What Lord Lugard thought about Nigerians

I came across this article. Quite annoying!!

"In character and temperament, the typical African of this race-type is a happy, thriftless, excitable person. Lacking in self control, discipline, and foresight. Naturally courageous, and naturally courteous and polite, full of personal vanity, with little sense of veracity, fond of music and loving weapons as an oriental loves jewellery. His thoughts are concentrated on the events and feelings of the moment, and he suffers little from the apprehension for the future, or grief for the past. His mind is far nearer to the animal world than that of the European or Asiatic, and exhibits something of the animals’ placidity and want of desire to rise beyond the State he has reached. Through the ages the African appears to have evolved no organized religious creed, and though some tribes appear to believe in a deity, the religious sense seldom rises above pantheistic animalism and seems more often to take the form of a vague dread of the supernatural"


“He lacks the power of organization, and is conspicuously deficient in the management and control alike of men or business. He loves the display of power, but fails to realize its responsibility ....he will work hard with a less incentive than most races. He has the courage of the fighting animal, an instinct rather than a moral virtue...... In brief, the virtues and defects of this race-type are those of attractive children, whose confidence when it is won is given ungrudgingly as to an older and wiser superior and without envy.......Perhaps the two traits which have impressed me as those most characteristic of the African native are his lack of apprehension and his lack of ability to visualize the future."

---Lord Frederick John Dealty Lugard, The Dual Mandate, pg.70 (1926)"

The people we don't know about.

I think I need to go out more.

The speed of the internet here is so freaking slow. (sometimes I think it might be faster actually flying to yahoo or wherever, to get the email yourself; hardcopy that is) I have tried a couple of providers. I recently got XXX over starcomm (I am not about to reveal and do cheap publicity for the my provider; before you know it, their network is clogged and I am back to a life without the internet); a decision I have not regretted(at least for the past three weeks since I got it) .

But thats not the point of this post. Waiting for the page to load gave me time to look around for things on the screen of my laptop that could interest me; then it pops out "AVG Anti-virus Network Edition has successfully update". I tend to think I know people, but who actually knows anyone that works in a company that makes anti-virus softwares?

Day to day, I receive updates on virus definitions, malwares and some complex stuff that i don't have any interest in understanding. And I am like, the developers of these virus definition, what do they do in the office everyday?

I secretly (it is no more a secret anymore) believe that anti-virus developers, in their spare time, create the viruses themselves. But do they have staff meeting, normal office politics and stuff? What do you see on their business cards? ( "I am a virus expert"). When the anti-virus specialist, meet a virus developer, do the have physical fights (you know like police and thief), or do they laugh at all "the gentiles who have to use our softwares, hahaha"

But I do need to go out more. Hopefully, I will meet someone that actually develops viruses.

Finally, it is loading.

What is the point?

An unexamined life is not worth living......Socrates.

No one has attained perfection yet. We are always on a quest for it. But at all point in our evolution, it is always essential to look back and critically evaluate the actions we take, the reason behind the action, and finally, how it all fits into our whole life objective goals and general direction. A clearer understanding of that is useful in enabling us know, if our directions have meaning. Accumulated knowledge of this form is wealth for the next generation.

I am still thinking about Nigeria. I look at some of our rituals daily, and I cannot help asking myself, what is the point of it all?

What is the point of our Nigeria ego? Our educational system does not produce graduates that are (on average) useful to the demands of corporate Nigeria. We train our enlightened abroad and they are of little use to the masses.

What is the point of Tinapa? We build a mini-Dubai and came up with policies that ensured it cannot function.

What is the point in Abuja Boulevard, Eko city on the Atlantic, the Lagos beautification project? People are starving, infrastructures are run down, and we barely have public supply of electricity.

What is the point of the Megabanks consolidation? They seem more interested in branches and making profit than kick starting the economic engine.

What is the point of the Nigerian stock market? Their stocks appreciate in all sectors yet the economy does not experience any noticeable change.

What is the point of the seven point agenda? Yar' Adua stated electricity was a "state of emergency" (if he had not said that, maybe the situation would have been worse).

What is the point of all these elections? We all know who is going to win anyways.

What is the point of the probes? All those investigated will be granted bail later on, the case slowly forgotten the accused are free to do whatever they want.

What is the point of the clamour for foreign investors? We already have the money (it just appears we do not know what better to do with it, that purchase houses in Bishop avenue or South Kensington, London).

What is the point of Nollywood? Most of the movies on review reflect no semblance with reality. Dialog, relationship chemistry, effective police officers

What is the point of aso-ebi in wedding? I mean, really what’s the point?

What is the point of ….….. I think I have run out of issues for now. Might as well go get some work done.