There is always something confounding about South Africa.
When I first heard the word ‘Apartheid’, it was in connection to South Africa. The country was one of the last bastions of slavery in the world. We, as Nigerians, massively contributed to fight and end it.
When I recently came across the word ‘Xenophobia’ for the first time also, it was in connection to South Africa. This time, the world has turned upside down, and Nigeria amongst others that fought for South Africa’s freedom, has become the ‘enemy’ that South Africans must crush for the new kind of freedom they seek.
There is something fundamentally wrong with the Black person. That’s why the race has not achieved much, and its place in the world is still far from the epicentres of human development and advancement.
Recent pictures out of South Africa frighten me about the future of the Black person.
I experience the world through sport. My faith in the potency and power of sport to transform society is abidingly in tandem with late Nelson Mandela’s who said famously that ‘Sport has the power to change the world’.
Sport, to me, has always been the world’s ultimate leveler, a bridge across all human differences. It is also the ultimate healer, effectively dousing the fire of major conflicts, bringing sworn enemies to a roundtable, twisting their hands to agree on a level playing field where enmity can be converted to enduring friendship.
Sport motivated Pierre de Coubertin, in 1896, to birth the modern Olympic Games with the mission to positively engage the youths of the world, build global friendships, eradicate conflicts and wars, and use sport to make the world a better, more peaceful and healthier playground for humans across all races and colour.
To go to the Olympic games was the greatest dream of every young athlete. It was the ultimate challenge and reward in sport. Athletes would do anything, give up anything, to be able to earn and wear an Olympic medal around their neck.
I was a part of close to one hundred Nigerian athletes, the finest in boxing track and field athletics, weightlifting, wrestling, and football that went to Montreal, Canada, in 1976 with great dreams.
But on the eve of the games we had to prematurely abort our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in support of the cause of our Black brethren in South Africa.
Nigeria led 24 other Black African countries to boycott the Olympics to make a powerful point in an unjust world. Most of us never had a second chance to go to another Olympics again.
The magnitude of the decision to boycott was very apparent to those of us concerned because, in the Nigerian squad, we had some of the best and most prepared athletes in Nigeria’s history to date.
Montreal 1976 Olympics
In Boxing, Obisia Nwakpa and Davidson Andeh, trained by Archie Moore (former African-American World Middle-weight Boxing Champion), were potential Gold/Silver medalists.
Charlton Ehizuelen had jumped the longest distances in the world in the triple jump close to the start of the Olympic Games.
Trained by Lee Evans (former African-American World record holder and double Olympic Gold medalist) Nigeria’s sprinters were sure-bets for the sprints relays, running some of the best times in the world on the eve of the games.
In Football, the Nigerian team under Yugoslav coach Yelisavic Tiko, had undergone the longest and widest training tour of Europe by any Nigerian national team till date, with an assembly of exceptionally gifted individual football artists (Haruna Ilerika, Thompson Usiyen, Mudashiru Lawal, Adekunle Awesu, Babaotu Mohammed, Emmanuel Okala, Christian Chukwu, Andrew Atuegbu, and so on). We walloped Colombia 3-0, in our last trial match in Montreal five days to the start of the Olympic games
Most of these great athletes never had another opportunity to participate in the Olympic Games again in their lives. Their names are missing in the eternal list of the world’s Olympians forever.
For any athlete, it was the ultimate disappointment and sacrifice to give up the Olympics for any reason.
Beyond the personal pain of the sacrifice we had to make by giving up a lifetime ambition and ‘wasting’ all our years of preparation, the boycott of the Olympic Games by the 25 African countries, led by Nigeria, was a big statement and the biggest blow to the Olympic movement.
To date Montreal ’76 remains the most politically effective and financially disastrous Olympic games in history.
We accepted to be a part of this to support the cause of South Africans, Blacks that we considered our brothers and sisters suffering excruciating mental and physical pain through oppression, suppression, segregation, domination, discrimination and enslavement in a system called Apartheid.
