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‘What character typifies the Nigerian?’ A colleague tries: he thinks a typical Nigerian is a subhuman member of the Homo sapiens, simply because he is incapable to discern between interests of others and those that are common to him. For that lack of understanding, he vigorously pursues his self-interest to the detriment of common good… He relishes in this ignorance and calls it the Nigerian factor....Read the full article.

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H.E SAC,

By HE, I mean His Excellency SAC and not "he", a personal pronoun like Idi Amin was said to have done during a reception for the OAU leaders in Kampala. He used the acronym HE as a personal pronoun while introducing other leaders. So Gowon for instance was introduced as he Yakubu Gowon, he Kamuzu Banda, he Julius Nyerere:D etc etc. instead of His Excellency:rolleyes: Well Idi remained an epitome of African leaders for over three decades and beyond:idea:
As my people, the Igbos will say, you almost regurgitated the curd of a goat ( you almost spoke well), but I beg to disagree with your very difficult attempts to exonerate government from taking responsibility for the security and welfare of Nigerians. The masses are amorphous. Somebody has to lead them to the promised land. Ohacracy and democracy in its ideal forms may have worked for both the Igbos and the Athenians in those days but the society today is very complex.
Nigerians scramble to get into positions of authority only for them to quickly relinquish responsibility:twisted:This has been the critical bane of governance in that space. Nigerians have always applauded leaders who threw their hat in the ring and led from the front, even if the person was a robber. The mischief of attacking messengers instead of the message and especially action is the least in the legion of mischiefs that elites are known to fan in that space. In the heirachy of mischiefs, the greatest is that of tribe, ethnicity, or zone, the next is religion, followed by sex:D:D
I challenge any villager to disprove Aku's First Law of Mischiefs:clap:

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=Samuel Akinyele Caulcrick;377911>‘What character typifies the Nigerian?’ A colleague tries: he thinks a typical Nigerian is a subhuman member of the Homo sapiens, simply because he is incapable to discern between interests of others and those that are common to him. For that lack of understanding, he vigorously pursues his self-interest to the detriment of common good… He relishes in this ignorance and calls it the Nigerian factor. However, the Nigerian like every member of the animal kingdom understands what self-interest is. If the explanation above is anywhere close, little wonder why in spite of no electricity, no water, bad roads, no mass transit or the bad state of all that are common, the Nigerian cannot recognize them as common good, he therefore lives through the day and just moves on. This ignorance precludes the formal education level of the Nigerian. It does not matter whether he is a professor or a loader in the market, he only complains and hopes that the leaders’ magic wand or aliens from outer space will fix them while he sleeps. It is the Nigerian that needs rebranding - not Nigeria....

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he

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A very apt description that trumps the many reasons (excuses) often proferred on the Nigerian dilemma. The ever-present but often denied psyche that undermines any attempt to confront the root cause of the issue/s. The many reasons of leadership, ethnicity etc can be readily traced to this particular malady. Perhaps when we tackle this head-on we do stand a chance - until then, the emergence of "good leadership" or "ethnic states" would only revert back to type - leadership will be a temporary fix subsumed by the prevailing mentality, same as "ethnic states" awaiting further splinter groups until we are back to "every man/woman for him/her-self" mentality!

The irony of the situation is that the solution does not require great intellect of nuclear physics proportions but very basic and simple human compassion and intelligence - to aspire beyond the basic peasantry survival psyche that has held the nation captive for so long.

"Peasantry survival psyche"? Survival - Subsistence - Status Anxiety -Materialism -Suppression - all phases in the peasantry mindset. At the Status Anxiety phase the mentality to acquire by any means necessary sets in - an unprincipled rat race with no bounds. Gaining psychological comfort and pleasure in the accumlation of material wealth (big house, big car, big yatch, big generator!) for its own sake, but lacking in the aspiration to seek, create or add value (jobs, products, services..!). Values, sense of self-worth, status... derived or solely based on materialistic complex. With such a pervasive psyche, there is little left to the imagination to the "how" and "why" we are in the state we find ourselves.

"Leaders" seek "power" to accumulate material wealth - to satisfy inbred inferiority complex brought on by a peasantry upbringing and outlook - forever trapped by the fear of poverty, and thereby incapacitated from evolving a value creating mindset. The average Nigerian, conscious of their lowly status, are equally driven by the same mindset - an unyielding self-perpertrating evil cycle with no end in sight!

