"And on a more general note, I think it's about that time you revised your Conradian views of Nigeria; its become very tiring. Nigeria is not the pit of hell ( the horror! the horror!); it is a profoundly complex society, growing in leaps and bounds; suffering many setbacks as much as it is recording many positive growths."
- Obi Nwakanma
Obi,
I was going to ignore your tirade but I have time today, plus your condescending and patronizing post is offensive on many levels and I feel a need now to talk to you about it, so here goes...
Clearly, you were too lazy to read the Bloomberg piece, you did not read the piece, but then that would be you, typical. I had read the piece, thought it was interesting and passed it along without as much as a comment and now you are playing thought cop on me? So, who died around here and made you the thought police? When did it become necessary to take permission from you in order to post stuff? If you are unhappy with my posts, why don't you find stuff for folks to read that meets your "non-Conradian" standards?
Clearly, you were too lazy to read the Bloomberg piece, you did not read the piece, but then that would be you, typical. I had read the piece, thought it was interesting and passed it along without as much as a comment and now you are playing thought cop on me? So, who died around here and made you the thought police? When did it become necessary to take permission from you in order to post stuff? If you are unhappy with my posts, why don't you find stuff for folks to read that meets your "non-Conradian" standards?
It is no news that I am deeply unhappy about the situation in Nigeria. And unlike you and many others I am looking inwards and holding is responsible for the mess. I am not alone in that pessimism; It is very bad in Nigeria and if you need to be reminded of how bad things are then you are the problem. And yes, I have been doing something about it through aggressive advocacy and agitation and actual leg work. Unlike your careless assertion, I just don't hide behind a keyboard to make noise. I have dragged Reuben Abati and other government officials before the court of world opinion on BBC London several times and we have duked it out on corruption, Chibok, the complicity of intellectuals, etc on TV on BBC London. The government of the day in Nigeria does not regard me as just another person hiding behind a keyboard. I have dragged Premium Times before the world on Sahara Reporters on their unethical conduct. I am on social media engaging our youths by providing history and context to the current struggle for what's left of Nigeria by the APC, PDP, and insincere thieving intellectuals. These young people care and are eager for data and information denied them by my generation of narcissistic intellectuals and criminal rulers. It was your generation of "writers" that flooded the West with bullshit about Africa, what I termed poverty porn. I fought all of you, remember Chris Abani? Today, many people will not touch our literature because of my advocacy. I care and I am doing something about it, my own way. I have been doing something since 1993. What have you done? Share. I am all ears. If you believe that Nigeria is on the right track, say it. Don't just wait like a lazy cub and demand to be fed according to your biases.
Please, Obi, by all means, go home and dash them your brilliance and vision, I plead with you. Many of our friends are already there, many doing good work. I have said that what is missing is accountability. My work has been on holding people accountable, not your white man, but us. I don't do chic excuses for laziness.
I don't fool myself that I am changing minds here among all of you. Sit here and be mumbling 20th century literature, good for you, I am simply sitting in my corner, reading to myself - and sometimes sharing. If you really want to influence people, come join us on social media and help comfort an entire generation of youths that have been screwed royally by our generation. Don't just sit here in the dark waiting for the storm to pass. Nonsense.
By the way, I doubt that you are in a position to teach me about business and economics. I should be teaching you about it, not you talking down to me with faux rage. Go check out my professional and educational profile on the Internet. In addition to my busy professional schedule, every day. I take time out to talk about literature, our politics. Nor be beans. I don't need any affirmation from you, I am good.
Finally, Obi, you see, I am data-driven. Just to be sure, I went back to my last two days before your rant. These are the things I posted; they are pasted at the bottom: How is talking about Ferguson "Conradian"? How is calling folks on their misogyny against First Lady Patience "Conradian"? You did not think it was appropriate for me to share Ayo Olukotun's essay? Go through the postings again and explain to me what you are ranting about.
Obi, for the past six or so years here you have probably posted maybe 6 times. I don't call you intellectually and physically lazy because I don't know what you do with your time and your mind. You have no right to dictate to me what and how I should post. Back off.
My postings in the past few days before your rant!
===========================
1, Ayo Olutokun on Jose Mujica: Any lessons for Nigeria?
- Ikhide
2. I salute Nigeria's First Lady Patience Jonathan
3. Pius Adesanmi on the voltrons of Tinubu and Buhari: Great read
4. World's Hottest Economy Unravels; Nigerians feel the pains
5. Shining a light on Nigeria's "brown" envelope journalism
6. ThisDay: At the expense of the people: With life pension for its officers, the National Assembly returns to its old habits of fending mostly for itself.
7. @nytimes: The story of a city where policing, discrimination and raising revenue went hand in dand http://t.co/csBsH6Mkl8
8. How St. Louis Missouri profits from poverty
9. Atiku's university feeds those displaced by his thievery and BH
Ikhide, I'm frankly often stunned by all these your Naijaskepticism! You celebrate every ill-conceived report about Nigeria, as if to say, I told you so! So, Bloomberg is now the oracle on the future and wellbeing of Nigeria? This piece is not only incoherent, its grounds are profoundly flawed from a reporter's standpoint. And on a more general note, I think it's about that time you revised your Conradian views of Nigeria; its become very tiring. Nigeria is not the pit of hell ( the horror! the horror!); it is a profoundly complex society, growing in leaps and bounds; suffering many setbacks as much as it is recording many positive growths. It is governed by men and not by gods. By the way, it is easy for many of us to pontificate on governance and public service and its failures from behind the computers. If you feel that those who govern Nigeria today are listless and uncomprehending, and running beneath your paces, perhaps you can just throw down the gauntlet, organize a political party, run for office, and show us all how well and easy it is to govern Nigeria and solve all its human problems within your first four years.
It is all well and good to be brilliant behind the computers, or while reading second rate reports and insulting, and condescending pieces from provincial metropolitan rag sheets like Bloomberg, who have no ideas what they are often talking about when it comes to Africa and African reality; and which the likes of you then parrot and turn into gospel. We must learn to be charitable to Nigeria even as we examine its contradictions, because indeed, Nigeria is no worse in my estimation than any other place searching for its own solutions to its own complex social problems. What should we do, in your view, with his Bloomberg crap that you just posted? Laugh? Sigh? What? It is no longer sane or even productive to spin Nigeria into a relentless twirl. If you have solutions, step into the creases.
Obi Nwakanma
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From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - World's Hottest Economy Unravels; Nigerians feel the pains
Date: Sat, 7 Mar 2015 09:21:02 -0500
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.comWorld's Hottest Economy Unravels; Nigerians feel the pains
- Ikhide
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