I'm not talking in terms of infrastructure, we all know the two countries have different histories. Nigeria was exploited by colonizers without them investing much in her , South Africa was exploited by colonizers but they invested heavily in her .

I'm talking about ;
A) Politicians - in south africa anyone can wake up one day and start their own party and they will gain a following from people from all walks of life ; rich ,poor ,different races and tribes, as long as their politics makes sense. The age of the politician is also not judged, I look at the guys who lead the opposition parties , both in their early thirties and with a huge youth following which gives the ANC sleepless nights .

- Now Nigeria, we have so many willing young people who are ready to steer the country in the right direction but the tribal, religious , and class bigotry in us won't let us be. Why can't we look past these elements that are making Nigeria suffer and come together as the youth to elect a leader who has our common national interest at heart , whether he is an Afonja, Aboki or Igbo?. Nigeria has so much talent across all tribes but instead of us collaborating those talents, we use them for silly comparisons and competion. This ofcourse is detrimental to national unity and progress .

B) Accountability of leaders and public servants- there is corruption in both countries but the levels and punishments differ. In South Africa if a leader is found wanting , there is no mercy for him or her not even from people from the same tribe or race . A good example is Jacob Zuma, all South Africans stood up against him and forced him to resign , the Zulus didn't threaten other groups in order to protect him,they too looked at the bigger picture . There were people fighting for him to remain , but what I noticed is that they were not for him because of tribe or religion or race, they were just loyalists . In South Africa if a public institution is not delivering well , the whole place will be shut down by citizens with a call for the public servants to be sacked or for a restructure of the leadership , no sentiments on which tribe or race the current leaders are . Corrupt public servants are often sacked , sent to court and jailed and the media is not selective in reporting them .

In Nigeria how many politicians have we punished for their corrupt activities ? . How many of us report or protest against public servants who demand settlements before doing their jobs ?. Our officers openly ask for bribes in public and no one blinks an eye . Our public services are dead because citizens are dead. The best solution is to come together and fight the devils , no matter which tribe or religion , it is then that things will start happening the right way in naija . This all lies in our shoulders . We cannot say we want a sane country yet we are not willing to act sane. Things work in countries like South Africa because they demand for them to work and they are willing to put themselves out there for the betterment of their country.

C). Judiciary system - courts in south africa are made independent from politics and business . You can sue a top politian or business and win even as a poor man , no need to be connected to the top , just get a public defender or private lawyer and present your case , if it's credible you stand a better chance of justice . Former president Zuma is currently in court for his crimes, no amount of political influence can change the court' s mind.

In Nigeria, if you are not rich and connected, don't even try going after politicians and rich people . You will only get yourself in trouble. Justice is for the rich and famous . Can Jonathan or Buhari stand before a judge for anything . Never ! The parts of the South would be up in arms and protect Jonathan, and the northerners would shut the country down for Buhari. Again , it's not the leaders who have ruined Nigeria, it is you and me and our bigotry, cowardice and hypocrisy.

D). Religion , in South Africa there is not many Muslims but their rights are not infringed because they are a minority . They are left alone to be who they are without fear or intimidation from the majority. Muslims and other minorities like Hindus are well represented in parliament and other public offices . South Africa is not a religious country , and there is no " God punish you " talk to blackmail others Into complying with anything. Yes , they have their deluded snake eating church goers , but the greater majority don't care about religion, they prefer their own cultural practices which makes them united without foreign religions separating them.

In Nigeria, can a Muslim run for office and win in south east? . Can a Christian run for office and win in the greater North ?. Can someone openly practice their cultural rites without him being called primitive , evil or backward ? . Can someone say they don't care about Christianity or Islam without people threatening him with hell or God's or Allah's wrath ?. Religion is one of the things weighing us down, and making foreign invaders divide us and yes they have conquered us through it. Boko haram is a good example. I'm not saying we should not respect our respective religion , but just be careful not to let them block us from reasoning.

