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Chinese are Raping You, Indians are
Molesting You, and Your Mama Seems to Care Less By Ahmed Garba In
a previous article, “Mega Stores, Foreign Investors, the Nigerian Retailer,
and the Reign of Compradors” (https://issuesnigeria.wordpress.com/2013/09/28/mega-stores-the-nigerian-retailer-and-the-reign-of-compradors/),
I raised some issues regarding the penetration and subjugation of African,
and particularly, Nigerian markets by the two most bloated nations of the
world—China, and India. The negative
effects of our blind and unregulated trade relations with these countries are
still being debated, but some honest observers have stated their unequivocal
position on this matter. Recall the remark by former CBN governor, Sanusi Lamido on the dangers to
Nigeria, even the whole of Africa, of our unchecked trade relationship with
China, a remark which engendered a retort from the
Chinese government. In this article, I
will re-visit this seemingly unattended or still unresolved
issues. I will set aside the
obvious economic, that is, international trade imbalance, international
finance, and debt consequences of these relationships. More importantly, I will focus on the human
consequences of these lopsided relationships. Pure Water or Dead Water? There
was a time in Nigeria, Lagos, to be precise, when, if a house lacked its own
pipe-borne water, supply, there were public water
faucets strategically located around the city, which were maintained by
municipal water services (a.k.a Public Water
Works). However, once Nigeria was
cursed with the reign of the short, gap-tooth devil, water, a basic necessity
of life has continued to remain a commodity beyond the reach of an average
Nigerian, so much so that water supply has become more than a profitable
business. A venture that is now being
aided by, particularly the Chinese and the Indians, who have wasted no time
to feed our “goo-goo-eyed” entrepreneurs known for their tendency to
amorously adore wealth, no matter the source, with endless supply of Reverse
Osmosis (RO) filtration or distillation systems. And that is the problem—RO filtration and
Distillation systems. Today,
a lot of communities in Nigeria can boast of “neighborhood millionaires”
whose sudden wealth is attributable to the business of “pure water”. However, what Nigerians have been consuming
as “pure water” is actually DEAD WATER! so called
because, the water has been “demineralized”.
Scientists around the world generally agree that “life” and healthy
drinking water must contain certain levels of some essential minerals
including, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, sodium, potassium, zinc,
etc. But, when water is processed via
RO or distillation, what comes out the other end is “dead water”, because
these processes filter out everything—the bad, as well as the good minerals that I
have listed above. According
to Scientists, when one consumes excess amount of “dead water”, it offsets
the body's pH (presence of hydrogen) balance, while increasing the acidity in
the body. Excess acidity promotes the
presence of “free radicals” which are known to raid and pillage healthy cells
in the body. In fact, we may have
already started seeing evidence of this assertion. I once heard that in one of the northern
states (perhaps Jigawa?) there has been unusual
increase in reported cases of organ failure, which may have been somewhat or
loosely linked to “pure water”. Added
to the dangers of dead water is the fact that, in Nigeria, this water is distributed
in either plastic bags or plastic bottles.
It has since been found that plastic materials, especially the cheap
ones, often contain Bisphenol A (BPA), a dangerous chemical substance known
to sip into the liquid that it contains.
So, you see, if the dead water doesn't kill you, BPA may give you
cancer. They sure get you going and
coming. A
more scientific and detailed report of the negative effects of RO or
distilled water (a.k.a Deminerailzed
water) has been documented as far back as the 1980s and again in 2004, by no
less entity than World Health Organization (WHO), in this article: The
facts revealed in this article in itself makes one wonder why and how the
business of “pure water” could have been allowed to proliferate so much in
Nigeria. In
western countries, many who used to think that bottled water was the
“in-thing” are fast realizing that these “waters” are not only inferior to
their own municipal drinking water—which by law has to observe the
standardized pH value of 7.0--but that such bottled waters are even
dangerous, for the simple fact that, they are more acidic than they are
alkaline. There have been many
demonstrated tests to proof this point.
Little wonder then, why countries known for their health consciousness
(e.g. Japan) have for very long time, been in the forefront of consuming
alkaline (a.k.a. Ionized water).
Granted that water ionization machines are beyond the reach of an
average Nigerian, but, at least our agencies (hint, hint, NAFDAC) can
establish a minimum of pH value that water purifiers must observe. How about that pH value of 7.365, which
scientists (of whom I am not one) have agreed upon, accompanied by some
acceptable ORP (Oxidation Reduction Potential) value? Better yet, how about we eliminate the
Chinese and Indian supported business of “pure water” and go back to properly
processed municipal water supply?