For as long as there is a morally bankrupt society there will be a bankrupt society, and there will be "leaders" to maintain the status quo! After currupt leaders loot the coffers of the society how is it possible that they can still live celebrated lifestyles within the same society such atrocious crimes have been committed?!

Solution - a minuscle shift in mindset with cataclysmic consequences - "everyman/woman for everyone" - this most basic of shift in mindsets, gives us the opportunity to look beyond our navel-gazing existence - to look up to see the real picture, and appreciate the vast opportunities on offer! Talk to your neighbour/s to buy the generator - better still - communally invest in Solar! Collective solution to collective issues! Ostracise that "big" man with his widely acknowledged ill-gotten "wealth" instead of the obsequious subservience that is the order of the day! Our problems are "self-inflicted" - for the most part - and our solutions should be "self-directed"!

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It is a law of nature common to all mankind, which time can never annul nor destroy, that man cannot exist outside of a community. An Individual could try to migrate into the forest and live in isolation to test this natural law. The Nigerian inventiveness, however, is to physically exist within the community whilst his mind exists outside of it. You can trust the Nigerian to have a way around any limiting law. A friend explains this as conventional wisdom, if one wants to live a life devoid of mental stress within the country.

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Could this be coping mechanism? Could this be one's attempt at self preservation, so you don't suffer a mental collapse? Could this be a realisation that the problems are much more than an individual alone can solve? If the answers are in the affirmative, then your diagnosis may not be correct in all its entirety.

Yet, it hits at some things that highlight the problem of the Nigerian state. I wish to push your argument further using these ideas: enlightened self interest,fixation of traditional culture, lack of thorough-going education of the Nigerian, and finally the need to develop a scientific frame of reference for solving problems.

In all these ideas you have where the Nigeria state misses it. I hope I can be back to explore these issues.But right now, I can only say that public (common good ) can best be delivered by the state, not an individual. It has the police power to regulate its use, it has the resources to deliver its services, and it has the moral authority to make those decisions on behalf of generations yet to be born.

Yet, we must confront the notion of delayed gratification (something very hard for individuals to practice). It is in the labours of denial that a society actually progresses.Yet, our time horizon, the reference points of our collective actions as a society is based on pleasure principles of individuals, I mean politicians. These are some of the distortions that democracy brings.

Nevertheless, I think you have raised serious issues. But most Nigerians are disconnected and are philistines, the innovative ideas that they will rather pursue are hedonistic, material, sexual, things that measure life's accomplishments on the scale of the pleasure principle.In a sense, we still operate from a primitive mindset. It explains why most visitors on the site would be found on the sex thread (another form of coping mechanism).

I guess we are not thinking humans yet, we just have the tools of procreation and consumption and we have been using them to go on rampage. Our lives are bounded using those tools as our lenses of life. Our minds are not be scrupulously applied to solve problems.Maybe, it is this area that the individual Nigerian is culpable.Not sure, maybe.

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=quietswami;377973>A very apt description that trumps the many reasons (excuses) often proferred on the Nigerian dilemma. The ever-present but often denied psyche that undermines any attempt to confront the root cause of the issue/s. The many reasons of leadership, ethnicity etc can be readily traced to this particular malady. Perhaps when we tackle this head-on we do stand a chance - until then, the emergence of "good leadership" or "ethnic states" would only revert back to type - leadership will be a temporary fix subsumed by the prevailing mentality, same as "ethnic states" awaiting further splinter groups until we are back to "every man/woman for him/her-self" mentality!

The irony of the situation is that the solution does not require great intellect of nuclear physics proportions but very basic and simple human compassion and intelligence - to aspire beyond the basic peasantry survival psyche that has held the nation captive for so long.

"Peasantry survival psyche"? Survival - Subsistence - Status Anxiety -Materialism -Suppression - all phases in the peasantry mindset. At the Status Anxiety phase the mentality to acquire by any means necessary sets in - an unprincipled rat race with no bounds. Gaining psychological comfort and pleasure in the accumlation of material wealth (big house, big car, big yatch, big generator!) for its own sake, but lacking in the aspiration to seek, create or add value (jobs, products, services..!). Values, sense of self-worth, status... derived or solely based on materialistic complex. With such a pervasive psyche, there is little left to the imagination to the "how" and "why" we are in the state we find ourselves.

