Proudly Nigerians

Proudly Nigerians

Ahmed Aliyu

“God never forsakes good men and their friends. I also believe that nobody ever dies before his time” .... Socrates

Civilization according o the definition of one of the world most acceptable dictionary –The Oxford Advanced Learner’s, is “A state of human society that is very developed and organized. While it also defined Democracy as a system that is based on the principle that all members of a given society have equal rights to be involved in running a state or a country etc. It is also said to be based on the principles that all members of a society are equal rather than divided by Money or Social class.

Democracy to me and I believe to other millions of other thoughtful democrats across the world is the system of government with a face and a human kindness. It is supposed to be that system of governance based on equality, the rule of law and the respect for every God created individuals on earth.

Then what is going on? I mean what is it that the Americans and the rest don’t know about Nigerians that they don’t want to learn? The united state of America is said to be the dominant voice of democracy, the inventors of modern laws of equality, civilization and development. I am a full subscriber to the laws of equality no matter where the laws originate from. I respect the Americans and their popular “IN GOD WE TRUST” slogan. This I subscribed to – since they are not portraying their trust in God with the small letter “g” (god). I also respect the Americans quest for development across all the continents of the world. But I don’t think I respect and appreciate what the Americans are lately doing again to our citizens and to us a Nigerians and as one of the most dominant voice of Africa and the world at large.

Amongst the people and citizens of this world that have over the years found themselves assorted, blackmailed, disgraced, frequently murdered, castigated, cheated, duped, insulted, deported, misrepresented, misunderstood, envied, and daily suspiciously scrutinized by different governments, security forces and medias across the world are no other people and citizens than we the Nigerians.

True talk my people – what exactly is it that we have and have done that makes so many other nations daily talked about us and constantly humiliates us? What have we really been doing that other citizens of these countries have not and are not doing? Are we the only country and people with fraudsters, conmen and women (419)? Is it only in Nigeria that societal crime like robbery, burglary, murder, assassination, kidnapping, drug trafficking etc are found? Are we the only people with Prostitutes, gamblers, homosexuals, lesbians, corrupt cops, corrupt public officials and the other so many crimes and sins, we are daily castigated ?

Then what about the daily reported and confirmed worst crimes from these other countries? Back here in Nigeria I still know that we still have many doses of our cultures, our traditions and our high sense of religion and the fear of God. Then why shouldn’t we be proudly Nigerians…

Come my people have we not been contributing to the betterment of the world and the continue co-existence amongst our African brothers and sisters, including those of other continents who don’t share the same colours and history with us? This through initiating peace efforts like ECOMOG, where our large resources, both men and material were drained and many of our citizens left hungry, our women turned into widows and children into orphans and part of the reasons why we are facing our present economic hardship. Where our able bodied men and women, including our agile youths have been left hungry and daily left to waste away – all these in the name that our hospital able peace loving government want to continue to promote peace and the constant existence of humanity across the globe.

Why then have some of these other countries been treating our men and women in some shameful and humiliating ways, especially in some part of the western world where Nigerians are daily framed up, deported, assorted or killed. Many stories of Nigerians wrongly murdered or assorted in Britain, America, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Cameroun, Gabon, France, Russia, Germany, Spain, Italy, Seirra Leone, Liberia, South Africa and the rest are daily reported and confirmed across the globe. What have we really done to deserve these treatments, upon all our love for our neighbours and our generosity and contributions to the liberalization, independence and subsequent freedom and development of some of these countries? Who are the robbers and how do we say we are all in it? Are we the only people with the knowledge of “How to become a robber”? Or is CNN and the other western media part and parcel of the game? – Since I believe that like all other things in this world – robbery is like a short past time where only those living either participates, watch from the side lines or are told.

What about the current Darfur crisis, the beastly war in Sierra Leone and the Congo wars, including the rested apartheid and other forms of injustice and man atrocities against man? Have our country men and women not contributed to see to the end of these dis-human atrocities? Then what have we really done to deserved what we are daily made to pass through in the hands of hostile security forces in almost all major airports, seaports, and borders across the world?.