After all,
consumption of “life”, healthy water should be, if it isn't
already, a part of fundamental human right. Useless and Substandard Electronics Virtually
every day, the shores and ports of Nigeria, even the whole of Africa are
impregnated with ships off-loading container-loads of items that
Nigerians/Africans have been convinced they must have, or things that, by the
sheer failures of their own governments, have become necessities of life. Consider the quantity of sub-standard cell
phones and other electronics that are shipped into Nigeria from China or
India. Phones that are glued together
with poor antennas (which result in bad reception); hardly reliable
batteries; screens that can make you go blind from horrible pixel patterns,
etc. To be sure, in their own
countries (e.g. China), they do produce relatively better quality products
for domestic consumption. A case in
point, unlike the “Chinco” phones that they sell to
us, they have phones of decent quality such as, Oppo N1,
which they only consume internally or ship to western countries. How
about the Chinese and Indian forays into solar energy products? Here we have these two countries lounging
ahead of western countries, into African markets, where they are bent on
selling us products that conscious solar installers have come to realize are
not only substandard, but have been known to fry and perhaps burn down parts
of houses. Solar panels that are too
underpowered for their stated voltages, shoddy soldering of solar cells that leads to
malfunctions, resulting in at least, loss of money invested, if not
lives. How about inverters where their
internals have been tacked onto mere “cardboard” circuitry,
or poorly wired parts, or dangerously soldered control boards? I suggest readers ask themselves, how many Su-Kam
inverters are being sold in Europe or USA?
If none or not many, why not?
Isn't India a signatory to several world trade regimes? We have even seen Taiwanese-made solar
inverters making brisk business in places such as Europe and Australia, even
the USA, but not those made in India. It
might also interest the reader to know that when SME (a German company)—one
of the foremost manufacturers of solar inverters--decided to look for ways to
cut cost and expand their market share, they did not choose to work with the
Indians. Instead, they went into
partnership with the Chinese company, Jiangsu ZeverSolar. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-12-21/sma-solar-buys-majority-stake-in-chinese-inverter-maker. Perhaps the reason for such decision is
what someone has aptly stated that, 'Indians thrive in an environment of
chaos', which is an anathema for the Germans known
for their orderliness and quality work.
And, it is this affinity for chaos that makes Nigeria a fertile ground
for Indians, because lord knows, there is no place more chaotic than Nigeria,
as demonstrated by the mind-boggling public theft that we have been reading
about lately. We
don't even want to talk about those unbiquitous
power generators that have become sources of noise, air pollution, avoidable
accidents, and
even deaths. One wonders how many
cases of asthma would have been avoided, if Nigerians have not been condemned
to the life of “I pass my neighbor”.
In a country where solid waste disposal has been a challenge for
generations, we are now adding to the pile, this excess load of dangerous
electronic products, that if not properly recycled
or disposed off, could spell doom for us, in terms
of health care epidemics. Meanwhile,
the Indians and the Chinese would have carted away their loot. Life-threatening Consumer Goods I
have often wondered, had Nigeria been a country with
well-funded consumer protection agencies, how many dangerous imported
consumer goods would have been uncovered by now. Take children toys for example, from time
to time one reads that in Western countries, certain Chinese-made toys have
been found to be dangerous for kids, and therefore, their importation must be
banned. But, in Nigeria, our “Nouveau
riche”, will arrogantly walk their
over-pampered kids to the new neighborhood ShorpRite,
and ignorantly purchase the same toys for them. This, while our custom service, or the police look
away. Do we even have safety control
boards in Nigeria? If so, what sort of
safety standards have they put in place for these foreign imports? How often have these standards been
enforced? Sure, there must have been
occasions where some of these toys have dome some damages, but would we ever
know, particularly, for the Hausas, who fatalistically rests everything in
the hands of God (“Haka Allah ya Qaddara”). i Now
that Buhari's administration is emphasizing the
need to fund and promote agriculture, watch and see how the Indians and the
Chinese will jump on this opportunity and saturate us with all sorts of
crappy products, a litany of gimmickry gadgetries, some of which we haven't
even fathomed yet. We may begin to see
tools/equipment claiming to make it possible to farm yams from plastic bags
draped over your balcony, or a machinery that can
farm, harvest and produce dried okra in a blink of an eye. The only thing they may not tell us is
that, while using these gadgets, if you stand to the left or right,
at an opportuned angle, you are bound to loose
a limb, get mutilated, or even die. In
addition, as I have noted elsewhere in the article referenced above, we may
even see Chinese or Indians trying to sell us machines for making “Kosai” (akara), which may be powered by kerosene, running through
a faulty hose that can leak and explode unannounced! Or worse still, we may begin to see Chinese
and Indian investors buying off our farm lands with the connivance of some of
our genuflecting dunces in the corridors of power. Certainly, the likes of “Mesu Jamba” Saraki,
or several others of our rentiers will gladly oblige them. All these while poor Nigerians watch
helplessly. Chemically-damaging and Perhaps, Arsenic-ladened Products All
across West Africa, the business of second-hand clothing has bloomed to the
detriment of our local textile industries.
In addition to these losses, most of the bales of textiles shipped to
Africa from China are not only of inferior quality, but they are made with
chemicals (e.g. dyes) that are not only unsafe, but may even be found to be
carcinogenic. This, in addition to the
decimating effect on our industries.
How many of Nigeria's textile companies are operational today? How
about those wigs exported by Indians?
