goes to the heart of the Nigerian problem. But it is also a book that gives us hope that Nigeria is redeemable and we shouldn't give up on the country.

At his pedagogic best, Achebe wrote: "The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. There is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian character. There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian land or climate or water or air or anything else. The Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responsibility, to the challenge of personal example which are the hallmarks of true leadership. Leaders are, in the language of psychologists, role models. People look up to them and copy their actions, behaviour and even mannerisms. Therefore if a leader lacks discipline the effect is apt to spread automatically down to his followers."

Nigerians are good followers. So, it is only proper that if our leaders have shown themselves  to be lawless, Nigerians have learnt not to be law-abiding. Achebe talks about indiscipline on the part of our leaders. I would add impunity. Ours is s system built and sustained by  impunity. Our leaders know they can do anything and get away with it.  It is their despicable philosophy of "there is no going back,"; "no shaking", "I dey kampe" that has brought us to where we are today. As someone noted on one of the ubiquitous social media sites, we have failed repeatedly to win any form of medal in the Olympics of leadership. And the reason is evident: Our worse eleven have always emerged each time the opportunity rears its head.

But there is no use lamenting our leadership deficit. There is no chance things will change until the Nigerian people rise and take charge of their destiny. A little over a year ago, a "transformation train" predictably destined for disaster  took off from Aso Rock, the seat of power. If Nigerians thought they had been taken for a ride by their leaders in the past, this is one bumpy ride -- no pun intended – in a "One Chance" transformation bus. Every action provokes an unsurprising feeling of deja vu. It has been a month since the First Lady went AWOL. There hasn't been any coherent or intelligent explanation from the Presidency or Bayelsa State, her official workplace. It says a lot about a regime that rode to office on the back of a president that went AWOL for months. And for those who have been hoodwinked into believing that the First Lady is not a public official, let's be reminded that she is also a permanent secretary in Bayelsa State.

For all we know, we may have a putative dictator on our hand. "The demonstration in Lagos, people were given bottled water that people in my village don't have access to, people were given expensive food that the ordinary people in Lagos cannot eat. So, even going to eat free alone attracts people. They go and hire the best musician to come and play and the best comedian to come and entertain; is that demonstration? Are you telling me that that is a demonstration from ordinary masses in Nigeria who want to communicate something to government? I am hardly intimidated by anybody who wants to push any issue he has. I believe that that protest in Lagos was manipulated by a class in Lagos and was not from the ordinary people."

That was President Jonathan – a man who came to power two years ago on the strength of public demonstrations on his behalf -- responding recently to the nationwide protests in January against the removal of so-called oil subsidy. That insensate action was premised on the theory that there was an oil cabal that was ripping off the country through the oil subsidy scheme. As it turned out, this cabal so-called is an integral part of the current administration and the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). Is it surprising, therefore, that nine months later, no one has been brought to justice for the billions the government freely paid out to its dubious partners in the private sector? 


To be continued.

 

conumah@hotmail.com

 

*Onumah is author of Time to Reclaim Nigeria and coordinator of the African Centre for Media & Information Literacy.



Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - bangladesh story

sorry for my typo. meant to write, "pits bangladeshi muslims against hindus and buddhists"
ken


On 9/30/12 4:32 PM, kenneth harrow wrote:
i think it is instructive that the  latest religious violence, spurred by an image of the qur'an, not pits bangladeshi muslims against hindus and buddhists. recall that 1 million people died in Partition. we are not talking about ages ago, but little more than half a century/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19780692

Bangladesh rampage over Facebook Koran image

Muslim protesters have attacked Buddhist villages in Bangladesh, after an image said to show a burnt Koran was posted on social network site Facebook.

Witnesses said angry crowds set fire to homes and temples in the Cox's Bazar district, forcing families to flee.

A curfew has been imposed and security forces are patrolling the streets.

The man accused of posting the image is in protective custody. Police say he was tagged in the photo but did not post it himself.

'Premeditated communal violence'

Buddhists in the area, in south-east Bangladesh, said their possessions were stolen before their homes were destroyed.