The deployment of sport to bring to an end this ugliest of chapters in human history was so effective that it marked the beginning of the end of Apartheid in South Africa. In less than two decades after Montreal ’76 our Black brethren were finally freed from the shackles of enslavement in their own land.
So, the fact is that, Nigerians and several other Black African athletes, made huge sacrifices through sport and were major instruments in the demise of the brutal government and regime in South Africa.
In 1993, shortly after freedom came to the country, I was a member of the Nigerian sports delegation that visited to see the shape of an emergent new South Africa under late Nelson Mandela who had become the country’s first Black President.
Nigeria was a very important player in fighting for the freedom of South Africa. It was the country with the largest population of Black people on earth; a major source of Black slaves that built the West for 400 years; a country with the human and natural resources that could reposition the Black person as an economic and political superpower in the world.
Madiba – Nelson Mandela
Those are what the great ‘Madiba’ (a man not known for flippancy, but revered all over the world for his humility, wisdom and integrity) saw when he said of Nigeria in words that I have quoted in this column twice in the past three weeks, and have become an eternal reminder:
‘the world will never respect Africa until Nigeria earns that respect. The Black people of the world are looking up to Nigeria to be a source of pride and confidence. Every Nigerian citizen should be made to understand this truth’.
That was some 24 years ago.
24 years are ‘yesterday’ in the life of any nation.
So, only 24 years later, this is the same country, Nigeria, whose citizens, South Africans have turned against and are now brutalising by vandalizing their property, looting their shops, destroying their businesses and killing their people in what is now being described as Xenophobic attacks!
It is preposterous.
If there are criminal gangs amongst the Nigerians that have settled down in South Africa, why not deal with them as criminals?
If there are miscreants from Nigeria that are infecting South African youths with their poor habits and loose morals, why not deal with them using the instrumentality of the law?
If there are economic saboteurs threatening the stability of South Africa, why not deal with them in accordance with the law?
What not to do is to forget the price the same Nigeria had paid for South Africa’s freedom, to forget the sacrifices the same people made, and to start a destruction and killing spree of their African brethren for any reason.
I saw pictures of uninformed South Africans who may have quickly forgotten the pain of their Apartheid pregnancy after the baby’s successful delivery, are now so blind to their past they want to kill the goose that laid the golden egg because they are in new pain!
My admonition to my brethren in South Africa is tarry a little while and THINK!
In this present state of madness their actions are a great damage to the Black race. Their actions will be confirmation of everything demeaning and derogatory often said about the Black race by the rest of humanity.
When some of us that paid a heavy prize for South Africa’s freedom through sport see what is going on there now, we are filled with trepidation, disappointment and anger.
I hope this will not be the classic case of taking a man out of the Ghetto and not been able to take the Ghetto out of him.
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COMMENTS
Woah! What a piece! I hope the south Africans get to read this.
Before attacking other Africans nationals, most especially Nigerians, the South Africans ought to have asked their fathers and mothers about their history as a people, and why their fore fathers cannot fight the Apartheld the ways they are killing other African brothers.
The problem is, the cast majority of those doing the looting and attacks are illiterate and unlikely to hear this plea.
The lying is an excuse for criminal behaviour. They have moved on from Nigerians, Somalis and Kenyan business owners and have now turned on Asian businesses
The madness going on in SA currently provokes poignant feelings, as succinctly expressed by this article. A classic case of biting the fingers that fed you. By not taking decisive action to curtail this problem, SA authorities are tolerating a problem that will eventually send the country back to the DARK AGES. Already, Zambia and Madagascar have declined invitations for friendlies in SA. Who in their right mind will send their players to SA with the current situation? If care is not taken, SA will have to play their home games outside their country, like Libya is currently doing. Or, FIFA might have to look into banning them entirely from football until they put their house in order. Of course, other sports authorities will likely follow, which will send SA back to the sporting wilderness. I personally would not bat an eyelid if that happened!