E). Education - South Africa spends over 20% of its GDP in education . As a result they don't have any need for private universities. Their public universities are world class and well maintained. They attract students world wide. If you went to the university of cape town for instance 5 years ago , you will still find the infrasture there the same and you would find new built facilities or wings to accommodate more students and researchers , this is due to good governance and culture of maintenance. South Africa has student loans and grants for the poor , I'm not talking for a few but many . A student from a poor background can access quality education and repay the loan over his lifetime after finding employment . The government has a grant system that pays for the poor student's fees , accommodation, transportation, books and feeding . South African rich and powerful people don't send their children overseas for schooling , unless it's for ivy leagues , they invest in their own institutions.

In Nigeria, how many banks are willing to loan poor students?. How many grants does our government offer the poor students?. Our government spends about 7% of our GDP on such a huge population and expects to have quality graduates . Our certificates are almost worthless outside of Nigeria. Our public universities look like farms not to talk about our harzodous student residences . We have been made to accept rubbish as a norm .

F) Health care system- South African government spends a big part of the GDP on healthcare. The public hospitals are open 24/7with running water and electricity. The hospitals and clinics are of good quality . South African leaders don't do medical tourism , they invest in their own system . If one person dies due to negligence in the hospital , the whole media and country'attention will be in that hospital. South African public hospitals are even better than our private ones

In Nigeria , how much do we spend on our public healthcare? . Why have we accepted medical tourism as a norm . Celebrities giving birth in USA and UK is openly celebrated by the fans . This embarrassment is now an achievement for many , something we now all wish for .

G) . Flaunting wealth - in south africa a childish man like Dino would not be a part of governing the country , he would have been slammed and sacked a long-time ago . I have never seen any South African politician in the media for flaunting his new cars or house , but in naija, it's a norm. Do you know in south Africa there is a special unit called hawks , if you are suspected of illegal money, they will be on your ass . If you flaunt money on social media, within a few hours they are in your front door to investigate the source. But in Nigeria, that would be seen as witchhunting . We have scammers openly flaunting illegal gains and we applaud and celebrate them for being " smart and hardworking ". Our authorities won't do anything about it as long as you settle them , and we expect not to have young boys quitting education for crime .

H) . Dignity to Labour , minimum wage , standards of living- South African people doing menial jobs earn 3500 ZAR ,thats sbout 85,962.07 NGN. On top of this , they get free quality healthcare, free government houses or subsides ones . Their houses have 24hrs of power. All of their homes have running water and fitted toilets . Their roads are maintained. Transportation is safe ; from trains to road worthy taxis . They have access to credit or loans in case of emergencies. When they retire , on top of their retirement funds , they can apply for a monthly old age grant . How much is our proposed minimum wage ?. What benefits do our security guards and cleaners get . And the bloody Fg is telling us to come back home , to what ? To do what ? Be treated like slaves by the rich ?. A rich man in south Africa qeues like those earning minimun wage to be served, no skipping the line or intimidating the poor while others look on in admiration . When will we get here . If a well to do person intimidates or does something to a poor person , the whole country will know about it and justice will be served, but in naija we blame the victim or turn a blind eye .

The point of this write up is to encourage unity, accountability . We can't force leaders to perform if we are constantly fighting each other . They all sit together laughing at Our stupidity while pretending to be enemies in public. We need to change our collective mindset . We have a lot of smart and innovative youth scattered around the world, but when will we ever get our own home in order ?. South Africans are not desperate to leave their home even with all their problems inherited from apartheid , they continue to improve. South Africa has many of her challenges but they are gradually getting the basics in order, we should start our own journey too. We may not like each other, but let's put our differences apart and build our own home.

Peace.

Ihaveleftnaija, izombie , ugosample , crownwealth, Juliusmalema,AroleOduduwa, evilforest . Which way ?

The answer to this is question lies in the fact that Nigeria attained her independence on a platter of Gold ; she and her citizens never fought for it . And there is a proverb that says" sleep is only sweet when you have labored for it ". How can Nigeria be United or have what South-Africa have when there is no unity ? Apart from corruption and football , what is uniting Nigeria? Nothing ! Go to the USA, they have more indigenous languages than Nigeria, but you will never see what you are seeing here happen there .

Shelumiel:
The answer to this is question lies in the fact that Nigeria attained her independence on a platter of Gold ; she and her citizens never fought for it . And there is a proverb that says" sleep is only sweet when you have labored for it ". How can Nigeria be United or have what South-Africa have when there is no unity ? Apart from corruption and football , what is uniting Nigeria? Nothing ! Go to the USA, they have more indigenous languages than Nigeria, but you will never see what you are seeing here happen there .