"Before they set fire to my home, they looted everything," said resident Sumoto Barua.

Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir visited the scene and condemned the violence

"They took our possessions, money, gold and even computers. Then they torched the house. I am now living under open sky."

The violence erupted on Saturday and continued into the early hours of Sunday.

Hundreds of protesters are said to have rampaged through Buddhist neighbourhoods, smashing statues, burning down monasteries and attacking houses.

The violence spread to the outskirts of the port city of Chittagong, where a Hindu temple was also attacked.

Bangladeshi Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir visited the scene and described the violence as "premeditated and deliberate acts of communal violence against a minority".

District Commissioner of Cox's Bazar, Jaynul Bari, told the BBC Bengali service the government was already helping the victims.

"We have distributed food rations for them. The army will supply more food," he said.


--   kenneth w. harrow   distinguished professor of english  michigan state university  department of english  619 red cedar road  room C-614 wells hall  east lansing, mi 48824  ph. 517 803 8839  harrow@msu.edu
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--   kenneth w. harrow   distinguished professor of english  michigan state university  department of english  619 red cedar road  room C-614 wells hall  east lansing, mi 48824  ph. 517 803 8839  harrow@msu.edu

Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Religious Intolerance and Islamic Extremists

dear segun
i think we are in agreement.
as for the question of "who crucified jesus," perhaps it might be rephrased, who was responsible for the crucifixion, and there i think we'd have to agree both roman authorities (represented by pontius pilate and the empire) and jewish zealots (represented by herod and his court).
but the real answer should go deeper: the crucifixion of jesus was the event of his sacrifice: all of christianity turns on the meaning of that sacrifice. he had to be sacrificed in order to absolve mankind of its sins.
so to assign legal blame for a transcendental act of sacrifice is to misread the meaning of the act.
if you see my point, we'd have to say god was responsible because he "gave his son," meaning, gave him to be sacrificed.
ken

On 9/30/12 12:19 PM, Segun wrote:
Ken; 
I sympathize  with you on the intolerance response from Christians who have hatred for the Jews because they killed Jesus. Jesus had to die in a painful manner from the prejudice of his people and their intolerance. Jesus had the freedom to say what he thought would be beneficial to his people but unfortunately it was misunderstood and he was betrayed by one of his disciples which subsequently led to his crucifixion. "He came for his own and his own received him not but as many as receive him to them he gave power to be the children of God." Jesus had a mission and to accomplish it, he had to die and the death had the involvement of the religious zealots of his people. 
Nobody, in my view, should avenge the killing of Jesus by his people on innocent Jews who knew nothing about the the crucifixion of Jesus.  
Ken, the Christians today know better particularly in my own part of the world-Africa that it is sheer religious bigotry and stupidity to kill any Jew in their midst because his ancestors killed Jesus the Christ. 
It is the same level of tolerance and respect for human dignity and freedom that other religious faiths like your parochial minded people and Muslims ought to emulate and stop violence and killings for any religious provocation. 
I want to acknowledge the right view of Prof. Dasylva on his contribution because that is the truth. 
Segun Ogungbemi. 

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 29, 2012, at 2:10 PM, kenneth harrow <harrow@msu.edu> wrote:

who did the crucifying? do you realize that by stating the jews crucified christ you unleash attacks on jews?
maybe this is something only jews really care about. i clearly remember from my youth the verbal assault on us jewish kids as christkillers when we walked past the neighborhood parochial school. it is a label used to justify attacking jews across the centuries.
what strikes me is how easily this slander passes through the lips of those evoking the death of jesus, a period in which the romans ruled over palestine  and crushed jewish revolt twice.
i taught western humanities for many years, and at one point taught chaucer's prioress's tale. here is the wiki synopsis. when you read it, when you realize how jews were attacked across the centuries in europe for having killed christ, you might understand why i reacted to the words that the jews crucified christ:

The Prioress's Tale:
The story begins with an invocation to the Virgin Mary, then sets the scene in Asia, where a community of Jews live in a Christian city. A seven-year-old school-boy, son of a widow, is brought up to revere Mary. He teaches himself the first verse of the popular Medieval hymn 'Alma Redemptoris Mater' ("Nurturing Mother of the Redeemer"); though he does not understand the words, an older classmate tells him it is about Mary. He begins to sing it every day as he walks to school through the Jews' street.