Uncle Segun, I am a Nigerian but I beg to differ on this subject. It is high time we Nigerians looked inward and make a honest assessment of our predicaments. The reason why the whole world is blaming South Africans is because they are lousy in their approach. How many Nigerians have been killed in SA? All through the history of these so called xenophobic attacks, I dont think 5 Nigerians have died (I do not mean to say 5 lives are insignificant. I am saying this based on the impression an average Nigerian has about the situation. It’s as if South Africans are killing Nigerians every passing day). Let’s now look into how many Nigerians have been killed silently in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Singapore and Libya. We might be getting close to a hundred in each of these countries. Are we the only foreigners everywhere? Na we alone waka come?
The extremely bad eggs among Nigerians are the ones making noise proactively, they are raising false alarms to protect themselves, thinking that by raising an alarm this way, they will be able to score some unjust cover up for their evil acts. There are too many Nigerians living illegally in South Africa, same for many other African nationals. They were let down by their Police which has been badly corrupted.
Uncle Segun, our “brothers” have hijacked a community as big as a whole township in South Africa. I am sure you have heard about Hillbrow. That is where our brothers are hooking up their girls with drugs and using them for prostitution to pay for continual supply of drugs. And like you suggested that they should deal with the criminals among Nigerians, it is not as easy as that. The Nigerians who are criminals in Hillbrow have weapons more sophisticated than South African Police, hence, their policemen are scared of pursuing criminals into that environment. If they want to deal with them like you suggested, it is going to be a very bloody adventure. It is a lot more complicated than that. If they go their with their military might, hundreds of Nigerians will die in the process and that will become a more complicated issue.
If South Africa is that insecure for them, why cant they come back home? They will be gladly welcomed in Nigeria. But the reality is that for a Nigerian (especially the ones legally) living in South Africa, South Africa is far safer for them than living in Nigeria. Nigerians at home are really misinformed about what is going on there. Every country has a history and so are they. Their past has made them to be vulnerable to any form of addiction. They either sing or drown themselves in any form of addiction during apartheid. It is still a demon many of them are fighting. Some Nigerians who are criminals are taking advantage of that weakness and they are using their natives as slaves, simply because addiction is a problem for them.
Nigeria alone supply about 18% of their academia in SA, largest pool of foreign doctors are Nigerians. There are many Nigerians who are civil servants in SA. I do not see than happening in Nigeria. I think branding them as the devil without calling ourselves to order is not fair. If I am lying, the recent release from the Nigerian Ambassador to SA attests to what I am saying. Nigerians are not loved ANYWHERE in the world and the green passport is a liability.
I believe we have a lot more Nigerians who are law abiding but the evil perpetrated by the few Nigerians who are hardened criminals is overshadowing the good works. Similarly, all the looting and violence are perpetrated by a few South Africans, therefore, the majority who are not bad are misrepresented.
I have always accused South Africans of insincerity because they were not talking about corruption within their systems that is fast destroying their country, but in recent time, they have been calling themselves to order. And the ones perpetrating this evil among them largely are illiterates who are difficult to curtail. That population among them are also violent towards fellow South Africans, not just the foreigners.
However, I hardly hear Nigerians constantly calling ourselves to order. South Africans are the least of our problems. Many other nations are killing Nigerians far more than them. And the reason is because Nigerians are creating problems EVERYWHERE. Everyone knows how much we were recently disgraced as a nation in the United States. Go to Ontario in Canada, you will be ashamed to be called a Nigerian when you see how irresponsible some of us can be. Go to Kenya, they have stories to tell. Go to Congo, as problematic as their country already is, we still add to their problems. Even Ghana, some Nigerians are kidnapping there…..this is really ridiculous. The fact that we fought for SA’s independence is not enough a reason to destroy their country. It is getting too much. “Awa ni loni, awa ni lanaa be ekun apokoje”. Yorubas also say, “ti won ba n pe eniyan ni abifun rairai, sebi onitohun naa a tie pa ifun e mo.”
I lived in South Africa for more than 8 years. This write-up seems like a response to some unfair rumours peddled by some Naija miscreants. It is not a reflection of the reality on ground in SA. We need to put our house in order. I think for once, we Nigerians need to be truthful to ourselves.
