PART-TWO: THE PROBLEMS WITH NIGERIANS

         
GINA WEEKEND COLUMN,
BY:
HABIBU GENTE
DATE:  Saturday, 15 April, 2017.
     
A continuation of last week column;
The problems with Nigeria isn't the amalgamation of 1914, it isn't 1979 republic nor  the failure of the first independent general census. To me the problem started when chief Enahoro tabled for the independence 1954. The total rejection of the motion by some groups and the conspiracy behind it advocacy. That is the root of our problems. And its grandchild is the 1966 coup which gave birth to the gory civil war that lasted in 1970.  From that very moment in our nation, the disparity,  lack of trust,  hatred,  selfishness and ethno-religion sentiment seeds germinated into beautiful green-vegitaton called 'Nigeria of our time'.
A lot of social commentators had written a great deal of the troubled with Nigeria and avoid to write about the core problems with Nigerians. The social errors and vices of the  people of Nigeria, the rotten social orientation in our societies is so pervasive that it's ravaging in the mind of almost all people of Nigeria even within the so-called academics.
Still in on the problems with Nigerians;
2.  CULTURAL STEREOTYPE :In Nigeria today many people think badly about each other cultures,  norms and values. And what a particular group in a society cherished.  It is only in Nigeria where popular culture of the people is not regarded. But people will be busy judging you with those dark ages beliefs and what people of that era considered moral,  just simply because you are incidentally found in that ethnic group. Nigerians doesn't consider that customs of people are flexible and can adopt changing circumstances. Stereotypical misguidance like Northern people are illiterate,  terrorists, pedophiles. While the southern people are; ingrained hypocrisy,  human traffickers, sex-free society. And the Eastern people are;  greedy-ingrained,  sex-workers,  Power mongers etc. All these but few things I mentioned here are typical phrases used against each other society. It is very sad that non of them will spare a time to leave his own society to visit his fellow brother's society and see for himself if it is true of what hearsay fed him of from his childhood, Nigeria is a country where we strongly believe in a 'single story'.  The danger in single story is you will only be told one-sided story about a particular people and their society, which often times is lies and stereotypes and if you don't try to verify it yourself,  you will be misguided by someone whose interest will be invested in the detriment of your ignorance. Thus the general misconceptions chain will continue with stronghold of hatred. The implications of this 'single story' is that,  its doesn't know you are educated or not it can raid your conscience if only you restrict yourself in listening or reading one version of the story of particular people. Even academics and some timid intellectuals are victims of this 'single story '.
What we do forget is that no culture in this world is so special and decent without such particular culture having no its trace from a divine religions. So cultures without device religion is nothing but a mango fruit that shines and rotten inside the seed.  As for Nigerians if are trace our cultures prior to our embrace of religion, none of the cultures will be attractive in this modern time. Believe me ,they will all crumble in face of the heterogeneous world cultural challenge.
                                                                                         To be continued .