Satan, 'That hath in Jewes' heart his waspe's nest', incites the Jews to murder the child and throw his body on a dungheap. His mother searches for him and eventually finds his body, which begins miraculously to sing the 'Alma Redemptoris'. The Christians call in the provost of the city, who has the Jews drawn by wild horses and then hanged. The boy continues to sing throughout his burial service until the holy abbot of the community asks him why he is able to sing. He replies that although his throat is cut, he has had a vision in which Mary laid a grain on his tongue and he will keep singing until it is removed. The abbot removes the grain and he dies.

ken



On 9/29/12 7:11 AM, dasylvang@yahoo.com wrote:
It was the Roman colonial government that was in power then, but the complainants were indeed "Judaism zealots" led by the High/chief  priest and other judaism clerics who were intolerant of the new order that Jesus went about teaching: "to fear and obey God, to have a forgiving spirit, to love one's neighbor as one's self, to pursue holy living, to know the Truth and be set free by the Truth, and finally, to care for the needy." The intolerant  religious extremists went as far as hiring a crowd to prevail on the Roman judicary to crucify Jesus the Christ. 

So Segun was perfectly in order.


Ademola Omobewaji DASYLVA, PhD,
Professor of African Literature & Oral Literature;
Coordinator, Ibadan Cultural Studies Group,
Room 68, Faculty of Arts,
University of Ibadan,
Ibadan, Nigeria. 

Visiting Professor,
Department of English,
Redeemer's University,
Km 46, Lagos-Ibadan Express Way,
Ogun State, Nigeria.
Mobile: +234 (0)802 350 4755/ +234 (0)706 226 4090
 Web:arts.ui.edu.ng/aodasylva
E-mail: a.dasylva@ibadanculturalstudiesgroup.org
a.dasylva@mail.ui.edu.ng
dasylvang@yahoo..com

Sent from Samsung Mobile


-------- Original message -------- Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Religious Intolerance and Islamic Extremists From: kenneth harrow To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com CC:

i thought jesus was crucified by the romans
ken

On 9/28/12 11:44 AM, Segun wrote:
> I have pondered very deeply on religious intolerance in recent time which is not a new phenomenon. What is new is the unnecessary killings that the world has witnessed in the last twenty years particularly the Islamic extremism with violence in several parts of the world.
> Religious intolerance is a symptom of religious arrogance that has its historical antecedence documented in the historical background of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Jesus the Christ  was crucified by the zealots of Judaism. When Christianity became a dominant religion in Western Europe, their followers became intolerant of any form of criticisms. The Bible was held sacred and anyone who dare to criticize its teachings or doctrines would have himself to blame. Galileo who, from his scientific knowledge, gave a contrary view about the universe was put in inquisition by the Church where he died. I am aware that Pope John Paul apologized for that extremist practice of the Church at that time but the damage cannot be completely assuaged.
> The history of Islam manifested that sense of intolerance when Prophet Muhammad felt that the traditional religion of his people was idolatrous. His religious arrogance was challenged by his people and he had to run to Medina for safety. If he had not run for safety in Medina his people would probably have killed him and there would not have been any religion called Islam. The intolerance of his people and his intolerance of other faiths subsequently became part of the canon of Islam he founded. His Jihad and the call to eliminate infidels is the height of his religious intolerance.
> If Prophet Muhammad criticized the religious beliefs of his people why should Islam not be criticized?
> Christian missionaries came to Africa and in many ways showed their intolerance for the indigenous religious beliefs and practices. As a matter of fact  indigenous religion was given derogatory names and terminologies. Some of them called the indigenous religion of Africans primitive, idolatry, paganism etc. In spite of these insults on the holy order of traditional Africans the Church have not been attached by the people whose religion they have desecrated.
> Muslims from time to time have poured invectives on traditionalists. They are labeled as infidels and yet no Muslims have been killed or their property destroyed. Now, why is it that the Muslims feel offended when they are criticized or their religion is ridiculed by others? They have no reason to be upset to the point of killing innocent people who have nothing to do with a film or magazine produced in the US or France.
> Knowledge comes from self evaluation and criticisms from others. They are challenges that should not be ignored. Religious beliefs have to be subjected to criticisms or even ridicule and when  critics are tired of their blasphemous and provocative statements they will give up the "fight".
> Let us allow freedom of speech and expression to thrive because that is one of the cornerstones of knowledge and development.
> Muslims must learn to wear the mantle of tolerance and embrace dialogue in any seeming provocations from any part of the global village.
> Segun Ogungbemi.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>

