texazzpete:

some of the most important things you can do for Nigeria are
1. Obey the laws
2. Pay taxes so there's money to build the country
3. Pay utility bills so there are sufficient funds to maintain and improve infrastructure
4. Take a stand against corruption


I cannot understand where this mindset that most of the 'bad mouthing' comes from Nigerians in diaspora. A large number of Nigerians on ground are equally dissatisfied with the state of the country and are extremely vocal too.

CHEERS and please SPREAD your message !!
revmallam

lucabrasi:

a thread 2 pages long, and apart from just one or two ppl who have talked about what they have done fr nigeria,the rest up to the usual passing of blame, i have seen some of the usual suspects in the first page,expecting the rest of the gang soon
@poster
hope you r ready for the gang to pour vitriol on you,they certainly wont answer the thread as all they have done is complain,complain,blame,blame,complain and then highlights all th
e ills in nigeria, (settles in and waits)

SAD is it NOT? Sure, I am expecting that, but I am comparing the responses here to what I already have from other sources. Accounting for standard deviations, the results are as I expected. The loudest complainers have contributed ZERO to their local communities.
Sad, but true.
revmallam

D reason i said dat d poster shouldn't compare Naija with US or BRITAIN earlier is dat basically, they are world apart & strives there will not in Nigeria. Economically, both country are much more better than Nigeria. If not, why did u travel abroad? Many philantrophist like u helped d poor because of love of humanity & it worth commending but dont tell me dat if u had stay in Nigeria all your life, u would earned a much better life. You should not expect everybody 2 think along with u cos fingers are not equal sames as our perspective 2wards Nigeria differ. I ave done my bit in helping my community in giving 2 needy d little i can out of d little i ave cos as poor as them. Educating people on not voting 4 power hungry politicians

D reason i said dat d poster shouldn't compare Naija with US or BRITAIN earlier is dat basically, they are world apart & strives there will not in Nigeria. Economically, both country are much more better than Nigeria. If not, why did u travel abroad? Many philantrophist like u helped d poor because of love of humanity & it worth commending but dont tell me dat if u had stay in Nigeria all your life, u would earned a much better life. You should not expect everybody 2 think along with u cos fingers are not equal sames as our perspective 2wards Nigeria differ. I ave done my bit in helping my community in giving 2 needy d little i can out of d little i ave cos as poor as them. Educating people on not voting 4 power hungry politicians

I think Nigeria should be compared to America/Britain. I have my reasons:
1. Nigeria has the human resources who are as educated as American/Britain. So many professors and Phd holders in all fields of knowledge. Proudly, some nigerians are in those countries contributing to the development of those countries.
2 The revenue generation from oil alone is enough to set Nigeria on the path to development since the '70s. Corruption of our leaders and lack of the political will has robbed us of this wealth leading to our development.
3. Nigeria has a population and landmass sufficient to stimulate and sustain development. However, corruption will not allow us to use this advantage.
4. The religious inclination of Nigerians is supposed to be a foundation to progress and development as religion preaches love and sharing. Alas, it is used for the underdevelopment of the country instead as used to fan the embers of hatred and disharmony among members against nonmembers,
5. Democracy is the system of government in Nigeria. Democratic practices are akin to african communal practices which support the spirit of brotherhood and majority vote (majority carries the day). Sadly, popular vote hardly works as rigging and thuggery are used to usurp votes and power.
6. Natural resources. It is awesome thinking about the abundant resources available in Nigeria, yet they are not fully tapped. And where they are tapped, the money goes into few pockets, a cabal who has no political will for the development of Nigeria but their personal agrandisements.

In summary, Nigeria has the human, material and goverment structure necessary and sufficient for national development. However, corruption and lack of political will by our leaders to develope Nigeria left us in our present state. Just like a foreign observer said, "Nigeria is too rich to be poor, and too poor to be rich".
It is only love of country that can propel us to that greatness.

U end your comparism with d obvious reason i said we should not compare. D difference is clear. Few people are trying 2 change d bad image of d country while many soil it everyday

Interesting

Would sending money home regularly consistute as doing something postive for Nigeria. Remember that money goes in various grassroot developments for the individual

@ jamace

you've  said everything that need no elaboration  apart from one single thing missing and that is our mentality is million miles diff to the average white person.