Bro , I agree with you. I have noticed that countries that fought hard with colonialists tend to easily unite than the ones who never lost anything . What gets to me the most is the fact that we have so many schooled youth who still can't see beyond tribe and religion . In my stay in south africa, I have realised the black man is not cursed but refuses to think and act . I'm amazed of how politically involved the youth here are , including secondary school children . Look at how vibrant and youthful their parliament is . Both countries have serious structural problems to resolve dating back to colonial times but one is working hard destroying the legacy and the other working hard to keep it. Lord save us.

Runalong333:


Bro , I agree with you. I have noticed that countries that fought hard with colonialists tend to easily unite than the ones who never lost anything . What gets to me the most is the fact that we have so many schooled youth who still can't see beyond tribe and religion . In my stay in south africa, I have realised the black man is not cursed but refuses to think and act . I'm amazed of how politically involved the youth here are , including secondary school children . Look at how vibrant and youthful their parliament is . Both countries have serious structural problems to resolve dating back to colonial times but one is working hard destroying the legacy and the other working hard to keep it. Lord save us.

True . But may God help us .

We gradually lost our way from independence. After the civil war, almost every aspect of the society took a down turn.


We don't have strong institutions in place to checkmate the excesses of anybody. Everyone is playing victim; at the same time, we hear of the great exploits of everyone. Three major tribes are using every opportunity to massage their egos. In another end, we have the religious fanatics who mix religion with everything you can think of. Politicians use religious lines when they fail, the masses believe them.

We need strong institutions in place, independent of each other. The police, army, navy needs to be reformed. This is very important.

The sense of Patriotism in both countries differs, we see each other from ethnic angle before national view

As at 1960 when Nigeria got its independence, Nigeria was comparable to South Africa and South Korea.

Today, not only is South Korea 100 years ahead of Nigeria in terms of development, South Africa is far ahead as well.

I think that in the case of Nigeria, the country simply does not work. Bringing Yoruba/Hausa/Igbo together in 1914 was a disasterous mistake. All 3 ethnic groups should have been 3 different countries. We don't have a national philosophy, unifying factor or common value system. Out of our disunity, we expect miracles to happen? It doesn't work that way. It is time for Nigeria to disintegrate, we will all do better on our own than together

White influence

Nice write up.

I believe we missed the chance for unity during colonial times . When I look at South Africans, particularly the blacks , they care not if the leader is Zulu or whatever. This I think is mainly to do with the fact that they united all their tribes during white rule, something we should have done . I believe we were and are still weak to the manipulations of the British . They put the Northerners , who are mainly anti education at the helm of things , knowing very well they would do everything to suppress the hunger for education the southerners have. This was very smart , I must confess . An uneducated populace is a defeated one , Nigeria has one of the highest number of illiterates in the world , meaning we have the highest number of people who can be easily fooled or ruled by sentiments . These are not good for development and progress, as is evident with Our forever detoriating state. Compare the two countries budgets , not just in education and health , but everything . There is absolutely no comparison, don't forget we also have 4 times the mouths to feed than them. I'm happy you mentioned restructuring because that is what we need or we might as well separate because this rubbish is not working . It's only working for the UK . We are still indirectly ruled by them . Proper health care , we run to their hospitals built by our resources . Education, we run to their schools . Good living standards , our political class would rather invest in building their roads than build their own. Brother to cut a long story short, the difference is in the mindset of the average citizen. South Africans are brought up to love their country and protect it , we are groomed from birth to escape our own; abroad is always a goal for our youth. Like you mentioned, in sane countries influential people like Linda ikeji would have been cursed by citizens for parading giving birth in another mans land instead of using their powers and influence to shine light on our decayed hospitals. It's an embarrassment, that we the followers, follow blindly like slaves without questioning. The ball is in our court .

ednut1:
White influence

So they vote in capable and accountable leaders in place because of whites . They refuse the brainwashing religions that were forced on us by the whites , because of white influence?. Whites love tribal blacks , do you think they would influence unity among black South Africans if they had their way ?

