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And
so on the eighth day of the eighth month of the eighth year of the
current millennium; in this, the Chinese year of the Rat, budding
Olympians from around the world will converge upon the land of
Confucius; Sun Tzu; Lao Tzu; and Chairman Mao; and besiege Beijing, to
take part in the greatest sporting extravaganza on earth. East shall
meet West in the spirit of friendship and sportsmanship to celebrate
the togetherness of sports and the brotherhood of man.
From
all indications, the Chinese organisers of the Beijing Games, have left
no stone unturned and no detail unchecked in their meticulous
preparations for the games. Every detail, including the date set for
the opening ceremonies, has been carefully thought out. The symbolism
of the opening date of - 08.08.08 - for the games, with its triplicity
of eights cannot be overlooked. For the number eight occupies an
important place in Chinese numerological belief; it is considered to be
a symbol and harbinger of wealth, prestige, and prosperity. Underlining
that which hosting the Olympic Games has come to represent in recent
years.
But to date, the highlight of preparations for the games - and that which marks
China
’s
seriousness and commitment in staging them - has been the unveiling of
the games’ centrepiece; the marvellous bird-nest stadium. A tremendous
edifice conceived and crafted entirely by Chinese minds and hands. It
is an architectural wonder. Indeed West shall meet East and bow in
wonder.
Nigeria
, like most other sporting nations from across the world, is also sending a delegation to
Beijing
.
And if past experience is anything to go by, one can readily expect
that the official delegation will be large; and comprising of more
officials than athletes.
I
have no idea whether or not the Nigerian Olympic team has been set any
medal targets by the government; or what the nature of their
preparations have been ahead of the games. But I wish them well in
their pursuits. I hope that they win medals in the prestigious track
and field events; and in our favourite national pastime football. With
good fortune and the requisite skill, our under-23 football team may
even replicate the gold medal winning achievement of their 1994
Atlanta
Olympic counterparts.
Last
weekend’s announcement by the IOC, that Nigeria has been awarded,
albeit, retrospectively, the 4 x 400 relay gold from the 2000 Sydney
Olympics, could not have come at a better time to raise the hopes and
boost the determination of our athletes.
Since
Nigeria
’s
Olympic delegation to the Games will naturally include political
functionaries, amongst whom there will be governors and federal
ministers. I appeal to them to consider the trip to
Beijing
as
more than just a sporting junket and an opportunity to shop. Let it be
for them a learning experience on how a serious minded nation orders
itself.
I challenge them to keep their eyes and ears wide open, not only to the marvels of what
China
has
accomplished in the staging of these games; but to their achievements
as a nation in general. Preparations towards the games are estimated to
have cost
China
in the region of $49 billion. These monies have been well spent and the tangible results are there for all to see.
The
$49 billion spent on the games is almost at par with our much touted
foreign reserve levels of $54.8 billion. And in stark contrast to our
foreign reserves,
China
’s
foreign reserves are estimated to be in the region of $1.6 trillion
dollars; and they are growing at a rate of $1 billion per day.
I recognise that
Nigeria
and
China
are different nations with vastly different population sizes. But
China
is a serious nation to the extent that
Nigeria
is an unserious one. The government of
China
has
been able to galvanise its people around a vision that has set their
nation upon the path of global dominance, notwithstanding the
competition from Western economies.
Nigeria
has much to learn from them.
In
fact, most Western economies are now largely dependent upon Chinese
labour for the manufacture of goods for their markets. The extent of
this dependence is best illustrated by the following example. In the
aftermath of the attacks on
America
on
September 11, 2001
;
American patriotic fervour rose to such heights, that many American
citizens and residents sought to fly American flags over their homes
and offices in a show of support for their nation and in defiance of
their enemies.
But
they faced a problem; there were not enough flags to go round. And this
was because the Chinese factories, where orders for the flags had been
placed, were not able to match the level of demand within the desired
timescales. It was a revealing moment to discover that such an iconic
symbol of American identity and patriotism was being manufactured in
China
!
It was also a reminder of how dependent upon
China
the West really is. And this dependence continues, in spite of the West’s protestations about
China
’s human rights violations and high pollution levels. As things stand presently, it looks like the West needs
China
more than
China
needs the West.
