The Law of Non-Contradiction: Simplified and Abbreviated for Critics of Nigeria

As soon as you declare your love for Nigerians and Nigeria, the paranoid, and the neurotic, surface from their underground bunkers. Declare that you like Nigerians just the way they are, and the critics of Nigeria think you have charged them with a felony. Are they listening? Why is it that I cannot love my home, good or bad, just the way it is? Why?

The critics are in a haste to find, in your declaration of love, an implied attack on their integrity and, in the process, fail to read or re-read the tenet of your declaration. Or they read your declaration properly but still accuse you of real and imagined analytical blunders. And then they, inescapably, come to the same conclusion as you, as demanded by the law of non-contradiction.

I have always stated that it is acceptable to criticize individual Nigerians (including specific government officials). But I state, without equivocation, once again, that it is illogical, wrong, improper, in fact unforgivable, for the critic to move from pinpointing a few erring Nigerians and concluding, by extrapolation, the erring of all Nigerians. It simply cannot be supported either logically or empirically.

Aristotle's first rule of logic is the law of non-contradiction. This means that if a thing is “not A” it cannot at the same time “be A”. This is a universal truth, not subject to political tinkering.

By this law, if a logical proposition is false, its opposite is true: This means that if the proposition "all Nigerians are bad" is false then the proposition "not all Nigerians are bad" must be true.

This is where I stop. I stop here because, intuitively (I mean without empirical verification of the propositions), I know that no sane human being can doubt the truth of the statement “not all Nigerians are bad”. So I stop here and live happily ever after with the belief that “not all Nigerians are bad” and that I love my country in spite of the critics.

Now, enter the critic. Prove that all Nigerians are not bad, they say to me. What evidence do you have, they demand? Do you know all Nigerians, they ask? Have you tested all Nigerians, they query? Proof. Proof. Proof. Where is the proof, they ask?

A few lovers of Nigeria and Nigerians have fallen into the trap of these critics, trying to provide evidence to prove that all Nigerians are not bad. This is a road that does not end, once you start walking it, and I will illustrate it with a story.

A long time ago, in the 17^th Century, a man was said to have declared that he did not believe in Astrology. “I don’t believe in astrology” he went about saying. Astrology, he said was a hoax, a waste of time. All his friends were astrologers. But he would not be moved. “Show me the proof”, he demanded. He was a critic. So his friends gathered all the sharpest minds among themselves who, armed with statistics, invited the critic to demonstrate the validity of astrology to him. They reportedly took almost a whole day, to map out, painstakingly, the statistical evidence, which they believed proved the validity of astrology. At the end, satisfied with their effort and happy, they waited for the capitulation of their friend, the critic. It was then that their friend, with a mischievous grin, announced to them: “I don’t believe in statistics!”.

If you fall into this invitation to prove and tell the critic that you love Nigerians because they are fat, he will tell you that there are skinny people in Nigeria too, and that being fat is not even healthy blah blah blah; tell him that you love Nigerians because they are skinny, he will show you that skinny people are not healthy and therefore it is not a good reason to love. And that is why I stop at the proposition. That is enough proof for me.

I want to tell the critic that I love my country because it is big and small, because it has fat and skinny people, because it has dark and light people, because it has thieves and honest people, because it has big and small people, because it has honest and dishonest critics, because all Nigerians are not bad, and because it is my home.

Come, come, my friend. Come and see the ethnic groups as they smile at me. Some call them tribes. How many can you identify?  See the faces of the Igbo, the Yoruba, Fulani, Hausa, Alago, Kagoro,  Kaje, Kanakuru, Kanuri, Karkare, Kobehi, Kwale, Mumuye, Ngizim, Nupe, Nwabuzor, Obi, Odor, Ogoni, Ohen, Olin,  Anga, Aniocha, Annang, Birom, Bura, Chawai, Edo, Efeizomor, Efik, Egbarin, Eggon, Ekoi, Esan, Gambari, Ghamba, Gwari, Higgi, Ibibio, Idoma, Igala, Igbira, Ijaw, Ika, Isoko, Itsekiri, Iwerebo,  Oputa, Pabir, Shua—Arab,, Tari, Tiv, Ugbaja, Urhobo, Yergam …

There are more groups; but for now, I think these are all the supporters that I need; and they tell me, intuitively, that they cannot all be bad. Is this simple enough?

WayoGuy@aol.com

(Attorney in Washington)

Robot  Villager

# 1 I want to tell the critic that I love my country be...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 07.02.2007 23:58