Wigs harvested from lice-infested hair of poor, rural, wretched
Indians, sometimes mixed with materials from the tails of farmished
horses, then processed with dangerous
chemicals. It is quite bemusing to see
the so-called Nollywood actresses adorn themselves with this otherwise filthy
“fashion”, simply out of ignorance and extreme inferiority complex. I have sometimes wondered why some Nigerian women
tend to feel some itch on their heads and can't resist scratching and
sometimes pounding their heads.. Could it be the toxic chemicals used to
process the wigs and/or the chemicals in their hair pomade reacting with the
African sun? What
is even more disturbing is watching the so-called Kannywood
movies where, otherwise cultured Hausa-Fulani actresses will forego their
traditions and values in preference for some ridiculous Indian sari, or
imitating Indian music genre. You have
the choice of Hausa, Fulani, Kanuri, etc., cultures, but you will opt for
something belonging to people who, even in the 21st century still
have part of their population (more than the entire population of Nigeria)
that believe in worshiping rats or Shiva, the lord of erect Phallus. What a sorrowful and pathetic demonstration
of ignorance and inferiority complex. CONCLUSION As
I make these points, I am sure there will be no shortage of people
(Nigerians) who will disagree with me.
Some may even heave and howl, mainly because they benefit from this
rape of our land and people. The
Europeans did their bit during colonialism, with the connivance of our
“elites” in palaces and local government.
Now the Chinese and the Indians are coming for their own round of the
orgy, and some of our representatives have been more than eager to aid and abet them, for the
right fee. If you have ever reflected deeply on these
matters, you will begin to understand that when Idi Amin Dada ejected Indians
from Uganda, the man was not totally crazy after all. Anyone
who has observed these two countries–China, and India, might even excuse the
Chinese, to some degree, because their sense of human relations with respect
to Africans is more tolerable than the overtly insulting manners of the
Indians. Here is a people, the
Indians, who,
wherever they go, they carry with them their abhorrent culture
of caste system. Ever noticed that, in
all parts of Africa—even East and Southern Africa—where they sometimes claim
indigenous identity, they make a point of living in their own enclave? In fact, the only part of the world where
Indians have somewhat interacted, (“assimilated”) with the local community is
the Caribbean Islands, and even there, the Indians are mostly descendants of “lower caste”
indentured servants brought there by the British. Contrast this with the fact that, even in
the heart of China, some Africans, Nigerians included have found acceptance
to the extent that, in addition to operating businesses, there have been
inter-marriages between Chinese and Nigerians or other Africans. Even pseudo-homogeneous Japan, more
advanced in many ways than India and China has witnessed some degree of
acceptance of Africans—in their own country—at least via
inter-marriages. Granted, this seeming examples of acceptance may be cases of
calculated agenda on the part of both parties, for some perceived
socio-economic benefits, but, finding similar examples with respect to the
Indians is tantamount to looking for hen's teeth. We
have also witnessed rare demonstration of “honor” by Chinese officials who
have been willing to commit suicide or serve jail time for crime against
humanity, perhaps not for “raping” Africans. Have you ever heard of an Indian
demonstrating such “honor”, even as a result of crime against their own
people, let alone an act of “raping” Africa and Africans? Rather, what we have seen were occasions
where African students, especially Nigerians have been mercilessly murdered
by Indians, often with the connivance or tacit knowledge of Indian
police! And so far, no Nigerian
authority has been known to have sought redress, let alone secure any justice
on behalf of these Nigerians who have been so horribly exterminated, by the
same set of people who come into our country in search of wealth. Compared to China, how many Nigerians
run/operate businesses, even a Kiosk, in India? Yet, Indians can have a massive Sikh temple
in the heart of Lagos? I wonder how
many Lagosians or Nigerians practice Buddhism. Remember
the case of the Indian owners of Dana Airlines who fled the country as soon
as they have killed Nigerians, by operating defective aircrafts? Of course, their flight was probably aided
in part, by our “trusted” officers in the police force, the immigration, and
the judiciary, who have elevated the practice of vertical corruption to an
art. Furthermore, with the depth of
poverty and desperation that Nigerians have been subjected to, coupled with
the many instances of professed Indian disdain for African lives, it is quite
possible for us to wake up one day only to find out that there have been underground Indian-operated rackets for
human organ harvesting going on right under our noses. After all, they have been known to conduct
similar operations (for Kidney harvesting) in their own country, using their
own lower caste members, sometimes for the benefit of wealthy Middle Eastern
Oil Sheikhs. Besides, our own
domestic baby factory operations are enough to serve as excuse for them. Yes, they are raping and molesting us, and sadly with
the help of our own people. In
light of the preceding discussions, I will, along with other well-meaning
Nigerians, hope that, as this new
administration takes shape, we may begin to have some control over what our
people are being “fed” by our foreign trade partners, especially, the Indians
and the Chinese, who have demonstrated high level of aggression in their
dealings with us. Simply put, we need to “Take
Back Nigeria”. |