Nigerians have a generally low IQ. They're too dumb to realize it is their leaders ruining the country. They're so dumb they even defend the rotten leaders.



However, ideally, order proceeds from the top and moves downwards. Poor Leaders = Rotten Populace.


You lots think white people are saints. Remove law and order from the almighty United States and see what the society will degenerate into.

Illiterate... Read what the OP wrote,it won't kill you. He made some very sensible & valid points. Am sure you're part of those selling their votes for pittance. Only when the mindsets of the citizens changes b4 Nigeria becomes great again. What we don't realise is that the power really is in our hands.

aishapmbtoto:
You are not serious. Our problem is lack of good leadership.

Illiterate... Read what the OP wrote,it won't kill you. He made some very sensible & valid points. Am sure you're part of those selling their votes for pittance. Only when the mindsets of the citizens changes b4 Nigeria becomes great again. What we don't realise is that the power really is in our hands.

Who is the iberiberistic fool who think he knows more than Achebe?

stanliwise:
The elites knows the evil they are doing but always remember that if anything would be set right... it lies in the hands of the oppressed...

let's agree then that Leadership is the problem then we can talk about how to change the leadership. logically ur quote above didn't exonerate the leaders but only suggested that the masses can change the bad leadership which I concur

O to ge.

There is no way you'll be patrotic if you're cheated by your country, if everything is lopsided, if you've given up hope for the contry.

The truth is no one in Nigeria loves Nigeria we are all pretending. If American visa where to be given free every one will rush to there.

If the men in uniform had better jobs no one will like to be part of the armed forces of this contry talk more of dieing for this country. (Despite the pride in wearing uniforms for forces)

Have you ever seen a child set out be study everything about the military so as to become a soldier or police ? No people join bcus of lack of other alternatives.

Nigeria need to get it right otherwise it will break up, violently

It's still leadership. No matter how biased you are.From the time of Moses, the masses are being led by leaders who are sacrificial and people-oriented, and who always move ahead of their peers. Alexander The Great,Atatuk,Indira Ghandi,Roosevelt, JFK,Queen Elizabeth 1 ,Awolowo etc, all and many more distinguished themselves as exceptional leaders and show why people have to be led.
Mass acts can't change society.There has to be an arrow head. It is this qualitatively efficient leadership that Nigeria lacks.This fault is not that of the masses but of those who,fortuitously, seized power and made a failure of it.

Shaping Nigeria is in the hands of the people, not politicians. Getting great leaders run the affairs of the nation is in the hands of the people and it can only be possible when everyone puts Nigeria first, when everyone sees Nigeria as their own country, when everyone understands that when troubles come, the money in their hands cannot save them, when everyone understands that when war happens, nobody goes to the market to trade, when people understand that when a neighbour is killed, they could be next to be killed.

Only when priority placed on education and education improves, only when there's quality education would the masses understand that.

Nigeria is like a company owned by all Nigerians and the political office holders are the managers. If the owners of the company employ managers who cannot run the company well and things go wrong, the employers should be blamed, not the managers. The time of sentiments and risky loyalties should be over. If anyone has the interest of Nigeria at heart, that person should sit down, examine all the candidates for the political offices, check their pedigree and history and then cast their votes based on their convictions. Even if someone’s vote was the only vote that a candidate got, there is no issue with that—so long as it was cast based on personal convictions, not sentiments or some personal aggrandizements. That is patriotism.

Only when priority placed on education and education improves, only when there's quality education would the masses understand that.

The masses and the leaders are the same. A nation get the type of leadership it deserves. A nation deserve the type of leadership it gets.

bayelsaowei:
First of all we all need to separate from the core north then can we start talking about the masses voting for the right characters.. how can one help millions of uneducated almajaris and abokis not to vote for Buhari??..

This is totally inaccurate it is this type of thinking that affects Nigeria. Did Buhari not contest so many times? He kept on loosing until Tinubu’s party merged with his. They made Buhari look more appealing and he won. Stop the lame blame game.

someone posted this s.r. article on nl a few yrs ago. it supports the thread theme.