“They were let down by their Police which has been badly corrupted” is intended to be
“South Africans were let down by their Police which has been badly corrupted.”
@Debo
I want to appreciate your effort for the calling out and going where most don’t want to go,even when we know the truth.
If you fail to hold down a miscreant of a brother,when the torches come,it would burn down his and your house too, cause you both bare the same surname.
It is no longer news that the major problem of Nigeria is leadership; our leaders in all sectors, political, governmental, religious and social,have all failed,and still failing.nigeria has been sick,and the bad thing is we have spread out sickness outside our shores.and that’s deplorable.
South Africa on the other hand,is a depressed society. One caused by decades of segregation. from the Bantus ruling over the Khoisan.the Boers ruling over the Bantus and khoisans.the British ruling over everybody.then aphartied after independence.and then black rule.the corrupt ANC taking everything for themselves caring less about fixing anything,no matter how hard Mandela tried to be unifier. With all these,you have a people let down by their history,and their suffering past is lived on in the present.
Then you got the Nigerians coming in,most using the perfect infrastructure set up by the whites,to build their lives and make a positive impact.
Then you have the bad few Nigerians using the depression in the South African society to their advantage to make quick bucks and be high and mighty.
With both,all the depressed South Africans see is the same old segregation.a class above them.a class ruling over them.foreigners coming to their land to rule over them.enough is enough. So you get this periodic xenophobic attacks.that won’t go away until changes are made and the South African leadership do their job and carry their people along by being less corrupt and fix the society.
That should be the same in Nigeria.
Our leaders must realise that their failures is causing a lot of damage,and such has gone beyond our borders.
They should get their acts together and do the needful.fix the system.
For crying out loud,we blacks ain’t cursed!
They can take a hint from Paul Kegame and see how leadership works.
Rwanda is growing.
A small country,but with a leader with the people in his mind.
I know it is the wrong place writing this piece,
But with a safe society.sports can’t be played..
@Debo
I want to appreciate your effort for the calling out and going where most don’t want to go,even when we know the truth.
If you fail to hold down a miscreant of a brother,when the torches come,it would burn down his and your house too, cause you both bare the same surname.
It is no longer news that the major problem of Nigeria is leadership; our leaders in all sectors, political, governmental, religious and social,have all failed,and still failing.nigeria has been sick,and the bad thing is we have spread out this sickness outside our shores.and that’s deplorable.
South Africa on the other hand,is a depressed society. One caused by decades of segregation. from the Bantus ruling over the Khoisan.the Boers ruling over the Bantus and khoisans.the British ruling over everybody.then aphartied after independence.and then black rule.the corrupt ANC taking everything for themselves caring less about fixing anything,no matter how hard Mandela tried to be unifier. With all these,you have a people let down by their history,and their suffering past is lived on in the present.
Then you got the Nigerians coming in,most using the perfect infrastructure set up by the whites,to build their lives and make a positive impact.
Then you have the bad few Nigerians using the depression in the South African society to their advantage to make quick bucks and be high and mighty.
With both,all the depressed South Africans see is the same old segregation.a class above them.a class ruling over them.foreigners coming to their land to rule over them.enough is enough. So you get this periodic xenophobic attacks.that won’t go away until changes are made and the South African leadership do their job and carry their people along by being less corrupt and fix the society.
That should be the same in Nigeria.
Our leaders must realise that their failures is causing a lot of damage,and such has gone beyond our borders.
They should get their acts together and do the needful.fix the system.
For crying out loud,we blacks ain’t cursed!
They can take a hint from Paul Kegame and see how leadership works.
Rwanda is growing.
A small country,but with a leader with the people on his mind.
I know it is the wrong place writing this piece,
But without a safe society.sports can’t be played..
@Hush
Waoh! You have said it all. You have clear insight into what is going on.