soko soko...soko soko baby. Soko soko

Eledumare bless us with the power to just discuss and discuss and discuss. And Nigeria at the end of all the discussion will still be a shythole country where the divIdeneds of democracy is just 5k per vote. Naija is trash

Ihaveleftnaija:


So they vote in capable and accountable leaders in place because of whites . They refuse the brainwashing religions that were forced on us by the whites , because of white influence?. Whites love tribal blacks , do you think they would influence unity among black South Africans if they had their way ?

south africa has been going down since blacks took over. The country was united by aparthied so there is a sense of nationalism

ednut1:
south africa has been going down since blacks took over. The country was united by aparthied so there is a sense of nationalism

What has gone down since blacks took over ? What did they have that is now lost due to black leadership?. Please , no sentiments , facts with links .

Before apartheid was their disunity in south Africa?

CanineOfJackal:
The sense of Patriotism in both countries differs, we see each other from ethnic angle before national view

My brother this so true . But when will it ever end because it is the cause of our disgress and underdevelopment.?

ednut1:
White influence

everyone beating about the bush but you seem to hit the nail.

The presence of whites in that country has altered the destiny of that country. Do you expect whites to be practicing a quota system over a merit system?

Do you expect whites to not have their children properly educated, and also provide jobs and secure their future.

All these are alien to black Africans, they want to enjoy at the expense of others, they can do anything for money, even impoverish a whole generation (like current Democratic government is doing).

All our politicians are billionaires but they still need more (greed - a strong black man quality)

Some people are saying we didn't fight for independence (please go and read your history books)

Ihaveleftnaija:


What has gone down since blacks took over ? What did they have that is now lost due to black leadership?. Please , no sentiments , facts with links .

Before apartheid was their disunity in south Africa?

before 1957 was der disunity in nigeria Unity had no use or need den

ednut1:
south africa has been going down since blacks took over. The country was united by aparthied so there is a sense of nationalism

Have you ever been to South Africa? . Or you listen to CNN and conclude all they say is true. This is why Nigeria is a mess , docile, populace who are easily convinced that blacks are useless because that is all they see around them. I how has South Africa gone down ?

Runalong333:


My brother this so true . But when will it ever end because it is the cause of our disgress and underdevelopment.?

We can't get it right because the leaders love the system and will surely have hangers on to do their bidding

ednut1:
before 1957 was der disunity in nigeria Unity had no use or need den

What has gone down in south africa since blacks took over ?. What are you saying here?

Ihaveleftnaija:


What has gone down in south africa since blacks took over ?. What are you saying here?

no worry

nigeria is different than south africa.....nigeria is a nation with many kingdoms,south africa is not....

how many kingdoms does south africa have....zulu..??...shona....thats already all...

nigeria has many kingdoms like songhai,bini,mali,dahomey,ashanti,calabar,congo and the list goes on and on....

comparin nigeria to south africa makes no sense....

ednut1:
no worry

Lol, self hate almost got you there brother . Keep believing.

Runalong333:


Have you ever been to South Africa? . Or you listen to CNN and conclude all they say is true. This is why Nigeria is a mess , docile, populace who are easily convinced that blacks are useless because that is all they see around them. I how has South Africa gone down ?

thE guy you quoted has a point


Zuma was a disaster, and you know it...

Mandela and Mbeki were better than Zuma the illiterate

If Zuma as he was led Nigeria, he would have led it to the gutter


The problem of Nigeria really is the people ).

They have refused to let barbaric and oetty mentality go


And for those Nigerian who are trying to move the country forward, they are being stifled by the barbaric elements

bantudra:
nigeria is different than south africa.....nigeria is a nation with many kingdoms,south africa is not....

how many kingdoms does south africa have....zulu..??...shona....thats already all...

nigeria has many kingdoms like songhai,bini,mali,dahomey,ashanti,calabar,congo and the list goes on and on....

comparin nigeria to south africa makes no sense....

half of those kingdoms don t ectst in Nigeria

Don't say what you are not sure of

Ugosample:


thE guy you quoted has a point


Zuma was a disaster, and you know it...

Mandela and Mbeki were better than Zuma the illiterate

If Zuma as he was led Nigeria, he would have led it to the gutter


The problem of Nigeria really is the people ).

