A response to New York Time Op-Ed article “Nigeria’s Promise, Africa’s Hope”, by CHINUA ACHEBE
Achebe reiterated the old story about the Nigerian problem and that’s where he got it all wrong. The Nigeria Achebe knew had a problem, now we DON’T. The premise of calling it a problem implies a departure from the norm, but in Nigeria the norm is the new reality. Nigeria used to be divided, our leaders corrupt, some parts largely illiterate, others majorly traders and so on. That was the Nigeria the 80yr old Achebe knew, but that’s all history now. The people AND the leaders are the problem. Our values have evolved (Darwin's theory) under years exposure the stimulus of corruption and division. We (Nigerians- majority) all think alike now. We haven’t been more united in a common belief that all that ‘used to be wrong’, is now right.
Nigeria of today can likened to a guy being in love with a girl but in his fear to express his feeling allowed time to pass and now he has crossed the line where they are ‘best of friends’ and he can’t express his feelings any more. We have long courted all the things ‘that we once thought were wrong’, that now we can’t speak out anymore and perhaps LOVE what we now see. Nigeria has indeed evolved to what it is today. The realities are; PDP (the ruling political party) will be return to power, epileptic power will continue into the next decade, corruption will be rife from the pulpit to the president, kidnapping will continue (the amount demanded may reduce so that volume may increase), education will continue to be appalling and on and on....
I hope am wrong.
Solution; we need an evolution from our new realties to what it is in other parts of the world. A starting point will be to stop blaming the colonial masters (as Achebe often likes to) and face our realities. Anybody born at the time of independence has lived 3yrs beyond his life expectancy (life expectancy in Nigeria is 47.8yrs) and should blame no one but himself. Our pains/problems are self inflicted and so will the right solution.
Nigeria of today can likened to a guy being in love with a girl but in his fear to express his feeling allowed time to pass and now he has crossed the line where they are ‘best of friends’ and he can’t express his feelings any more. We have long courted all the things ‘that we once thought were wrong’, that now we can’t speak out anymore and perhaps LOVE what we now see. Nigeria has indeed evolved to what it is today. The realities are; PDP (the ruling political party) will be return to power, epileptic power will continue into the next decade, corruption will be rife from the pulpit to the president, kidnapping will continue (the amount demanded may reduce so that volume may increase), education will continue to be appalling and on and on....
I hope am wrong.
Solution; we need an evolution from our new realties to what it is in other parts of the world. A starting point will be to stop blaming the colonial masters (as Achebe often likes to) and face our realities. Anybody born at the time of independence has lived 3yrs beyond his life expectancy (life expectancy in Nigeria is 47.8yrs) and should blame no one but himself. Our pains/problems are self inflicted and so will the right solution.
Chinua Achebe, a professor at Brown University, is the author of “Things Fall Apart.”
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