I had some nasty experience living in South Africa but I did not hold it again them because I understand their history. And more so, I have had nastier experience in Nigeria so why do I have to be oversensitive? We Nigerians leave Nigeria because the situation is extremely bad but we get into another country with an unrealistic sense of entitlement sometimes. I faced discriminations in SA before I left l but who am I to blame them when I also left my father’s land out of frustration. And compared with Nigeria, SA is a paradise. If not, why would those ones who claim they are killing them refuse to leave SA regardless?
I laugh at the mindset of many Nigerians. It’s time to start telling ourselves the truth.
Thanks again.
@Debo
sometimes you wonder if the black race is totally a lost course; I am not one to believe that,i never generalize people; but I have come to believe the sum total of the black race has been failed by their leaders.
The difference between every race and how they succeed is in their leadership and how they are accountable to their followership.
The black race( be it sub-saharan africans,african americans,afro brits,afro french,carribeans,afro latinos); all have deplorable societies due to bad leadership.
The black man is conservative to a fault,and is mentally built to put down himself due to his inferiority complex and the fact they chase ‘wants over needs’.the black man rather believe in false dreams rather than focus on a substantial reality.
We are led by leaders who don’t know,but think they do and even when they do know,they are blinded by their greed and distastefulness to make a change; and the few that know are put down,silence by hate or let down by the generality of society they try to help ,build and educate. And the rest,which are the high number of the society,are not willing to change this failed leadership,so they are resigned to their fate or result to self help;which is mostly the negative route.
But we get good leaders in all sectors from the black race,showing that we have it good if we just chose the right set of leaders;
For now,it is all good.
I certainly hope what keeps happening in South Africa would be an eye opener for a reflection and change of attitude by Africans and Nigerians,especially the leadership.
But I am not holding my breath.
Intelligent n honest comment. Too busy now. Will come back on this.
@Glory
My gratitude.
Hoping to read your point of view
The truth stands the test of time
Uncle Sege, nice piece as usual, I wouldn’t blame those barbarians South African that much though,let’s look at our country, a country where the president and his smelly Fulani tribes values cow lives more than other tribes, between Boko haram, Fulani herdsmen, Iswap this terrorist groups have killed over five thousand Nigerians in the last four years, without no single arrest, no single prosecution.The South Africans would never touches any American lives or any European lives because they know the outcome would be deadly,From Kenya to Ghana to Europe to Asia Nigerian lives are the cheapest this host countries have turned Nigerian lives to ping pongs or buffets all you can kill with no repercussions.The only way out of this nonsense is bloody revolution, we can’t continue to coexist with hyenas and lions and hoping things will get better.
Big leadership crisis in Africa!!!
@DeboandMrHush!
I am so proud of your insightfulness and heart of sincerity. Truly! With a great minds like yours there’s hope for Nigeria and Black race if I may say. Gbogbowa osa le sun ka kori sibi ka na(meaning we cannot all sleep facing the same position). I will like to implore you guys, if it won’t cause you so much fortune to please Published these little lines of comments of yours on any of the Nations News media, Facebook, Tweeter and other social media. In other of helping the society and the world at large to see the true pictures of things. Instead of been mislead by political, mischievous elements gaining points as against the reality. May God help us Nigeria and Africa as a whole. God bless your mindsets, God Bless Nigeria!!!
@KingOye
My appreciation.
Thanks for taking the time to read through.
And your suggestion is well noted..
Thanks for your response. Suggestion noted by me too
I think this story of xenophobia should be heard from both side. Because no sane person(s) would do that without a primary cause
There are no given rights for mob attack irrespective of crime.Taking life unjustly is unacceptable.
No matter the crime level by Nigerians at least the justice system should do their job rather than mob attacks leading to deaths which is malicious,in humanly,unlawful and unacceptable.
There are courts in South Africa so suspected criminals should be tried and if found guilty should get the penalty necessary.
Bro, I don’t think you understand what is happening. Let me paint a vivid picture but please, I do not want anyone to take my example personal or give it an undertone of tribalism. This just is a perfect example based on real life experience. When we used to go to Alaba market in Lagos to buy musical instruments, we’ve been duped a number of times until we decided to befriend one of the dealers who we found to be honest and started dealing with him alone. We had many horrible experience before we found this man.