1. when i first got to UK i the 80,s the average white man believes in owing one council flat then pass it on to his/her children  after death, then come greedy Africans who manipulated the system and started acquiring flats all over the borough and immediately Margrethe Thatcher privatise those flats, people become ownership of council flats.
2. the perspective of life to an average oyinbo person is dirr to us. this guy take risk with there  life. skying, kayaking , climbing mountains trying to break barriers even to the detriment of there lives which doesn't exclude the rich or poor, its embedded in the skin, ln 2003 when i first got to Abuja, i saw beautiful mountain scattered all over the place that could become real tourist attraction and generate money and provide employments , i ask friend to  follow me on an espedition on a weekend to one of the rocks so we could climb to the top , my bother they all laughed at me as if i am a mad man from out of space but same friends will quickly follow me to any available merry making no matter how far we have to travel.
so you see  our mental orientation is quite different, remember mungo park travelled  from Europe with no map of Africa and serious loss of lives to his crew before opening Africa for invasion.
well, nuff said.

this thread has grown this far ? I think i have to go and do someffin for the country and come and make my comment here because i havent done anything for this country brb

I have mentored youths and I am still trying my best to impart a good legacy to the few that wants it from my experience and way of life.
The problem with Nigeria has a super hydra-headed dragon view and as you try to solve one, another modifies (does not even bother to grow) and replace it. The crop of youths today are even worse in their approach to the issue of corruption; they lack their parents conservatism and believe corruption should be sustainable. I have seen this over and over and I try hard everyday not to lose faith in the entity called Nigeria.
Leadership problem happens to be an evolved form of the basic moral problems; followership.
Followership in Nigeria contributes to the leadership pool and if these leaders rulers emerge from the corrupt lots with perverted values, its clear why we are merry-go rounding. Once the corrupt is elevated, he has to orchestrate a system that will sustain the values that brought him to power and thereby continue the vicious cycle until we desire a change and start a new crop of potential leaders with sincere desire for change and progressive value system.
Oh Naija!

Nemeziz9ja:

I have mentored youths and I am still trying my best to impart a good legacy to the few that wants it from my experience and way of life.
The problem with Nigeria has a super hydra-headed dragon view and as you try to solve one, another modifies (does not even bother to grow) and replace it,

Trust me, among those youths, one is a potential leader and if you look carefully, you will sport them out very quickly. Once you find one, work with them, by selling them your vision. One thing I have found is that it is easier to convince those that are not doing very well that they can do better if they see that you the teacher is doing well by following the vision you are selling. Don't start with your family it may fail. I started with a total stranger who gave me a ride in his motorbike, inaga.
revmallam

blacksta:

Interesting

Would sending money home regularly consistute as doing something postive for Nigeria. Remember that money goes in various grassroot developments for the individual

It really depends on who you are sending the money to. I preach against sending money to anyone EXPECT your old and aged parents, the very young and those with proven needs.
Sending money to young people only expands the perception that money grows on trees abroad, and later morphs into a belief that you owe it to them.
What I personally do is send money that CAN ONLY BE USED TO GROW MORE MONEY. That is, show me that you can grow money and I will help you plant the tree.
Why did I decide on this you ask? Well, I realized that I have sent a total of 4 million naira, purchased 4 vehicles etc for my folks, but they wanted more and were not growing it. So I changed the rules, and I am glad I did. So I only send money that MUST be invested because, if you TEACH them how to fish, they will fish for themselves.
revmallam

ode remo:

@ jamace

you've said everything that need no elaboration apart from one single thing missing and that is our mentality is million miles diff to the average white person,

If you believe that view to be better, why not find a few people and change their perspectives? Martin Luther King changed America, Ghandi India, Mandela, SA. One they all had in common was that they had a vision and sold it. Chances are you can ADD your name to the list. It is NOT easy but you can do it.
revmallam

no state in the US can break away or declare themself a country.

What the state in the USA are allowed to break away from the USA. And it has even happen before. The philippine was part of the USA. That may shock you.  And they are no more part of the USA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_the_Philippines

And do your search a federation is define as union comprising of a  number  self-governing  sovereign states .   That is what a federation is define as.

The word sovereign  or indepedant from wiki  

Sovereignty is the right to exercise, within a territory, the functions of a state, exclusive of any other state, and subject to no authority other than international law.[1] A sovereign is a supreme lawmaking authority.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereignty

Look at the word subject to no authority other than international law.