--
kenneth w. harrow
distinguished professor of english
michigan state university
department of english
619 red cedar road
room C-614 wells hall
east lansing, mi 48824
ph. 517 803 8839
harrow@msu.edu

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--   kenneth w. harrow   distinguished professor of english  michigan state university  department of english  619 red cedar road  room C-614 wells hall  east lansing, mi 48824  ph. 517 803 8839  harrow@msu.edu
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--   kenneth w. harrow   distinguished professor of english  michigan state university  department of english  619 red cedar road  room C-614 wells hall  east lansing, mi 48824  ph. 517 803 8839  harrow@msu.edu

Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Religious Intolerance and Islamic Extremists

dear segun
where is your source that states that the religious zealots crucified jesus? he was crucified by the roman soldiers;
i have the absolute source: wikipedia. here is their account. is it incorrect?

The crucifixion of Jesus is an event that occurred during the 1st century AD. Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally executed on a cross. Collectively referred to as the Passion, Jesus' redemptive suffering and death by crucifixion represent the central aspects of Christian theology, including the doctrines of salvation and atonement.

Jesus' crucifixion is described in all four Canonical gospels, attested to by other ancient sources, and regarded as a historical event confirmed by non-Christian sources.[1][2][3][4][5] Christians believe Jesus' suffering was foretold in the Hebrew Bible, such as in Psalm 22, and Isaiah's songs of the suffering servant.[6] According to a Gospel Harmony, Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane following the Last Supper with the Twelve Apostles, and forced to stand trial before a Sanhedrin, Pontius Pilate, and Herod Antipas, before being handed over for crucifixion. After being flogged, Jesus was mocked by Roman soldiers as the "King of the Jews", clothed in a purple robe, crowned with thorns, beaten and spat on. Jesus then had to make his way to the place of his crucifixion.

Once at Golgotha, Jesus was offered wine mixed with gall to drink. Matthew's and Mark's Gospels record that he refused this. He was then crucified and hung between two convicted thieves. According to Mark's Gospel, he endured the torment of crucifixion for some six hours from the third hour, at approximately 9 am,[7] until his death at the ninth hour, corresponding to about 3 pm.[8] The soldiers affixed a sign above his head stating "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" in three languages, divided his garments and cast lots for his seamless robe. The Roman soldiers did not break Jesus' legs, as they did to the other two men crucified (breaking the legs hastened the crucifixion process), as Jesus was dead already. Each gospel has its own account of Jesus' last words, seven statements altogether.[9] In the Synoptic Gospels, various supernatural events accompany the crucifixion, including darkness, an earthquake, and (in Matthew) the resurrection of saints. Following Jesus' death, his body was removed from the cross by Joseph of Arimathea and buried in a rock-hewn tomb, with Nicodemus assisting. According to the Gospels, Jesus then rose from the dead two days later (the "third day").

there were no jewish soldiers, only roman ones who carried out the crucifixion.
ken


On 9/30/12 12:19 PM, Segun wrote:
Ayo;
Yes, it was a form of capital punishment introduced by the Romans but it was not the Romans who crucified Jesus. The religious zealots among the Jews did the wicked act. 
As a matter of fact Pontus Pilate did not find Jesus guilty because he was not found to have violated the Roman laws. But the Jews said crucify him and he handed over Jesus to them because his accusers were bent of getting rid of him by means of crucifixion. 
Segun 

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 29, 2012, at 2:37 PM, Ayo Obe <ayo.m.o.obe@gmail.com> wrote:

Even the Pope has admitted that it wasn't the fault of the Jews.  Crucifixion was a peculiarly Roman form of punishment.  