Now imagine a criminal ran inside Alaba market and it’s almost certain that he/she will ne protected by others, how do you fish out the person? Tou will either fight against the whole community who shields the criminal or you let the sleeping dog lie. The bad ones already understand how to maneuver their way within that environment that you can’t find them except one of their own gives them away. If they don’t, how realistic is it for policemen to start going from one shop to another looking for a criminal?
Now imagine Nigerians going to a foreign land and behaving exactly like that….how do you separate evil ones from the good ones in such a case? The ones affected are the ones living in or around the township where crimes are easily perpetrated. Not all Nigerians living in such places are criminals but many of them are. The ones living in decent environments with Legal residential status are hardly affected in any way.
Secondly, SA police has been terribly compromised. the officials are in cahoots with those criminals. When the community report crimes relating to drugs, the police will arrest them, take bribe and release them. The whole community will see them walking around proudly and freely the day after doing exactly the same thing they were arrested for. And the community knows that these criminals carry dangerous arms around. These criminals are not just Nigerians,they are of varying nationalities including South Africans too. If you know what is happening, South Africans are also attacking each other. Let’s be realistic, don’t you think a community that has lost hope in their police will naturally resort to mob justice. All these happen majorly in the township.
It is a very messy situation in SA. And again, it is Nigerians that kill each other more in South Africa while contending for drug territories. The situation is very messy and an average Nigerian back home is completely uninformed about what is really happening. Why our people keep lying and keep putting all the blame on South Africans really beats my imagination. That simply shows that our redemption as a nation is far from starting because we are very insincere. Another thing I believe is that South Afruca is simply a soft target for us. Our people are just taking an advantage of their lousiness, impulsiveness and stupidity to paint them as evil. The Nigerians involved in this problem are more evil than the South Africans involved.
The evil that Nigerians and other Africans are perpetrating in SA and indeed worldwide is a cause for great shame and embarrassment. Having said that, TWO WRONGS NEVER MAKE A RIGHT! There is no excuse for the xenophobic madness going on in SA currently. The correct approach is not to absolve the SA miscreants from blame because our Nigerian brothers are messing up, but to put the blame squarely on the shoulders of whoever is responsible for the violence. I don’t buy the suggestion that Nigerians have formed CARTELS in SA that are better armed that the SA police. Even if that is true, they are no match for the SA military, and can easily be subdued and brought to book. What is stopping the SA authorities from doing the needful?
SA military is definitely more than capable of handling the crime but their policemen are definitely afraid of going to Hillbrow. But can you imagine how many people will die if SA military invade Hillbrow. If the whole world is branding the whole of their society as evil now, I’m just wondering what the whole world will say if an operation results in piles of body bags.
It is a very serious mess. Inasmuch as I’m definitely not for jungle justice too, we need to make a honest assessment of the situation. I’m not supporting the evil some South Africans are perpetrating but I’m seriously angry Nigeria’s holier than thou attitude in the situation. If some bunch of foreigners come here and do exactly the same thing in some part of Nigeria the response is going to be worse. My own point is that while condemning what some SA illiterates are doing, it is an insult on the majority that are peace loving to brand the whole nation as xenophobic in the process. And it is an unimaginable evil for Nigerians who are causing this problem to keep playing victim when they are even more guilty.
I laugh at the mindset of people that subscribe to the idea that JUNGLE JUSTICE is defensible. To suggest that the SA miscreants are justified in committing atrocious acts of violence because Nigerians and other Africans are engaging in criminal activities is absolutely dumbfounding. That is taking us back to medieval times. Instead of entertaining this ludicrousness, why not demand that steps be taken to STOP THE VIOLENCE?
@Pompei
No one is trying to justify the unwarranted killings,looting of foreigners by South Africans miscreants.nothing can ever justify that.
But it should be stated clearly,that the ANC government is tied also to this killings and attacks,cause their silence speaks volumes.afterall,this is not the first time,such attacks has taken place.To buttress my point, we can see how fast they acted sending in the military in an outskirt of Cape Town when South African gangs started killing their citizens and police officers. So why is the case of killing of foreigners different?
