NIGERIA AT 49

courtesy:learn nc

I'm a Nigerian.I believe in Nigeria.And deep in my heart I believe that Nigeria is a great country, and us a great people.However I will be frank enough to say that at 49 our country has not come any close to fulfilling her potentials.Why do I say so ?

OUR STRENGTHS
*Large population, matched by equally vast and endowed land mass.Low incidence of natural disasters
*Very generous endowment of natural resources
*Highly creative ,friendly and hardworking people (a 'good people','happiest in the world',yes)
*Multi-ethnic cultures,diverse skills and economic endowments.
*Great history of excellence in the arts till date.

WEAKNESSES
*Lack of influential leadership
*Corruption
*Rotting education sector; a serious obstacle to future self-dependence
*Excessive dependence on oil
*Low electricity generation.

Undeniably,Nigeria is abundantly blessed with all the ingredients necessary to be a great nation: One of the best places in the world to live and do business.How do we achieve greatness ?

SOLUTIONS
1.Keep the faith and sustain democracy
2.Genuine political reforms that will enable emergence of an influential leadership that,in turn will mobilise and harness the aspirations and energies of the people towards a common goal.
3.Fix electricity (NEPA,PHCN,whatever) so that businesses can grow

It is really as simple as that.

NIGERIA LOSES NATIVE LANGUAGES

Wake up call, isn't it? But who is surprised ? The whole clamour for western education,western values and even culture is fast eroding our history and those things we should be uniquely proud of.According to Next,as many as six Nigerian languages - Ajawa,Basa-Gumna and Teshenewa are gone for good,while Bete,Fali and Holma have fared slightly better; Bete has 4 speakers left - all aged !

We may brush this off as insignificant, but simple casual observation, especially of the Yoruba tribe should justify fears in this regard. You know the Yorubas happen to be the most exposed to western education in Nigeria.Already dialects like Ijebu,Egun and others that used to be commonplace in the cities several years ago have virtually become for the rurals only. Even the general Yoruba language has become so bastardised that sometimes it's really no different from English. Evidence ? Watch some Yoruba movies !

Obviously the Hausas are still well in touch with their roots in this regard (didn't you observe their transistors permanently on BBC Hausa service ?), but my Ibo brothers are really not too far off from the amala eaters.Visit Alaba or Idumota and hear the cacophony of Ibo-glish or Engl-Ibo and you'll be amazed.

The greatest danger is with our youths whose educational curricula do not help at all. Maybe the government should find a way of including the native language of the areas where every primary and secondary school is located in the schools' teaching plan.And let's converse more with our kids at home, in our native dialect that is .