Ayo
I invite you to follow me on Twitter @naijama

On 29 Sep 2012, at 14:10, kenneth harrow <harrow@msu.edu> wrote:

who did the crucifying? do you realize that by stating the jews crucified christ you unleash attacks on jews?
maybe this is something only jews really care about. i clearly remember from my youth the verbal assault on us jewish kids as christkillers when we walked past the neighborhood parochial school. it is a label used to justify attacking jews across the centuries.
what strikes me is how easily this slander passes through the lips of those evoking the death of jesus, a period in which the romans ruled over palestine  and crushed jewish revolt twice.
i taught western humanities for many years, and at one point taught chaucer's prioress's tale. here is the wiki synopsis. when you read it, when you realize how jews were attacked across the centuries in europe for having killed christ, you might understand why i reacted to the words that the jews crucified christ:

The Prioress's Tale:
The story begins with an invocation to the Virgin Mary, then sets the scene in Asia, where a community of Jews live in a Christian city. A seven-year-old school-boy, son of a widow, is brought up to revere Mary. He teaches himself the first verse of the popular Medieval hymn 'Alma Redemptoris Mater' ("Nurturing Mother of the Redeemer"); though he does not understand the words, an older classmate tells him it is about Mary. He begins to sing it every day as he walks to school through the Jews' street.

Satan, 'That hath in Jewes' heart his waspe's nest', incites the Jews to murder the child and throw his body on a dungheap. His mother searches for him and eventually finds his body, which begins miraculously to sing the 'Alma Redemptoris'. The Christians call in the provost of the city, who has the Jews drawn by wild horses and then hanged. The boy continues to sing throughout his burial service until the holy abbot of the community asks him why he is able to sing. He replies that although his throat is cut, he has had a vision in which Mary laid a grain on his tongue and he will keep singing until it is removed. The abbot removes the grain and he dies.

ken



On 9/29/12 7:11 AM, dasylvang@yahoo.com wrote:
It was the Roman colonial government that was in power then, but the complainants were indeed "Judaism zealots" led by the High/chief  priest and other judaism clerics who were intolerant of the new order that Jesus went about teaching: "to fear and obey God, to have a forgiving spirit, to love one's neighbor as one's self, to pursue holy living, to know the Truth and be set free by the Truth, and finally, to care for the needy." The intolerant  religious extremists went as far as hiring a crowd to prevail on the Roman judicary to crucify Jesus the Christ. 

So Segun was perfectly in order.


Ademola Omobewaji DASYLVA, PhD,
Professor of African Literature & Oral Literature;
Coordinator, Ibadan Cultural Studies Group,
Room 68, Faculty of Arts,
University of Ibadan,
Ibadan, Nigeria. 

Visiting Professor,
Department of English,
Redeemer's University,
Km 46, Lagos-Ibadan Express Way,
Ogun State, Nigeria.
Mobile: +234 (0)802 350 4755/ +234 (0)706 226 4090
 Web:arts.ui.edu.ng/aodasylva
E-mail: a.dasylva@ibadanculturalstudiesgroup.org
a.dasylva@mail.ui.edu.ng
dasylvang@yahoo.com