The End Of An Assignment In Nigeria

By Tim Newman

http://saharareporters.com/2013/08/22/end-assignment-nigeria-by%C2%A0tim-newman

Lol I laugh you. You say Achebe is wrong? He
Was there when all of this began and I'm Guessing you were a baby then or not even born sef, please say what you know, don't come and give us headache because you don't like Achebe or because Nigeria is frustrating you. You say the problem is the masses, you are
You not one of the masses? Do something na, if you can. You forget Nigeria is a lawless
Country, dem go flog you throw you inside guard room if you do pass yourself. Just look at what they did to Fela who was speaking up. The masses are not perfect no doubt but the problem is and still remains with the leaders, they lead, we follow. Not the other way around. Do your research on any prosperous country and you will find out it all started with a good leader willing to make his country better. But here the reverse is the case. Our leaders are at fault because they have the power to make this country better but instead use that power for their own selfish desires. Its not rocket science.

Use the right tools to solve the right problem....you can't use a spoon to dig a 20 fit hole!

It depends on what point of view you choose to see it.Really,I think the more appropriate opinion is that of the leaders being the problems.Where leadership to be just the reflection of the masses,then scarcely would there have been humankinds progresses.In fact,isn't this the main purpose of leading? to serve as stewardship; shepherding over a jumbled flock,progressively grooming it for greater utility,rather than merely being part of the same disheveled mass

krushdripper:
All the countries we desire to go and live in were made better than ours by the citizens of that country. They made use of their heads and put national interest first—because that determines what happens to everyone within the geographical space.


I've since understood that 90% of Nigerian citizens have degenerated to animals with human physic (won't be suprised if thier physic starts degenerating too).. One could see five thousand people as just one person cos they all grow to follow after the negative trend, no personality whatsoever, brainless, spineless and fake, only thing they know is how to hurt or oppress thier fellow citizen, a total disgusting waste.

As much as you are trying to express dislike for the action of Nigerian masses, your dislikes have now degenerated to hatred. like it or not, if the masses must work you need those people that you called mad and psychotic to make it happen. Your hatred isn't the way out. Why not Orient this smae people.

Every word is spot on.
Take a cue from the on going rallies, Buhari and Atiku are only able to muster such crowds cos in most cases than not, they dole out cash but the other smart guys like Moghalu, Sowore, Durotoye etc are not financially buoyant or rather it is against their beliefs to bribe their way to power thus are not given any chance by Nigerians.
Here, we sell out future for a pot of porridge. Imagine folks rooting for Buhari after has shown that he isn't capable to lead the country or others who are hell bent on foisting Atiku on us even when Atiku for 8 years was VP and didn't do such much compared to the resources available to him, same Atiku is surrounded by Saraki, Dino, Ben Bruce, Tambuwal etc, the very men who have been at the centre of misgovernance as we have it here.
For me, Sowore should get the nod or Moghalu but no, Nigerians are still in love with her oppressors.

The Nigerian society produces the kind of leaders it has.
Worshiping a human who steals and lies says a lot about the masses.

patrickmuf:
Every word is spot on.
Take a cue from the on going rallies, Buhari and Atiku are only able to muster such crowds cos in most cases than not, they dole out cash but the other smart guys like Moghalu, Sowore, Durotoye etc are not financially buoyant or rather it is against their beliefs to bribe their way to power thus are not given any chance by Nigerians.
Here, we sell out future for a pot of porridge. Imagine folks rooting for Buhari after has shown that he isn't capable to lead the country or others who are hell bent on foisting Atiku on us even when Atiku for 8 years was VP and didn't do such much compared to the resources available to him, same Atiku is surrounded by Saraki, Dino, Ben Bruce, Tambuwal etc, the very men who have been at the centre of misgovernance as we have it here.
For me, Sowore should get the nod or Moghalu but no, Nigerians are still in love with her oppressors.

Not making any excuse for atiku but we can all agree that most vps are toothless and can't do things on their own without the ok of the president.

I no send that sowore o! No be aluta or motivation speeeches matter be this...or Sahara. Same way i couldnt stand fela durotoye.

The only person I will confidently vote for is moghalu and that is because of the solutions I have heard him proffer for our problems.

diggz:


Not making any excuse for atiku but we can all agree that most vps are toothless and can't do things on their own without the ok of the president.

I no send that sowore o! No be aluta or motivation speeeches matter be this...or Sahara. Same way i couldnt stand fela durotoye.