They have refused to let barbaric and oetty mentality go


And for those Nigerian who are trying to move the country forward, they are being stifled by the barbaric elements

What point is that? That South Africa only had one disaster for a black president then the country is destroyed? . America has had a couple of those, should we claim whites have destroyed it ? . . Mandela and Mbeki were white people? I don't get your support of his statement, elaborate .

On the last part we agree .

Ugosample:


half of those kingdoms don t ectst in Nigeria

Don't say what you are not sure of

oooohhh they do....many northerners dont consider what colonizers drew on papers back then....i was in europe once and somebody that look notherner said to me that he is songhai....and he was proud to say that....

people still remember instinctively which kingdoms they originate from....

bantudra:
nigeria is different than south africa.....nigeria is a nation with many kingdoms,south africa is not....

how many kingdoms does south africa have....zulu..??...shona....thats already all...

nigeria has many kingdoms like songhai,bini,mali,dahomey,ashanti,calabar,congo and the list goes on and on....

comparin nigeria to south africa makes no sense....

South Africa has about 13 recognised kingdoms, go read up on it. And Shona is Zimbabwe not South Africa.

Runalong333:


Bro , I agree with you. I have noticed that countries that fought hard with colonialists tend to easily unite than the ones who never lost anything . What gets to me the most is the fact that we have so many schooled youth who still can't see beyond tribe and religion . In my stay in south africa, I have realised the black man is not cursed but refuses to think and act . I'm amazed of how politically involved the youth here are , including secondary school children . Look at how vibrant and youthful their parliament is . Both countries have serious structural problems to resolve dating back to colonial times but one is working hard destroying the legacy and the other working hard to keep it. Lord save us.

it's still that barbaric and repugnant mentality that is the problem of many Nigerian youths


And school cannot change that, especially the type of school we have


A child who has barbaric mentality parents and going to a school where he will be taught by barbaric mentality teachers will end up thinking like a barbaric fellow despite the schooling.


that's it.

Purging Nigeria and indeed many parts of Africa of these barbaric mentality is the first step.


Imagine in the 21 century there is still widespread belief in witchcraft and ritual sacrifice even among youths

Even the one with M.Sc /PhD

Something other parts of the world has largely done away with

Runalong333:


South Africa has about 13 recognised kingdoms, go read up on it. And Shona is Zimbabwe not South Africa.

i dont know much about south africa...and that south africa has that many kingdoms is a lie.....

that area south was mostly zulu and shona...i dont know about other sub groups....

Runalong333:



What point is that? That South Africa only had one disaster for a black president then the country is destroyed? . America has had a couple of those, should we claim whites have destroyed it ? . . Mandela and Mbeki were white people? I don't get your support of his statement, elaborate .

On the last part we agree .

I'm saying Zuma reign was terrible

with the black outs, corruption and the high unemployment /debt

So it did decline, and it was there economic contraction that made Nigeria leap frog them in the first place


That's my point

gidgiddy:
As at 1960 when Nigeria got its independence, Nigeria was comparable to South Africa and South Korea.

Today, not only is South Korea 100 years ahead of Nigeria in terms of development, South Africa is far ahead as well.

I think that in the case of Nigeria, the country simply does not work. Bringing Yoruba/Hausa/Igbo together in 1914 was a disasterous mistake. All 3 ethnic groups should have been 3 different countries. We don't have a national philosophy, unifying factor or common value system. Out of our disunity, we expect miracles to happen? It doesn't work that way. It is time for Nigeria to disintegrate, we will all do better on our own than together

I am for the exploring the idea of disintegration , but my issue with it , will it change much ?. Look at the different regions , all states are allocated funds for projects but very few are completed . And mind you, the leaders of each region belong to the majority tribe in that land . So will Nigerians of all tribes suddenly change their corrupt ways after separation?

Ugosample:


I'm saying Zuma reign was terrible

with the black outs, corruption and the high unemployment /debt

So it did decline, and it was there economic contraction that made Nigeria leap frog them in the first place


That's my point

stfu...south africa is only trying to find back their roots that was erased by whites....

ofcourse they will go through transitions too to find back who they realy are....nothing special....

but nigeria is faster in that...kings full nigeria....