I Love Nigeria  Villager

# 2 Wayo-Guy I thank you in all Nigerian Languages! I thank you on behalf of all ethnic groups in Nigeria! I thank you on behalf of our great republic.... especially for uttering these words: I want to tell the critic that I love my country because it is big and small, because it has fat and skinny people, because it has dark and light people, because it has thieves and honest people, because it has big and small people, because it has honest and dishonest critics, because all Nigerians are not bad, and because it is my home. Come, come, my friend. Come and see the ethnic groups as they smile at me. Some call them tribes. How many can you identify? See the faces of the Igbo, the Yoruba, Fulani, Hausa, Alago, Kagoro, Kaje, Kanakuru, Kanuri, Karkare, Kobehi, Kwale, Mumuye, Ngizim, Nupe, Nwabuzor, Obi, Odor, Ogoni, Ohen, Olin, Anga, Aniocha, Annang, Birom, Bura, Chawai, Edo, Efeizomor, Efik, Egbarin, Eggon, Ekoi, Esan, Gambari, Ghamba, Gwari, Higgi, Ibibio, Idoma, Igala, Igbira, Ijaw, Ika, Isoko, Itsekiri, Iwerebo, Oputa, Pabir, Shua—Arab,, Tari, Tiv, Ugbaja, Urhobo, Yergam … There are more groups; but for now, I think these are all the supporters that I need; and they tell me, intuitively, that they cannot all be bad. Is this simple enough? I bask and revel in my Nigerian-ness! And so does Mr. Wayo-Guy esq. we have no apologies to make to anyone! Ha! I am glad that I read your article... it is almost 1:00AM in New York City and it has been very cold sub-zero degree for several days now.... your article gave my heart the warmness of Summer and in my heart right now? It is hotter than July! What is there not to like in Nigeria's wondrous diversities? I will always love Nigeria...forever! I LOVE NIGERIA! Posted by I Love Nigeria| 08.02.2007 00:53

tanibaba  Villager

# 3 Once again I want to thank you for your determination to take this discussion to a logical conclusion. I will back later for a more detailed response. Keep the flag flying brother. taslim Posted by tanibaba| 08.02.2007 04:47

ithinkbetter  Villager

# 4 By this law, if a logical proposition is false, its opposite is true: This means that if the proposition "all Nigerians are bad" is false then the proposition "not all Nigerians are bad" must be true. wayoguy: the logic is well understood. you have proved and explained it beyond reasonable doubt -no question! my question is: why are you running away from your LOVED one?:confused1 Posted by ithinkbetter| 08.02.2007 06:33

Oloye  Villager

# 5 Wayoguy, E see e, thank you. Positive, positive, positive. ithinkbetterWayo is running toward not from country Posted by Oloye| 08.02.2007 06:43

crimsonbabe  Villager

# 6 =ithinkbetter;154103>wayoguy: the logic is well understood. you have proved and explained it beyond reasonable doubt -no question! my question is: why are you running away from your LOVED one?:confused1 ITB I am a bit confused myself with your statement. Is loving Nigeria and living outside Nigeria mutually exclusive?:confused: Why cant Wayo guy still love Nigeria and as he said still see the good, the bad and the ugly in it? Why does he have to prove to you how much he loves Nigeria, and he said, I think just him saying it is enough I will leave u with this.. If all the people that "ran away" (your words) from Nigeria do not love Nigeria, then does it mean that all the people living there love her so much including those people in govt that are destroying the essence of what makes Nigeria what it is Just my $0.2 CB Posted by crimsonbabe| 08.02.2007 09:37

ithinkbetter  Villager

# 7 =crimsonbabe;154135>ITB I am a bit confused myself with your statement. Is loving Nigeria and living outside Nigeria mutually exclusive?:confused: Why cant Wayo guy still love Nigeria and as he said still see the good, the bad and the ugly in it? Why does he have to prove to you how much he loves Nigeria, and he said, I think just him saying it is enough I will leave u with this.. If all the people that "ran away" (your words) from Nigeria do not love Nigeria, then does it mean that all the people living there love her so much including those people in govt that are destroying the essence of what makes Nigeria what it is Just my $0.2 CB my dear sister, if you 'loved one' is being destroyed and you think staying 1000 plus kilometers away proclaiming and confessing your love will rescue the 'loved one', then i'm sorry to say that we're not talking about love...!who is cheating on who here...?:confused1 Posted by ithinkbetter| 08.02.2007 16:12

Oloye  Villager

# 8 =ithinkbetter;154216>my dear sister, if you 'loved one' is being destroyed and you think staying 1000 plus kilometers away proclaiming and confessing your love will rescue the 'loved one', then i'm sorry to say that we're not talking about love...!who is cheating on who here...?:confused1 ki lo de? Ko ye mi. So all the people whose husbands/wives live in America while they live in Nigeria don't love each other just because they live far from one another? you no thinker better than anybody. Posted by Oloye| 08.02.2007 16:56

I Love Nigeria  Villager

# 9 Gbo gbo circumstances can separate loved ones.... just as ithinkbetter....who now lives in France.... the queston now arise.... does ithinkbetter love any of his loved ones that he left or abandoned in Nigeria as he sprinted to economic safety and comfort in France? Circumstances, circumstances and gbo circumstances ni .... My Love for NIGERIA is everlasting Ka Chineke Mezie Okwu! Posted by I Love Nigeria| 08.02.2007 17:03

ithinkbetter  Villager

# 10 =Oloye;154228>ki lo de? Ko ye mi. So all the people whose husbands/wives live in America while they live in Nigeria don't love each other just because they live far from one another? you no thinker better than anybody. abeg, my buroda, me know know what type of love you dey talk about...:confused1 if you 'loved one' is being destroyed....!digest that first well well! Posted by ithinkbetter| 08.02.2007 17:07

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