Yes, why will the white man not look down with condescension and superciliousness on the black man ? Why will the white man not call the black man's country under-developed, underdeveloping, ignorant, 3rd world, colony, protectorate, emerging market, dumping ground, disease and war-ravaged, etcetera. The black man sold his own people into slavery to foreigners, who took them away to far and unknown lands to labour without emoluments nor solatium and to be completely stripped of his identity, culture, customs and traditions. Black slaves were completely denied their identities, dignities and self esteem. That was an era of social bastardization, economic stagnation, mass psychological trauma, genocide and generational decimation. Now are you still wondering, and asking why the white man has no respect for the black man. Please tell me what you thought the black man got for selling his people into slavery. Oh well, he got beads, bangles,cassocks, gun powder and muskets to enable him do more aggressive hinterland raids to meet the white man's need for African slaves.

Are you still wondering and questioning why the White man calls the black man under-developed? The black man must be underdeveloped, to have pumped billions of crude oil dollars into infrastructural developement and energy generation projects and have completely nothing to show for it. If you travel from Lagos to Benin City, you will have to offer a thanksgiving mass, if you are a catholic or do a special thanksgiving if you are a pentecostal, should you arrive Benin City in one piece. Same applies to all the roads in Nigeria's road network.

Nigeria's rail system is as backward as stone age hunting tools. The Indians and the Chinese have been invited at various times to revamp the rail system, yet the rail system is still as as comatose as the dodo. I guess the next folks the government will now invite to attempt to fix the rail system are the Sudanese and the Togolese. Come to think of it, Nigeria, as a black nation must be third world to have 51 billion dollars in foreign reserves, while the country is suffering a desperate need for infrastructures and other social welfarist amenities.

Talking about foreign reserves, it is my suggestion that Nigerian leaders should visit Dubai to see how oil money was spent in developing infrastructures and creating a safe investment haven. Our leaders should also understudy the system there, to see how oil money was made available for investment to local and even international businesses and businessmen for investment in Dubai. Today, Dubai has become a world -class financial and investment center. Many companies from around the world are moving their head offices and operational bases to Dubai. Dubai has successfully been transformed with oil money. Learn Nigeria learn. The white man will really think thrice before calling the people of Dubai underdeveloped or 3rd world. Less than 20 years ago, Dubai was depressingly a mere 'oasis' in the desert. Then, the leaders put on their thinking caps. If Dubai can do it, why can't Nigeria do it. Even India and China have so wonderfully used their resources to develop their infrastructures, that in addition to the attraction of their cheap labour to businesses and investors; the Western world, have no option but to transfer, much of their manufacturing and even service bases to these countries. I just hope, our leaders will learn. I doubt, if any white man will be comfortable calling China or India third world or underdeveloped countries.

Truly, just like Governor B. Fashola of Lagos State cried out the other day, what is the logic behind keeping $51bn as reserve when there are no motorable roads nor a functional health care system, and our educational system is in shambles? Our energy sector is nothing to write home about, Nigerians have no drinkable water. Our airports are death traps, no proper rail nor road systems. No functional medical system. Our seaports need a critical and thorough modernisation and expansion. Yet we have our money in foreign countries, for the development of such foreign economies, polities and peoples. Ask me, why will the white man not call the black man ignorant and 3rd world, when it is only the black man who will steal his country blind and take his loot to the white man's country to be used for the economic empowerment of the white man. How many white men have robbed their countries and brought their loot to any black country to be kept in banks in a black man's country and be made available for investments and the economic empowerment of the black man.

Why will the white man not call Africa, 3rd world, when  5  million children die every year from Malaria. Diseases that have long been wiped out in more civilized climes are still causing serious devastation in the black world. The percentage of HIV / AIDS cases among blacks, whether in the U.S.A or in Africa is fearsome and worrisome. In fact HIV/AID is referred to in some quarters as the blackman's disease. Any wonder, some weird and quacky scientists claim HIV/AIDS originated in Africa. What about Ebola?. The problems hindering the health care sector in Nigera are legion as they are monstrous. Fake drugs, for instance, you will ask yourself, why folks will want to make money by selling adulterated medicine and in some cases completely dud products. A particular market in Onitsha is notorious for that. The few medical practitioners who have resolved to stay by Nigerians are not even encouraged. They are either too poorly paid that they have to rely on better income from performing abortions or they have no proper medical facilities to work with. Many thus become discouraged and get attracted by the 'Get out of Nigeria Syndrome'. This scenario is true for all Nigerian professionals, and indeed the whole black world.

Haiti and the U.S.A were founded the same year. One was managed by whites and the other by blacks. Today, the USA is the richest country in the western hemisphere and Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Is the black man's backwardness among the comity of nations and races genetic ?. No. The problem is with the leadership. Consider Eastern Europe, before the fall of the Berlin wall, Eastern Europe was in a state of the ugliest and most impoverished decay in contradinstiction to Western Europe and the USA's affluence and modernisation. However with the fall of socialism and communism, Eastern Europe suddenly embraced capitalism and the whole world can see the upsurge in the financial, infrastructural developement, foreign investments, modernisation and developemental initiatives and prospects all over the old Eastern Europe. Some would want to argue, that the system determine the prospects. Nope, we must realise, the leaders determine the system and the leaders also apply the system.

Is Africa's backwardness as a result of religion. Nope. Japan with its Shinto religion is doing very well up there. Japan rubs shoulders with the Western powers as equals. God is not a partial God, nor a respecter of persons. If you apply God's principles as taught by the Holy Bible, you will be blessed. Whether persons or nations. How many Africans can read and write ? This is one of the problems that must be solved, if the blackman is to get out of the doldrums of poverty, wretchedness, failure and stagnation. How do we explain, the fact that Nigeria with all the huge sums of money derived from the sale of crude oil over the years, is still one of the most educationally backward countries in the world. We must realise, that there is a direct relationship between Nigeria's educational backwardness and the country's inability to conduct free and fair elections. We must also realise that until we are able to educate our people, our people will not have enough knowledge to know their rights and the responsibility of government vis-a-vis provision of social amenities and infrastructures. In 1962, the literacy rate in Japan was ninety eight percent. That explains, why in such countries, democracy, free press, free elections and transparency in government business, functional  infrastructures and the provision of basic social amenities are common place and taken for granted. When the people are educated and enlightened, then, there will not be a platform of fear and ignorance atop which, 'one-eye in the midst of the blind' gangsters in the community could operate freely as political godfathers and kingmakers. Where ghetto political godfathers are firmly in place, democracy, especially a culture of free elections can never develop roots. Elections will be by clandestine, brigandage, bravado and thuggery-backed coronation. State funds will be embezzled and the polity will be made ungovernable. The picture is frightening, sad and ugly, but then, that is the scenario, where ever, you find members of the black race, any where on the face of the earth.

Whither the black race?, Is the black race a sinking race?

Is the black race simply naive or oblivious of its embarrassing politico- socio and economic standing among the races?

How do we intend to rescue our race from the abyss of under-developement, ignorance, disease, squalor and poverty?

Anthony Okosun (tonyosun@yahoo.co.uk) writes from the USA

Robot  # 1 | 22.09.2008 10:52

WHY THE WHITE MAN CALL THE BLACKMAN 3RD WORLD AND UNDERDEVELOPED Yes, why will the white man not look down with condesc...Read the full article.