RE: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Between the APC and the PDC: Living with the illusion of change

Come on SO.
Colonialism did some good. I believe that everyone who has paid attention knows this to be true. The subject should be stare-decisis in a manner of speaking.
Given the abundant development opportunities, resources, and technology that have been available to Nigeria and Nigerians since independence from Great Britain in 1960, it is very arguable that the country has not made commensurate progress. This failure is even more evident and embarrassing when Nigeria is compared with some peer and sub-peer colonized countries in 1960. There is little question that Nigeria has not lived up to her billing at independence. If the truth be spoken, she has failed to meet most expectations of her, at independence. The disappointment many older Nigerians feel about their country, is not nostalgic in my opinion.
"Absolutely wrong" seems to me therefore, to be hyperbolic.

oa

-----Original Message-----
From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com [mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Segun Ogungbemi
Sent: Wednesday, April 01, 2015 12:54 PM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Cc: USAAfrica Dialogue
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Between the APC and the PDC: Living with the illusion of change

"Nigeria was quite honestly better off under white rule; that is exactly what our black rulers have proven to their eternal shame."
Ikhide, you are absolutely wrong. The British looted our resources to develop their country. Tell me how many miles of roads, hospitals, dispensaries, schools etc did they build before independence? How many jobs did they create for our people?
They forced our people to pay taxes and those who could not pay were put in local confinement. They introduced divide and rule to cause disunity and harmony among the people. That legacy of divide and rule is still our yoke of burden. Colonialism is perpetually evil. It violates the rights of individuals and takes away human dignity and pride. It takes away the identity of the people colonized.
With Nigerians being in charge of their destiny we are better off today than what we had been before independence. We have freedom and we govern ourselves using the so called democracy which was not alien to our forebears.
It is true that we have bad leaders but the British have had their worse leaders in the past and with time they improved their instruments of governance.
Ours is not a history of accident in isolation. Gradually we will get there. The first step is to get the leadership right and the rest will follow.
We must change the negative orientation of Ikhide and his group of intellectual bigots who see nothing good in their country.

Prof. Segun Ogungbemi

> On Apr 1, 2015, at 9:39 AM, "'Ikhide' via USA Africa Dialogue Series" <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> wrote:
>
> Nigeria was quite honestly better off under white rule; that is
> exactly what our black rulers have proven to their eternal shame

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