RiverNaija

Bolaji Ogundimu had only recently been appointed as my Secretary when she put in an application for a housing loan. I had put aside a lump sum of money that could be borrowed by my staff interest-free. This was operated as a round-robin. As some paid back every month, new loans could be disbursed. However, Bolaji’s chances of getting a loan in the short-term were slim because many others were in the queue before her. This was operated as a round-robin. As some paid back every month, new loans could be disbursed. However, Bolaji’s chances of getting a loan in the short-term were slim because many others were in the queue before her. But then two “Good Samaritans” came to see me. They insisted that Bolaji should be given a loan right away. What kind of favouritism is this, I wondered? “Bolaji has just applied,” I pointed out. “There are so many others who applied before her and are yet to receive. How could you, in good conscience, argue that she should leapfrog over those she met on th...

The arrest of Nigerian-born Ramoni Abass, with Hushpuppi social media identity and his gang in DUBAI over alleged transnational cybercrime during which nearly 2million were ripped off, unveils how deceitful living is ubiquitous, celebrated and elevated above moral uprightness in Nigeria. ‘Hushpuppism’ is a survivalist strategy which deliberately distorts reality in relation to what is earned, how it is earned and the revealed identity. The revealed identity has two parts: the actual and the framed identity. In relation to the former, only the acting individual and the gang keep this close to their heart. The framed identity is that part of human life that is portrayed to outsiders as the actual. To break this down, there are many contemporary politicians in Nigeria who portray themselves as followers of late Sage, Obafemi Awolowo’s ideology but their actual realities have betrayed them. Just as the followers of Awolowo’s political ideology call themselves Awoists and dress alike those ...

Another crucial point against the amalgamation is the extremely selfish, myopic and immoral reasons British imperialists carried out the exercise. Clearly, the intention or purpose for creating something largely determines the use(s) to which it would be put and the moral weight or importance to be attached to it. With respect to nation-building, this requirement becomes a categorical imperative because the moral telos or foundation of a nation serves as the beacon of light for clarity of vision in the future and subjective glue that binds together individuals and groups that constitute it. Given that the British colonial government was motivated by the very self-serving and ignoble obsessive quest for maximum economic exploitation of “Niger area” and administrative convenience, the amalgamation was built on a moral and ideological quicksand. Let us be clear on this point: Britain never intended to create a great Nigerian nation that would be the pride of its citizens and the black ra...