The lack of action by the ANC government has made them culpable to this killings and looting.
Apart from the failed government,the traditional rulers in South Africa has spread so much hate and has always spun their people on to carry such attacks.it was clear ,when the Zulu chief made such declaration that foreigners should be push out their land.
Even the South African security forces are culpable as well,so many times the police gun down Nigerians and other foreigners for no just cause.their elite forces,the Hawks,also arrest foreigners,mostly Nigerians,documented or not,and brutalise them.that is no news.
All these said, what it tells you,is a society filled with hate for foreigners.from the top to the bottom. But why so,after all Africans fought for their freedom?why the hate?did they forget their history?
They never forget their history.
South Africa leadership has failed.
When ANC and Mandela took over after apartheid,he started dishing out everything free to the blacks,from land that they can never toil,to soft loans,they would never pay back,free jobs that they aren’t qualified for and high positions that they can never handle.
All these caused a collapse in the system.
The whites who run basically the economy prefer to work with the foreigners cause they are simply better than their South African counterparts.
Since the ANC government,who is corrupt,and have no excuse for the job loss,failed system and the so called anomaly that foreigners are doing better than their own people,kept quiet,when this xenophobic attack takes place.if they act,they might be swept upon by this swarm of South Africans,who they need to win elections, to stay in power and continue their corrupt ways.
What we as Nigerians need to do,is to stay clear of such failed system in South Africa.South Africa is a dog effected by rabbies,and would bite both a clean man and a mad man.
Let us try to fix our land.cause South Africa is not going to change soon as long as those ANC hold sway.
But I doubt if Africans learn,Nigerians too.
So I am not holding my breath.
Forfeiting the Olympics,to support South Africa’s apartheid movement is loads of crap.That is absolutely wrong.
Apparently,there are better platforms to do that other than to let go a whole life time dream.That’s ridiculous!
The backwards that may have brought to our football and other sports could be huge.The experience of participating in the Olympics may have spurred the green eagles to greater heights.
@Greenturf
Bro, I don’t think you understand what is happening. Let me paint a vivid picture but please, I do not want anyone to take my example personal or give it an undertone of tribalism. This just is a perfect example based on real life experience. When we used to go to Alaba market in Lagos to buy musical instruments, we’ve been duped a number of times until we decided to befriend one of the dealers who we found to be honest and started dealing with him alone. We had many horrible experience before we found this man.
Now imagine a criminal ran inside Alaba market and it’s almost certain that he/she will ne protected by others, how do you fish out the person? Tou will either fight against the whole community who shields the criminal or you let the sleeping dog lie. The bad ones already understand how to maneuver their way within that environment that you can’t find them except one of their own gives them away. If they don’t, how realistic is it for policemen to start going from one shop to another looking for a criminal?
Now imagine Nigerians going to a foreign land and behaving exactly like that….how do you separate evil ones from the good ones in such a case? The ones affected are the ones living in or around the township where crimes are easily perpetrated. Not all Nigerians living in such places are criminals but many of them are. The ones living in decent environments with Legal residential status are hardly affected in any way.
Secondly, SA police has been terribly compromised. the officials are in cahoots with those criminals. When the community report crimes relating to drugs, the police will arrest them, take bribe and release them. The whole community will see them walking around proudly and freely the day after doing exactly the same thing they were arrested for. And the community knows that these criminals carry dangerous arms around. These criminals are not just Nigerians,they are of varying nationalities including South Africans too. If you know what is happening, South Africans are also attacking each other. Let’s be realistic, don’t you think a community that has lost hope in their police will naturally resort to mob justice. All these happen majorly in the township.