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-------- Original message -------- Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Religious Intolerance and Islamic Extremists From: kenneth harrow To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com CC:

i thought jesus was crucified by the romans
ken

On 9/28/12 11:44 AM, Segun wrote:
> I have pondered very deeply on religious intolerance in recent time which is not a new phenomenon. What is new is the unnecessary killings that the world has witnessed in the last twenty years particularly the Islamic extremism with violence in several parts of the world.
> Religious intolerance is a symptom of religious arrogance that has its historical antecedence documented in the historical background of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Jesus the Christ  was crucified by the zealots of Judaism. When Christianity became a dominant religion in Western Europe, their followers became intolerant of any form of criticisms. The Bible was held sacred and anyone who dare to criticize its teachings or doctrines would have himself to blame. Galileo who, from his scientific knowledge, gave a contrary view about the universe was put in inquisition by the Church where he died. I am aware that Pope John Paul apologized for that extremist practice of the Church at that time but the damage cannot be completely assuaged.
> The history of Islam manifested that sense of intolerance when Prophet Muhammad felt that the traditional religion of his people was idolatrous. His religious arrogance was challenged by his people and he had to run to Medina for safety. If he had not run for safety in Medina his people would probably have killed him and there would not have been any religion called Islam. The intolerance of his people and his intolerance of other faiths subsequently became part of the canon of Islam he founded. His Jihad and the call to eliminate infidels is the height of his religious intolerance.
> If Prophet Muhammad criticized the religious beliefs of his people why should Islam not be criticized?
> Christian missionaries came to Africa and in many ways showed their intolerance for the indigenous religious beliefs and practices. As a matter of fact  indigenous religion was given derogatory names and terminologies. Some of them called the indigenous religion of Africans primitive, idolatry, paganism etc. In spite of these insults on the holy order of traditional Africans the Church have not been attached by the people whose religion they have desecrated.
> Muslims from time to time have poured invectives on traditionalists. They are labeled as infidels and yet no Muslims have been killed or their property destroyed. Now, why is it that the Muslims feel offended when they are criticized or their religion is ridiculed by others? They have no reason to be upset to the point of killing innocent people who have nothing to do with a film or magazine produced in the US or France.
> Knowledge comes from self evaluation and criticisms from others. They are challenges that should not be ignored. Religious beliefs have to be subjected to criticisms or even ridicule and when  critics are tired of their blasphemous and provocative statements they will give up the "fight".
> Let us allow freedom of speech and expression to thrive because that is one of the cornerstones of knowledge and development.
> Muslims must learn to wear the mantle of tolerance and embrace dialogue in any seeming provocations from any part of the global village.
> Segun Ogungbemi.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>

--
kenneth w. harrow
distinguished professor of english
michigan state university
department of english
619 red cedar road
room C-614 wells hall
east lansing, mi 48824
ph. 517 803 8839
harrow@msu.edu

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--   kenneth w. harrow   distinguished professor of english  michigan state university  department of english  619 red cedar road  room C-614 wells hall  east lansing, mi 48824  ph. 517 803 8839  harrow@msu.edu
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--   kenneth w. harrow   distinguished professor of english  michigan state university  department of english  619 red cedar road  room C-614 wells hall  east lansing, mi 48824  ph. 517 803 8839  harrow@msu.edu

USA Africa Dialogue Series - How Not to Build a Nation: Reflections on Nigeria @ 52 (Part 1)

How Not to Build a Nation: Reflections on Nigeria @ 52 (Part 1)
By

Chido Onumah
 

 

"Except in the eyes of the extremely naive and incurable swindlers in the corridors of power, this country has already collapsed; only that the horror of its probable disintegration would be difficult to face." This fascinating quote by journalist and activist, Godwin Onyeacholem, truly captures the Nigerian reality today. It's been 52 years in the making.

On October 1, 2012, the Nigerian State under the supervision of President Goodluck Jonathan will perform the ritual of celebrating the country's independence. It is noteworthy that the Jonathan administration has decided not to go for the pomp and pageantry associated with such celebrations which really would have added insult to our collective injury. But typical of our ruling elite, the planned sombre celebration is  just another ruse, meant to pave way for a more elaborate, yet misguided, multi-billion naira celebration in 2014 to mark the centennial anniversary of the creation of Nigeria in 1914.

By every standard one decides to judge Nigeria, it has failed woefully as a nation. It is worth repeating because there are those afflicted with eternal delusions about, to use the weasel words of our politicians, "moving it forward", the way it is presently constituted. It is mere wishful thinking. No amount of fancy talk or transformational balderdash can alter the fact that Nigeria is a full-blown "kleptocracy", a state ruled by thieves, in the words of Prof. Niyi Osundare, on the way to imminent implosion.