In
another example, but on a micro level, and one much closer to home;
just the other day, I was approached by an enterprising young man (who
somehow divined correctly that I was a Nigerian and, therefore, open to
an attractive proposition) with an offer to buy some sought after brand
name formal shirts at greatly reduced prices. These items, in the
shops, cost anything from £50 and upwards. But he was prepared to sell
them to me at the price of £25 for two shirts.
On
noticing my reaction of surprise and suspicion at his offer, he quickly
assured me that the items were legally obtained, and were part of
surplus stock, which he had bought at knock-down prices from the
retailer’s warehouse. He said that items were made in
China
for
the equivalent of 10 pence per shirt! I was stunned. And as appealing
as his offer was, I politely declined it; wishing him well on his merry
way.
I
must confess that I was astonished at this information. Not simply
because the production costs were so low, but also at the realisation
of huge profit margins of the retailers. Suddenly their endless sales
promotions made sense; for them it was a ‘win-win’ situation. Is it any
wonder that everything these days seems to be made in
China
?
I was equally surprised to discover recently while reading a current affairs publication that in
China
there
are 2,000 newspapers; 2,000 television channels; 9,000 magazines; and
450 radio stations. And that every one of these outlets receives daily
instructions from the Chinese government on what they can and can’t
publish. Freedom of speech considerations aside, it takes a well run
government to undertake such an exercise.
China
is alive to its powers and its importance in the world. Earlier this year, President Sarkozy of
France
announced that he would be boycotting the
Beijing
opening ceremonies in protest about
China
’s treatment of
Tibet
.
China
, on becoming aware of this threat stopped its citizens from travelling to
France
. Prior to this prohibition, Chinese citizens had been travelling to
France
at
a rate of 400 people a day. Before long the French began to feel the
pinch, and President Sarkozy changed his mind. He will now be attending
the opening ceremonies in
Beijing
. Contrast this approach with that of the Nigerian government in the British Airways/Omotade debacle.
Much of
China
’s
strength is based on its ability to see the world through its own eyes.
It has resisted the wholesale domination of its people by outsiders, by
carefully monitoring what its people are exposed to. This may not be to
the liking of everyone, but at least their approach has made them a
strong nation.
This
ability to see the world through their own eyes is best captured by an
anecdotal tale involving a Chinese exchange student at
Harvard University
many years
ago. His American hosts asked him to share with them his most gripping
observation of the American people. One could not have anticipated his
response, as he said:
‘All you Americans have funny eyes’
It takes a certain cultural pride, confidence, and even innocence to respond in this way.
China
has powered on with its mission of becoming a country that matters now and in the future.
Nigeria
has
an awful lot to learn from them. It is not enough for us to be content
with selling off our resources to the Chinese and other nations; we
must also follow their example of national development and pride.
Our
national focus, has for far too long, been orientated towards the West
and its manner of doing things; but with precious little to show for it
in concrete terms. Perhaps the time has now come for us to look inwards
and Eastwards, in our quest for national actualisation.
There can be no doubt that
China
is
on the verge of becoming a world superpower in its own right; if it is
not one already. We must study and learn from their strategic/tactical
blueprints in order to galvanise our people. We have to mature and move
beyond our devotion to individual and national corruption and sheer
consumerism and move towards an ethos of national pride, discipline,
accountability, and productivity.
Serious concerns have been raised about
China
’s human rights record and global warming activities; and these are issues for concern. But I am persuaded that the more
China
engages
with the world, she will have to improve her behaviour; hosting the
Olympics is a great starting point in this direction. But the West, as
the main critic of China and the major beneficiary of the output of her
polluting factories, must seek to remove the beam from its own eyes,
before attempting to detach the mote from someone else’s.
And
as for us, Nigerians, we must discover the wisdom to end our fixation
with ‘tribal throat slashing’ and begin to work together towards a
common purpose. There may not be as many Nigerians as there are
Chinese, but we too can make our numbers count for something important.
But
all said; inevitably nothing last forever, empires, nations, and
personalities will rise and fall and disappear. And as one member of
the Chinese underground church said many years ago; and I quote:
“For many year (sic) Chairman Mao say (sic) there is no God. But in 1976, God say (sic) there is no Chairman Mao.
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Authors 
Posted by Robot| 06.08.2008 22:46