And what does your consititution says. it state that nigeria is a federation and we have a federal government,  


Here is the nigeria constitution. And the word federation appears 339 times in the nigeria constitution.

pureminded:

this thread has grown this far ? I think i have to go and do someffin for the country and come and make my comment here because i havent done anything for this country brb

HURRRAAAA !!! Glad this topic has pricked your conscience. Now, go and get involved. REMEMBER, only send money to your OLD parents and the needy. For others, show them how to grow money. START VERY SMALL.
revmallam

And if you look at the website of the international council for federal countries which is based in canada , nigeria is listed as a federation.

And to show you how a federation works. State can leave a federation or join the federation in 1959 Alaska and Hawaii join the federation of the USA.

And Puerto Rico's later join the federation , So in the federation of nigeria. state can leave or join. And we yorubas, bendle and bayelsa want to leave.

yousouph:

D reason i said dat d poster shouldn't compare Naija with US or BRITAIN earlier is dat basically, they are world apart & strives there will not in Nigeria. Economically, both country are much more better than Nigeria. If not, why did u travel abroad? Many philantrophist like u helped d poor because of love of humanity & it worth commending but dont tell me dat if u had stay in Nigeria all your life, u would earned a much better life. You should not expect everybody 2 think along with u cos fingers are not equal sames as our perspective 2wards Nigeria differ. I ave done my bit in helping my community in giving 2 needy d little i can out of d little i ave cos as poor as them. Educating people on not voting 4 power hungry politicians

Believe it or not, it is really easier to make money in Nigeria than to make money in say, US or Britain. The reason being that you can start very small in Nigeria, but to start a viable business in US, you need real money and then, there's the gazillion rules and regulations to abide by. The problem we have in Nigeria is that those that want to start small don't even have the small amount to get started and that's where this thread comes in.
Could I have done better if I stayed in Nigeria? Looking back I think so, but then again, hindsight is always 20/20. I say this because, I have friends in Nigeria who never left Nigeria doing just as well and even better than me. Then I have some who have not even gotten started. So as you said, all fingers are NOT created equal and we all can NOT be kings, meaning not all of us will succeed no matter how hard we try. All things considered, and adjusting for currency valuations, it is my opinion that Nigerians doing well abroad would have done in Nigeria.
revmallam

Even if you check the forum of federation countries also based in canada. Nigeria is listed  

so you can claim , you are not a federation

http://www.forumfed.org/en/federalism/by_country/index.php

And in a federation  a sovereign state can join the federation or leave the federation.  

It is not an issue of comparing nigeria with the USA or Britain , it is an issue of international law. It define a federation and also set the rule and we all agree in nigeria to become a federation,

So we are part of the international community and USA or britain never force us to include in the nigeria constitution that we are a federation, Did anybody force you,

May God help me to do something for Nigeria amen.

Becomrrich:

And to show you how a federation works. State can leave a federation or join the federation in 1959 Alaska and Hawaii join the federation of the USA.

And Puerto Rico's later join the federation , So in the federation of nigeria. state can leave or join. And we yorubas, bendle and bayelsa want to leave.

You are NOT discussing the subject, BUT if you believe that the  Yoruba's Bendel, etc are better off outside Nigeria, then why not get enough people together and have them to buy into your vision?
You will however see, that when you get to where ever you  call your new country, the subject of this thread still applies.
AGAIN, I ask you, WHAT HAVE YOU CONTRIBUTED TO YOUR COMMUNITY IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE ? Will you live your entire life being a leech? Living off things contributed by others? How really do you want to be remembered??
revmallam

dont forget the yoruba, bendle and bayelsa can also decide to join another federation like Alaska and other did, we can decide to UK or canada or benin republic

dont forget the yoruba, bendle and bayelsa can also decide to join another federation like Alaska and other did, we can decide to USA. or UK or canada or benin republic

What has Nigeria done for me?

why you no state.

2 Mr Crackles, Nigeria has made u a Nigerian. Revmallam, all what u said about contributing ones quota 2 d country is absolute right. At least those whom you helped or empowered will do same to those less privilege like them. Where i live, u ave 2 be outspoken & inform 2 tell people dat u are 4rm Nigeria because many people have & still denting d name of d country by selling drugs & scamming. That is d reason i said few are re branding d name while many were soiling it which make u ask, does it worth it?

@topic
1)I'll have only two kids, that's the only way I can think up to help reduce Nigeria's population (And yeah, living in the UK helps to reduce the pressure on the infrastructure in Nigeria )

2)I promise not to involve myself in all this tribal bullshit. (Building a new generation of united Nigeria)

Uk, is not a federation. if i am correct there are only 25 federation in the world and nigeria agreed to be a federation.