The only person I will confidently vote for is moghalu and that is because of the solutions I have heard him proffer for our problems.

You might need to listen to Sowore more.
Moghalu is very cerebral, he is also a very good choice.
The odd one is Atiku, he represents the status quo in a new dress and that's why I'm not sold on his candidature.
I hope we get it right across board.

patrickmuf:
You might need to listen to Sowore more.
Moghalu is very cerebral, he is also a very good choice.
The odd one is Atiku, he represents the status quo in a new dress and that's why I'm not sold on his candidature.
I hope we get it right across board.

I have listened to sowore and like fela durotoye their numbers don't or never adds up. I am not into the business of making silly promises that one cannot keep. Same way your f00lish president said he was going to make N1 equal 1 dollar while being import dependent is the same way sowore is going about throwing figures Upandan. Please correct me if I am not mistaken ...is sowore not the one who said he will increase minimum wage to 100k plus if he becomes the president of this country?

Bad Nigerians are more than the Good Nigerians and majority always carry the vote. This is what is further reflected in Leadership.

Which of the Achebe again, why can't we Nigerians focus on what is currently happening now.

OpinionCentreNG:
Chinua Achebe remains one of the best writers the world can boast of. All his life, he showed undying passion for the development of Nigeria and Africa. In his novels, he wrote against the ills that have befallen Nigeria. He saw well. He saw the decay well. He saw the nonsense well. Achebe saw the gross selfishness well. And from a patriotic standpoint, on 5th September, 2000, he published The Trouble with Nigeria. In the book, in the first page, first paragraph, first line, Achebe said: “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership. There is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian character.” This is not correct. I disagree with Achebe in this one.

The trouble with Nigeria is not politicians or bad leadership; it is the people of Nigeria, the masses. There are lots of things wrong with the present Nigerian character. Achebe is right that we have been having politicians who are after themselves and political party, not the nation. But this is same with the masses, the Nigerian people. Since democracy is a government of the people, by the people and for the people, if anything goes wrong in a democratic setting as a result of unpatriotic acts, the people are responsible for it.

Nigeria is in bad shape today because she lacks patriotic citizens. It is unfortunate that when the word patriotism is mentioned, people point to politicians who are boldly doing business with Nigeria’s resources because the masses are oblivious of the politicians’ tendencies (so I believe). When patriotism is mentioned, we should point to ourselves and reminisce how we have shown our love for Nigeria and willingness to defend her. Who loves Nigeria and has proven it? Who?

We blame politicians for votes buying. Who are selling votes to them? The masses! The politicians are the people in need of the commodity (votes) in bulk; the people are the producers of the votes and the so called influential persons are the suppliers of both the money and votes. The influential persons are the godfathers. They tell the masses whom to vote and then dole them some change or buy them some bags of rice and salt. This is how politicians buy their way into the national treasury. The politicians with the biggest amount of money to throw around, become more popular and even the elites join their train once settled or consulted. This has become a sort of the only acceptable beat in the Nigerian political arena. Only minority are interested in the candidature of the aspirants and their likelihood to effectively and efficiently drive Nigeria off the storms threatening her. Well-meaning people who have no money to throw around hardly get up to two per cent of the electorates’ supports and votes.

Who do we blame in this kind of situation? The politicians? That would be so very unfair! Injustice! How can we blame a man for paying for and obtaining a product the producer has placed for sale? How can we have our cake and eat it? The votes suppliers protect their heavy-paying customers. Which supplier of a commodity would joke with customers who buy goods in bulk and pay in advance?

After the 2011 elections in Imo State, I eavesdropped on two young men discussing how an angry politician who had lost in polling units in Ngor Okpala, Imo State, sent some thugs and they went for the head of a chief in Ngor Okpala. The chief was given huge money to buy good votes but he failed supplying the badly needed commodity. I overheard one of the men in the discussion say to the other that the chief really shared the money, but the people took the money and voted against the candidate who had given the money. The thugs who visited the village in a very flashy car were suspected and queried by some unarmed youths, they brought out their AK47s and began shooting sporadically. They sacked the villagers, hacked down three people including a twelve-year-old boy.