It is a very messy situation in SA. And again, it is Nigerians that kill each other more in South Africa while contending for drug territories. The situation is very messy and an average Nigerian back home is completely uninformed about what is really happening. Why our people keep lying and keep putting all the blame on South Africans really beats my imagination. That simply shows that our redemption as a nation is far from starting because we are very insincere. Another thing I believe is that South Afruca is simply a soft target for us. Our people are just taking an advantage of their lousiness, impulsiveness and stupidity to paint them as evil. The Nigerians involved in this problem are more evil than the South Africans involved.
@Mr Hush
If you call South Africa a failed system, then what do you call Nigeria? Even you yourself mentioned that they sent their military intervein when their citizens were being killed. I do not think that is a failed system. If we are actually looking for a failed system, we do not need to look as far as South Africa. Its unbelievable that a Nigerian will call South Africa a failed system.
Secondly, I was surprised when I went to their Dept of Education (what we call Ministry of Eduxation in Nigeria) in Gauteng to see how many Nigerians are in admin and HR department. If they hate foreigners that much, how did those ones get to the position. We are talking about civil service here. Van somebody from Zambia come to Lagos or Anambra State and staty working as a civil servant, talk less of being in HR department? Nigeria where you will not be offered a job in Ogun State civil service if you’re from Ekiti?
When I needed a job I went as far as Kwa Zulu Natal but looking around unrealized it was not a healthy environment. they offered me a job and I declined politely. I got a job in Limpopo and lived in their township for more than a year. they are one of the warmest people I’ve ever seen on earth. That is common sense. choose where you live. Van you imagine a foreigner coming to Nigeria and he chooses to live close to Sambisa Forest? then you are complaining about being attacked. Please let’s be objective.
We Nigerians are just amazing people. Something is wrong with everyone except ourselves….okay o. Let’s Kontinue. Our nation will ne great soon with this level of hypocrisy.
Sorry about some typos in this post. I guess my point can still be figured out. I sometimes wish CS allows us to correct the typos in our post such that they van be reposted without being duplicated.
@Debo
I understand you perfectly.
In a social concept ,both Nigeria and South Africa are both failed systems.
One can never rate failure,as failure no matter how big or little is deemed failure.
Off course, we got bigger issues in Nigeria,corruption,insecurity, unemployment, nepotism, religious intolerance,etc.
But that doesn’t mean South Africa doesn’t have theirs,
Unemployment,rape,HIV crisis,drug addiction, corruption,heck South Africa is the crime capital of the world.it is rated along side El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras for high rate murder in peaceful time.
So I know what I am talking about.
I am not trying to shift the blames or sugar coat the Nigerian system as being better.there is nothing really working in Nigeria except the great minds.
You had it good in SA doesn’t mean all foreigners had the same treatment.
Do you think 60 percent of black South Africa feel the same way about you?I mean in a favourable light?
A mind depressed,can hardly comprehend what’s right or wrong,cause such mind is already at lost.
Yes.
Most Nigerians have this arrogance about them,but such arrogance comes from a place of pride,a pride that comes from being intelligent and using such intelligence for your good.
Nigerians share the same spirit with Americans,in as much, they feel they are in charge no matter where they are. And such attitude can only bring hate from others who see such as puting down or plain arrogance.
Although such brings hate,we can’t really blame a people for having such pride in themselves, especially when such pride is backup by intelligence and success.
That said,what I won’t back is the criminal being amongst Nigerians; though few,but their ways are very visible to see and has overshadowed the hardworking Nigerians who are of the majority.
I have given suggestions of how to nip such bad influence in the bud and it has to start with the family. Most family in Nigeria, as a learning hub,as simply failed.
Same for the religious, educational , entertainment sectors and off course,the government.
We can’t scream it enough.
We lack role models.even if we have.they are few.and those that many call role models in entertainment, government or religious institution,are people lost as human beings and have nothing positive to teach or impact.
So where are we?
Like I said,
South Africa or Nigeria or the black race at large, are in dire need of leaders with sound and great mind.
Or else,we would keep having such attrocities around us and Africa would always be known as the dark continent; and this time,not in reference to their skin colour.
On the issue of evacuating Nigerians from SA, shouldn’t the Federal Government be providing the planes rather than relying solely on Air Peace?