"Leaders" seek "power" to accumulate material wealth - to satisfy inbred inferiority complex brought on by a peasantry upbringing and outlook - forever trapped by the fear of poverty, and thereby incapacitated from evolving a value creating mindset. The average Nigerian, conscious of their lowly status, are equally driven by the same mindset - an unyielding self-perpertrating evil cycle with no end in sight!

For as long as there is a morally bankrupt society there will be a bankrupt society, and there will be "leaders" to maintain the status quo! After currupt leaders loot the coffers of the society how is it possible that they can still live celebrated lifestyles within the same society such atrocious crimes have been committed?!

Solution - a minuscle shift in mindset with cataclysmic consequences - "everyman/woman for everyone" - this most basic of shift in mindsets, gives us the opportunity to look beyond our navel-gazing existence - to look up to see the real picture, and appreciate the vast opportunities on offer! Talk to your neighbour/s to buy the generator - better still - communally invest in Solar! Collective solution to collective issues! Ostracise that "big" man with his widely acknowledged ill-gotten "wealth" instead of the obsequious subservience that is the order of the day! Our problems are "self-inflicted" - for the most part - and our solutions should be "self-directed"!

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Thanks Q for this brilliant and thoughtful commentary. Despite the challenges of bad leadership, our "Nigerian ways" is one of unbelievable selfishness and mutual oppression. Unfortunately we have travelled this road for far too long, and no one seems to know how to find our way back.

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It is a law of nature common to all mankind, which time can never annul nor destroy, that man cannot exist outside of a community. An Individual could try to migrate into the forest and live in isolation to test this natural law. The Nigerian inventiveness, however, is to physically exist within the community whilst his mind exists outside of it. You can trust the Nigerian to have a way around any limiting law. A friend explains this as conventional wisdom, if one wants to live a life devoid of mental stress within the country.

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Could this be a coping mechanism? Could this be an attempt at self preservation from mental collapse? Could this be an acceptance that an individual cannot solve a societal problem? If the answers are all in the affirmative, then your thesis may need to be reworded.

Yet, it hits some subtle notes on things wrong with the Nigerian state. Alternatively, I push the argument that these ideas: enlightened self interest, fixation of traditional culture, lack of thorough-going education , and finally the need to develop a scientific frame of reference for solving problems dog the Nigerian.

In all these ideas you can situate where the Nigeria state misses it. I hope I come back to explore these issues in more detail. But right now, I say that public (common) is best delivered through the instruments of the state, not an individual. The state has the resources to deliver utility services, the police power to enforce regulations and compliance to the rule of law and it also has moral authority to make those decisions on behalf of future generations.

Unfortunately, many folks think in the present and they do not like delayed gratification (something very hard for individuals to practice). It is from delayed gratification that most progresses take place .Yet, in Nigeria the greater part of the population has a short time horizon, the reference points of our collective choices are so short because we desire immediate pleasures or benefits. The politicians understand this and use it to their advantage, especially opposition politicians and out-of-luck elites.Some of these weaknesses are encouraged by our form of democracy.

Nevertheless, I think you have raised some important issues. But many Nigerians are disconnected and are philistines, the innovative ideas that they will rather pursue are hedonistic, material, and sexual, things that measure individual accomplishments on the scale of the pleasure principle. In a sense, we still operate within a primitive mindset. It explains why many visitors on this site would be found on the sex thread (another form of coping mechanism).

I guess we are not thinking humans yet, we have appropriated the tools of procreation and consumption to go on rampage to satisfy lusts and pleasures. Our choices are motivated by those tools as- our lenses of life. Our minds are not scrupulously applied to solve individual problems. Maybe, it is this area this where the individual Nigerian is culpable. Not sure, maybe.

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Enlightened self-interest and always acting for the "common good" is certainly the way forward for any society; human, ants, just any community (I recall here how the cockroaches envied the corperation of the ants in Tewfik Al-Hakim's "Fate of a Cockroach")

Common in "common good" was highlighted because it is key to elightened self-interest. Common suggests unity, commonality and this simply this does not exist in NIgeria -- no excuse, just choking reality. It is relatively easy to make people agree on the "common good" of social ammenities and infrastucture, the problem is making people agree on political "common good" which is the foundation of the former.

The ideal of "common good" without a sense of commonality, in a space where mis-trust and dis-unity is the reality, is impossible; an aberration. Unless by some improbable reverse engineering, "common good" is fashioned into becoming the basis of our unity.