It has been said that Nigeria is a country of great potential and promise. It remains just that after 52 years: a country of great potential and promise. The reality, to quote Chinua Achebe, is that "Nigeria is not a great country. It is one of the most disorderly nations in the world. It is one of the most corrupt, insensitive, inefficient places under the sun. It is one of the most expensive countries and one of those that give least value for money. It is dirty, callous, noisy, ostentatious, dishonest and vulgar. In short, it is among the most unpleasant places on earth."

That was almost three decades ago. We have since raised the stakes. "Today, rogues, armed robbers are in the State Houses of Assembly and the National Assembly,'' former President Olusegun Obasanjo – a man who ought to stand trial for his unqualified misgovernance of Nigeria -- said a few months ago. Obasanjo should know. He, more than anyone else, facilitated the emergence of these scoundrels who have taken over our democratic space.  

Very few countries in the world can take the unrepressed pillage, outrageous abuse and unmitigated violation which the self-acclaimed giant of Africa has received and remain standing. David Cameron, British PM, has been quoted as saying, "If the amount of money stolen out of Nigeria in the last 30 years was stolen in the UK, the UK would not exist again." There are many figures in the public domain about how much our leaders have siphoned from the country since independence. From Nuhu Ribadu, former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), we learnt that the amount is "more than six times the total sum that went into rebuilding Europe in the aftermath of the Second World War via the famous European Recovery Programme, ERP programme or Marshall Plan". The ERP programme was $13billion. Interestingly, Germany, the choice location for medical care for our leaders, was one of the beneficiaries of the Marshall Plan.

We can spend the next few weeks cataloguing the problems of Nigeria and we would not have scratched the surface. Where do we start? Is it something as basic as education where it has been revealed that "Nigerians commit about  N160 billion ($1billion) to the education of their children and wards in Ghanaian universities every year". A recent newspaper report quotes the Chairman, Committee of Pro-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, Dr. Wale Babalakin, as saying "the cost excludes huge amounts also spent on education of Nigerians in other countries such as the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Canada and Malaysia". From Dr. Babalakin we also learnt that there are about 75,000 Nigerian students in Ghana, a country which, in the last decade, has been spending up to 35 percent of its annual budget (far beyond the UNESCO recommendation of a minimum of 26 percent) on education.

Let's take a minor issue like polio eradication. Just recently, the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) issued a report which noted that "of six global sanctuaries for the poliovirus (which stand against the anticipated eradication), Nigeria's Kano and Bornu States are the most problematic".

"Apart from Afghanistan, Nigeria's northern region specifically constitutes major concern for global polio fighters, who now worry over the quality of local personnel and efforts. Although Kano, Bornu, and four other global (problematic) spots represent a relatively tiny proportion of the earth's land surface area, the Monitoring Board had hinted that they 'pose disproportionate risk to the likelihood of success for the entire globe'", the report noted. "There are now just six countries with persistent polio transmission. Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan have never interrupted transmission. Angola, Chad and DR Congo have 're-established' polio. Nigeria has slipped back in a quite alarming way. Afghanistan's programme is consistently performing at a reasonable level."

This is a snapshot of the sorry story of Nigeria. We are not just the poster child for corruption. Whether we are talking about education, maternal or infant mortality, security, justice and rule of law, we rank at the very bottom and are constantly in competition with the world's most retrograde countries.

The failure of Nigeria is essentially the failure of leadership. For some strange reason, it appears, we have been cursed with bad leaders right from the moment the colonialists departed 52 years ago. Unlike in places like Ghana and Tanzania, our post-independence rulers, rather than building a new nation and an egalitarian society, were more eager to replace the departing colonizers and subsequently initiate a more malicious brand of internal colonialism from the contraption that was handed over to them.