Becomrrich:

Uk, is not a federation. if i am correct there are only 25 federation in the world and nigeria agreed to be a federation.

My friend, please SHUT-UP!

You either contribute to the topic and stop yarning gobbledygook, which are utterly irrelevant to the topic or better still open your photoshop, take out your crayons and be painting the yoruba-benin country.

@ topic,
Not engaged myself in fraudulent activities - 419, Yahoo-yahoo etc.

Future projection?
Plan to abolish that nonsensical compulsory scheme called NYSC in Nigeria.

yousouph:

Where i live, u ave 2 be outspoken & inform 2 tell people dat u are 4rm Nigeria because many people have & still denting d name of d country by selling drugs & scamming. That is d reason i said few are re branding d name while many were soiling it which make u ask, does it worth it?

I NEVER miss a chance to tell people that I am a Nigerian and I also know many people who do that on a daily basis. Even looking at this board, you will notice that most people here are reverently Nigerians. I always tell people who don't want to be associated with Nigeria because of the issues you pointed out to look in the mirror and then ask themselves, have I personally committed any of the crimes? If the answer is no, then tell the person who objects to go to hell if they don't like it.
I believe if your hands are clean, you owe no one any apologies. America has the worlds prison population, but we will be mistaken to brand all Americans as criminals THEY ARE NOT. The problem we have is that we have allowed others on CNN, BBC, Western media to define us !!
At my age and where I  am in life, I will consider myself a failure if I can not express what I feel. I don't know how old you are, but I believe at any age, you should be able to do same economic standing not withstanding.
revmallam

Pataki:

My friend, please SHUT-UP!

You either contribute to the topic and stop yarning gobbledygook, which are utterly irrelevant to the topic or better still open your photoshop, take out your crayons and be painting the yoruba-benin country.

I have told him in very subtle ways that he is part of the problem, but he does not seem to get the message. !!

To your point, although I was not educated (other than primary and secondary schools) in Nigeria, I do personally believe that NYSC should not be abolished. I am of the opinion that it should be expanded or modified. It exposes most of us and serves as a very important conduit to exposing some of us to the myriad of cultures that make up Nigeria. I am of these opinions because Nigeria being a diverse nation, some of us will not have the opportunity to explore the country if not for NYSC. I once dated a girl from Jos and that gave me the chance to visit that city and see things for myself. You can say that NYSC serves similar purpose (OK, minus the girl !), but you get the idea. Even USA has a similar program but theirs is called by various names including the Peace Corps, but the only difference is that it is not mandatory. The Obama administration has introduced a new version in which university graduates will have their college loans forgiven if they teach in troubled schools in the nation. So as you can see, it is same concept.
revmallam

2 Mr Crackles, Nigeria has made u a Nigerian. Revmallam, all what u said about contributing ones quota 2 d country is absolute right. At least those whom you helped or empowered will do same to those less privilege like them. Where i live, u ave 2 be outspoken & inform 2 tell people dat u are 4rm Nigeria because many people have & still denting d name of d country by selling drugs & scamming. That is d reason i said few are re branding d name while many were soiling it which make u ask, does it worth it?

Becomrrich:

And to show you how a federation works. State can leave a federation or join the federation in 1959 Alaska and Hawaii join the federation of the USA.

And Puerto Rico's  later join the federation ,  So in the federation of nigeria. state can leave or join. And we yorubas, bendle and bayelsa want to leave.

Alright, Becomerich, you really need to cut out the crap (And I say this in the most respectful way).
The first time I ever heard of this nonsense that Yorubas want to join Benin Republic was when I finally had a chance to read one of your threads, complete with diagrams.

Stop the attention seeking, I speak as a Yoruba, and I can assure you, there is no present, future or realistic desire for us to leave Nigeria. If there is any Yoruba who shares your views (and I seriously doubt it), you are all clearly in the minority. You speak of the Phillipines being once part of the U.S. on an earlier post you made on this thread. Yes, the Phillipines was once annexed by the U.S. and they broke away. But have you noticed how many hundreds of thousands of Filipinos are literally begging to get into the U.S. and become Americans today? The country they 'shunned' in the past is now their dream land.

Yes, the same is true for Nigeria, as there are some disunifying morons who constantly talk about their ethnic group/groups leaving the country. Do not drag the Yoruba name into such stupidity as well.

And by the way, perhaps you should stay on topic? The question posed on this thread is "What have you done for your country?" Answer it, or quit discussing federlism and federations, which is obviously not the question here.