Have Nigerians not contributed to the literary gains of the world, by producing great minds like the Soyinka, Achebe, Abubakar Imam, Sa'adu Zungur, Okigbo, Ben Okri, Ola Rotimi, Saro Wiwa and others that will be very long to mention here. What about our great scientist like that great mind Emegweli who helped revolutionized the computer and the many others at NASA? Have Nigerians not produced great sport men and women and world class medical doctors? Then why are we labeled criminals everyday as if we Nigerians are all born and breed as criminals and bad influences.

Come what is it that we have and can do that many wish they could do like us – but instead of learning from us, daily castigates and rubbish our names and image across the globe. What exactly is it in our land that we have not tried to share with other nations? Our oil, our kerosene, our cotton, our cocoa, our food stuffs , our light and water are all daily exported and some given out as charities across the globe, but still yet we are treated as criminals in most of these countries that depends and daily benefits from us.

Our government has yearly sacrificed some of our rights in education, just for some expatriates to enjoy. Yet our qualifications and intellectuals are daily scorned upon and not recognized.

Are all these Nations castigating us and daily ripping from us humid to societal crimes and sins? Is democracy truly practiced in America and the other western world? Has civilization really been part of this current globalization? And have we been free and allowed to have equal opportunity and rights to be involved in running the affairs of our country, our continents and the world at large? Why is it that a great country like ours is yearly denied our rightful place in the world council (THE UNITED NATION)? Is there any Africa country that can sincerely come out today and boast that it has contributed more than us in all aspect of human endeavors, world development and peace initiatives?

It is agreed that anywhere you see five Black men – one of them must definitely be a Nigerian. Why then shouldn’t we be proudly Nigerians, when we did not actually wake up one day and decided to make ourselves so. God we believe made us who we are and many millions of us I believe are daily proud of who we are. We did not create or give intelligence and sharpness to ourselves, God made us so. Then what is it that we have done or have that we are daily persecuted and castigate for? Is it right and proper or part of civilization and democracy for few Men and Women somewhere in a boardroom, media house, or government mansion to sit down and just conclude that we are all bad and our country a danger zone, without witnessing or feeling the scenes live? What about the reported atrocities that goes on in their own countries, which are worst and dangerous than ours?

Haven’t our beautiful women conquered the world and showcased their intelligence and how fascinating they could be? Then why are some of those with the interest to see the world and explore its many wonders, daily labeled as prostitutes and illegal immigrants, when they are daily exploited and brutalized by some of these hostile countries who at long run still come to our country for business purposes and vying for contracts and patronages from our governments and growing on our sweats.

Hundreds of our sincere country men and women have been denied visas and entries into most of these countries, under the flimsy excuses that we are criminals, too sharp, very dominant and always like to oppress. Should this be our faults, when God made us who we are? Every nation on this planet earth I assure you has its own types of criminals and sinners, all disguised under various names.

Come my people lets ask ourselves some of these thoughtful questions like – what is it that is pushing us away from home everyday in search of disgrace and humiliations? And why do we allow ourselves to be daily pushed around by these people who daily ripped from our corn and give us hatred in return. Was it our faults that we allowed our leaders to betrayed us and daily sell us out, through conversing for foreign assistance and begging for investors to come, when in real sense they are suppose to come beg us to invest? Our land is fertile and many undiscovered talents and wealth are scattered around. Should we then beg people to come and invest or should they beg us that they want to?

We should be proudly Nigerians my people at all time, no matter the castigations by CNN and the other negatives reports about us. We should hold our heads high with pride, despite the rejections of our ideas, our discoveries, our inventions, our struggles and our sincere contributions to the world in all aspects.

Yes my people- we should be proudly Nigerians- because none of us made ourselves who we are. God who made us will never forsake us and our true friends – neither shall we die as a nation before our time.

Me I am proudly a Nigerian – I don’t know about you…?