The one of 2007 is still fresh in my memory. It was the day I went to cast my first vote. I went to the polling unit and saw some men with huge cash at the polling unit sharing N500 to anyone who agreed to vote for their party men. Another group came with N700 and the electorates changed direction. I saw young and old people willing to cast their votes for who was going to pay more money. Any political office aspirant who did not consult the votes suppliers risks losing woefully because the masses vote based on what they have been told by the votes suppliers, not what they can see about the aspirants. No, not based on facts and records. No! Not based on credibility and competence!

Many electorates cast their votes for the candidates they have emotions for or whom they believe hail from their tribe. Many others vote the politicians who make more promises to them. So the troubles continue. Politicians see it as a game. And they play along. A political group goes to the West and promises them presidency next four years (because the votes are readily available for purchase, they can buy it from the electorates with eyes closed) and the West welcome the idea. Another group goes to the South and promises them presidency the next election year and the South rally round the group. This happens in the North and East. Each zone is asking, “What is in it for me?” Go to the state level, and the promises keep raining from the politicians. Break it down to the electorates and they ask you same question, “What is in it for me?” The votes suppliers give them some change and they sell their votes.

This is how the masses have kept Nigeria down for decades. The masses introduced the game the politicians are playing. This is how politics in Nigeria has become a game. This is how the masses play games with their lives, economy and well-being. This is how the masses are the trouble with Nigeria! And when a team is desperate to win a game, foul plays become the order of the day, deadly tackles, false alarms and diving into the goal area at the slightest tackle—just to get some pity and win the game. Everything is game. Game? Game!

Shaping Nigeria is in the hands of the people, not politicians. Getting great leaders run the affairs of the nation is in the hands of the people and it can only be possible when everyone puts Nigeria first, when everyone sees Nigeria as their own country, when everyone understands that when troubles come, the money in their hands cannot save them, when everyone understands that when war happens, nobody goes to the market to trade, when people understand that when a neighbour is killed, they could be next to be killed.

I remember a story my grandmother told me many years ago. She said it happened in Amala, Ngor Okpala LGA, Imo State. She said a woman and her son were frying garri under a tree by the entrance of their compound. It was on an Ekeukwu Amala Market Day and many people had gone to the market. The woman and her son heard a woman crying for help. It was a neighbour of theirs. This neighbour of theirs had a son in his twenties who had some mental disturbance. His case got worse that day and he picked a machete and began to cut his mother. The woman’s son raised his voice to shout, but the mother told him to keep quiet and continue frying the garri. It was learnt later that she was not in good terms with the woman crying for help. After a minute, the woman’s voice was no longer heard. Her son had butchered her to death and went back into the house. About three minutes later, the son of the woman screamed and ran outside crying for help. The mad man had caught up with the mother and began to butcher her with the same cutlass he had used on his mother. The youths rapidly responded to the cry and overpowered the mad man. But before they arrived, the woman was already in parts. She died.

Those within the territories of Nigeria, who keep mute at ills, injustice and unfair treats meted out to anyone in Nigeria, is wittingly or unwittingly establishing grounds for such to happen to them. The power of the people lies in their one voice and one purpose. Patriotism is when the interest of the nation, the state, comes before personal interests.

Nigeria is like a company owned by all Nigerians and the political office holders are the managers. If the owners of the company employ managers who cannot run the company well and things go wrong, the employers should be blamed, not the managers. The time of sentiments and risky loyalties should be over. If anyone has the interest of Nigeria at heart, that person should sit down, examine all the candidates for the political offices, check their pedigree and history and then cast their votes based on their convictions. Even if someone’s vote was the only vote that a candidate got, there is no issue with that—so long as it was cast based on personal convictions, not sentiments or some personal aggrandizements. That is patriotism.

Only patriotic Nigerians should be voted into office. Vying for a political office just for the pleasure that comes with the office is not patriotism, it is madness birthed by wickedness against the nation and it is only the electorates that can stop this madness and kill the wickedness. Patriotism is when your father comes out for a political office and another candidate whom you believe is more knowledgeable in that area, than your father is, comes for that office, you go to the poll, cast your vote for the other candidate—in the interest of Nigeria, your dear country. Patriotism is speaking up when a political office holder underperforms or does things unlawfully. Unpatriotism is defending a political office holder who has obviously underperformed because you are a beneficiary of the politician’s government. If any individual ever campaigns and/or votes for a politician he/she cannot allow to manage his/her personal business for him/her, that individual is a hypocrite, an unpatriotic Nigerian.