Over the years, the quality of leadership has degenerated, breeding various vices and entrenching unparalleled corruption which has now become a directive principle of state policy. There are those who accuse "ordinary" Nigerians of complicity in this rot. A typical example would be to point to the policeman or woman at a "road block" and conveniently say corruption is a Nigerian and, therefore, there is nothing we can do about it. I disagree. If the man on the street is corrupt, it is simply because the country's leadership has not led by example.

Where is the incentive for the policeman to be upright? Is it that his take-home pay can take him to and fro work in a month? That his children can get basic education or that his family can afford adequate medical care when they  need it? Never mind that he is more likely to buy his own uniform and other paraphernalia of policing. That's after he must have paid around N200,000 ($1250) to middlemen to join the police. Meanwhile, his Inspector General is the proud owner of numerous housing estates and companies and would rank amongst the richest men in the country.  

Can a people really rise above the leadership they are confronted with? Leadership is everything! Since my encounter with Chinua Achebe's book, The Trouble with Nigeria almost three decades ago, I have found it a constant companion. Achebe's book goes to the heart of the Nigerian problem. But it is also a book that gives us hope that Nigeria is redeemable and we shouldn't give up on the country.

At his pedagogic best, Achebe wrote: "The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. There is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian character. There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian land or climate or water or air or anything else. The Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responsibility, to the challenge of personal example which are the hallmarks of true leadership. Leaders are, in the language of psychologists, role models. People look up to them and copy their actions, behaviour and even mannerisms. Therefore if a leader lacks discipline the effect is apt to spread automatically down to his followers."

Nigerians are good followers. So, it is only proper that if our leaders have shown themselves  to be lawless, Nigerians have learnt not to be law-abiding. Achebe talks about indiscipline on the part of our leaders. I would add impunity. Ours is s system built and sustained by  impunity. Our leaders know they can do anything and get away with it.  It is their despicable philosophy of "there is no going back,"; "no shaking", "I dey kampe" that has brought us to where we are today. As someone noted on one of the ubiquitous social media sites, we have failed repeatedly to win any form of medal in the Olympics of leadership. And the reason is evident: Our worse eleven have always emerged each time the opportunity rears its head.

But there is no use lamenting our leadership deficit. There is no chance things will change until the Nigerian people rise and take charge of their destiny. A little over a year ago, a "transformation train" predictably destined for disaster  took off from Aso Rock, the seat of power. If Nigerians thought they had been taken for a ride by their leaders in the past, this is one bumpy ride -- no pun intended – in a "One Chance" transformation bus. Every action provokes an unsurprising feeling of deja vu. It has been a month since the First Lady went AWOL. There hasn't been any coherent or intelligent explanation from the Presidency or Bayelsa State, her official workplace. It says a lot about a regime that rode to office on the back of a president that went AWOL for months. And for those who have been hoodwinked into believing that the First Lady is not a public official, let's be reminded that she is also a permanent secretary in Bayelsa State.

For all we know, we may have a putative dictator on our hand. "The demonstration in Lagos, people were given bottled water that people in my village don't have access to, people were given expensive food that the ordinary people in Lagos cannot eat. So, even going to eat free alone attracts people. They go and hire the best musician to come and play and the best comedian to come and entertain; is that demonstration? Are you telling me that that is a demonstration from ordinary masses in Nigeria who want to communicate something to government? I am hardly intimidated by anybody who wants to push any issue he has. I believe that that protest in Lagos was manipulated by a class in Lagos and was not from the ordinary people."

That was President Jonathan – a man who came to power two years ago on the strength of public demonstrations on his behalf -- responding recently to the nationwide protests in January against the removal of so-called oil subsidy. That insensate action was premised on the theory that there was an oil cabal that was ripping off the country through the oil subsidy scheme. As it turned out, this cabal so-called is an integral part of the current administration and the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). Is it surprising, therefore, that nine months later, no one has been brought to justice for the billions the government freely paid out to its dubious partners in the private sector? 


To be continued.

 

conumah@hotmail.com

 

*Onumah is author of Time to Reclaim Nigeria and coordinator of the African Centre for Media & Information Literacy.

 

 
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