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=Silent 1;378605>Enlightened self-interest and always acting for the "common good" is certainly the way forward for any society; human, ants, just any community (I recall here how the cockroaches envied the corperation of the ants in Tewfik Al-Hakim's "Fate of a Cockroach")

Common in "common good" was highlighted because it is key to elightened self-interest. Common suggests unity, commonality and this simply this does not exist in NIgeria -- no excuse, just choking reality. It is relatively easy to make people agree on the "common good" of social ammenities and infrastucture, the problem is making people agree on political "common good" which is the foundation of the former.

The ideal of "common good" without a sense of commonality, in a space where mis-trust and dis-unity is the reality, is impossible; an aberration. Unless by some improbable reverse engineering, "common good" is fashioned into becoming the basis of our unity.

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@S1

Liked the analogy! Not heard of the book but one for my library I think.

Slightly puzzled by the term "political common good" and would appreciate some clarification if you may. Appreciate the political reality of the country and could understand the line of thinking. However, if focus were on the common good as instigated by the change in the outlook at the individual level - to look out for others and not just selfish self-interests, would this not be the basis for policies that drive "political common good"?

The reasoning being proposed being that, politics are products of policies for the common good - they may differ in approach or ideology but the common good is the basis. Similar to having varying routes to a destination but at least all are agreed on the destination. I propose the shift in mindset at the individual level would be the foundation not so much political - the distorted mindset at the individual level explains the disconnect being magnified in the politics of the day.

"Common good" should be a fairly accessible concept in the Nigerian context by deploying the binary opposite - "common grief". Politics and policies should be aimed at addressing such but unfortunately, the Nigerian context, with imbued "privileges" ascribed by virtue of "political" authority, only reverts back to the indicated root cause. Hence, the saying that a people get leaders they deserve, is eerily apt! If the many Nigerian "leaders" suffered the "common grief", "common good" will be fast-tracked but as a self-sustaining feature the mindset will have to change for an enduring effect.

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What the witch doctors and the wizards have to pound into the Nigerian psychic and hopefully cure the madness is to reverse the culture of instant gratification and reward and hedonistic preferences and that destructive sense of the "other".

Yes I agree very much that Nigerians will need some sense of common grief to achieve a sense of common good.
But as for now, unfortunately so many Nigerians, especially the bulk of the elite and some uneducated educated middle class among them are still hell bent on feeling indifferent to the plight of others. As long as they can afford a generator, send their kids to private schools, fly in and out for medical check ups, aquire and keep as much mistresses and concubines for each houses in different states and cities in and outside of Nigeria, then Nigeria is perfectly fine or is even getting better as they say.

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=M. Akosa;379566>What the witch doctors and the wizards have to pound into the Nigerian psychic and hopefully cure the madness is to reverse the culture of instant gratification and reward and hedonistic preferences and that destructive sense of the "other".

Yes I agree very much that Nigerians will need some sense of common grief to achieve a sense of common good.
But as for now, unfortunately so many Nigerians, especially the bulk of the elite and some uneducated educated middle class among them are still hell bent on feeling indifferent to the plight of others. As long as they can afford a generator, send their kids to private schools, fly in and out for medical check ups, aquire and keep as much mistresses and concubines for each houses in different states and cities in and outside of Nigeria, then Nigeria is perfectly fine or is even getting better as they say.

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@ M Akosa,

I concur. Will probably highlight that the malady of instant gratification, reward, hedonistic preferences, and destructive sense of the "other" are sympomatic of my coined term "peasantry survival pysche". Like the nouveau riche, sense of self-worth can only be realised by the false sense of material superiority.

"Elite" in the Nigerian context could be a misnomer - should ideally be used to denote the cultural class - hard to determine the composition so such class for Nigeria. Elite classes often capture the refined ideals of a collective, and usually provide leadership in the realisation of the "common good". Unsure which class actually provides these in the Nigerian context - not the political class, and certainly not the economic middle class.

Fortunately, the psyche is a product of situational conditioning and not inherent or intrinsic - problem is that reversal of such pervasive condition is painfully slow! When "common grief" becomes undeniably and unavoidably common, reversal of mindset is inevitable! One can only scurry and hide away in one's cocoon for only so long, eventually cocoons becomes suffocating and claustrophobic or face up to the inescapable option to open up in order to survive. The generators, private schools... can only last for so long! I'm counting on the eventual expansion - shame we have to be pushed to breaking points to make such realisations.

My faith lies in the concept of the village, the ideal opportunity and forum to evolve the necessary elite for the Nigerian context! May take some time but everything starts somewhere and sometime.