This is no longer the time to leave Nigeria for the alleged owners. This is no longer the time to take up arms, kill and get killed. This is no longer the time to pretend you have no role to play. This is no longer the time to watch like some audience in a live concert, all the drama that have been rolling out from the politicians. Democracy is not a show of the politicians, by the politicians and for the politicians. All the countries we desire to go and live in were made better than ours by the citizens of that country. They made use of their heads and put national interest first—because that determines what happens to everyone within the geographical space. This is no longer the time to sell your conscience to your party, get some appointment or cash and hide everyday due to insecurity or have friends of yours and loved ones killed. This is no longer the time to listen to big big talks. This is the time to list all the candidates and begin to evaluate them yourself. Score them and vote the one that has the highest score. When the electorates refuse to be bought over, politicians would focus on developing themselves and the nation, not consulting godfathers.

God bless Nigeria!


Written by
*Timothy Onyebuchi* (onyebuchitim@gmail.com)

First published on: https://criticalarena .com/2019/01/30/the-trouble-with-nigeria/

Mr. Onyebuchi, Nigerian politicians are quite crafty. Divide the people between religious and tribal lines, keep them poor and ignorant then during elections, stir this divide and offer them peanuts for their conscience.


Keeping the people poor and ignorant and dividing them across religious and tribal lines always works... it is not the people's fault.....

If you take time to read what you wrote slowly you would realise that you have actually rejected the write up in favour of Achebe.

Who develops and enforces KPI's? Is it not Management? Or in other words, Leadership.

And the employees(masses) automatically adjust to it.

So you now see why Achebe was right.

Good leadership know what to do to create productive mindsets in the people while bad leaders will always exploit the weaknesses of the people and rip them off.

A father without good leadership quality will throw his home in disarray and whatever the wife and children end up doing to keep body and soul together is due to his irresponsibility.
That is the story of Nigeria

SHABZ:
Fantastic write up. I've always told my friends and colleagues that Nigerians are the problem of Nigeria, and not the politicians. Look at it this way, in a non-governmental organization, if you're employed, you get a set of KPIs to achieve. You the employee, will make sure you achieve the KPIs because failure to do so, will result in getting sacked. If you know that your job is secure irrespective of whether you achieve your KPIs or not, you would'nt make any effort towards the achievement of the targets.

This is exactly how the politicians operate. Because whether they archieve the targets or not, they know they'd be voted in again

diggz:


I have listened to sowore and like fela durotoye their numbers don't or never adds up. I am not into the business of making silly promises that one cannot keep. Same way your f00lish president said he was going to make N1 equal 1 dollar while being import dependent is the same way sowore is going about throwing figures Upandan. Please correct me if I am not mistaken ...is sowore not the one who said he will increase minimum wage to 100k plus if he becomes the president of this country?

He is and as ridiculous as it sounds, it is achievable. Maybe not 100k but something around 70k...
I refuse to accept that the country cannot do much more that the proposed 30k. If Nigeria is broke, why then is Atiku, Buhari and all the other aspirants for different political positions doing their utmost to win? You and I know it is not because of passion to serve alone, it's because they want a share of our resources.
All the states saying they can't pay 30k are states held back by lazy leaders.

Did the leaders fall from heaven? Everyone wants to talk smart

patrickmuf:
He is and as ridiculous as it sounds, it is achievable. Maybe not 100k but something around 70k...
I refuse to accept that the country cannot do much more that the proposed 30k. If Nigeria is broke, why then is Atiku, Buhari and all the other aspirants for different political positions doing their utmost to win? You and I know it is not because of passion to serve alone, it's because they want a share of our resources.
All the states saying they can't pay 30k are states held back by lazy leaders.

I am not saying it is not achievable because it is. However, I can't see a clear road map on how he is going to achieve such from what he said....Same way I didn't see how your president was going to make 1naira equal 1dollar....and that is majorly one of the issues I have with him. Good and great ideas but how to achieve and implement these ideas is the wahala.

It is simply not enough to make beautiful promises....you have to be able to create and show a road map that adds up.

@states

Especially south south states...especially delta state and n.a. ogun go kee all of them Las Las...