Showing posts with label Colonial Masters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colonial Masters. Show all posts

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Nigeria: Suffering From Chronic Elite Conspiracy

  

 Professor Ali Mazurui wrote it all in his seminal work titled: “The African Bigman”. And by this, I think he meant to refer to those Africans who inherited the elite dynamics and dialectics of the departing Colonial Masters, and who always want to act similarly in their colonial-mentalities and ways of doing things. Also, methinks he was also referring to those emerging and emerged African elites in their countries after independence, who lack humility in all they do, especially because of their belief that they have attained high societal positions that gives them the leverage to flaunt their kind of attitudes (and therein knowingly and unknowingly trample on the less privileged).
*Perpetual Victims 
Yes! There is what could be regarded as “African Bigman Syndrome”; which emanates truly from “Colonial Mentality”; whose roots is surely, as we earlier said, from “Colonial Mental Attitude”. Indeed, Africans who became elites after the departure of the white Colonial Masters, and indeed those who replaced the departing Colonial Bourgeoisies in commercial and administrative positions of authority (inheriting and living in their then big houses, segregated Government Reserved Areas, using their types of big cars, joining their segregated clubs, wearing their kind of clothing, eating their kinds of food and drinking their kind of wine, etc) developed a syndrome of bigmanism that “sickens” them all the time; making them to want to separate and discriminate other down-trodden Africans (their less privileged brothers and sisters). And this sickness has lingered from the days of our political flag independence (we are yet to be economically independent), and have now, dove-tailed-into what could be called/posited and asserted affirmatively today as “Chronic Elite Conspiracy” against the masses of Nigeria.
What is this endemic elite-disease? What are its operative methodologies? How has it affected the socio-political and economic aspects of our society (country, nation, nation-state or call it whatever name you like!)? Let’s attempt an answer! But before we do this, please permit us to first of all define the three key words that are entrenched-in and encapsulates this topic: Chronic; Elite and Conspiracy.
According to The Concise Oxford Dictionary, Chronic means: Lingering; lasting; bad; intense; severe; acute; constant. Elite means: Best (of a group); Select group or class. Conspiracy means: Act of conspiracy; combination for unlawful purpose; plot; agreement to say nothing concerning a matter.
Therefore, having all these definitions in mind, and having observed the obvious display of the kind of mannerism (attitude) and actions of Nigerian elites since her independence in 1960, can it not be rightly said then, that a lingering/long lasting plot (which is definitely unlawful in purposes) has been unleashed by a select group or class of Nigerians (who through their high intellectual, administrative and commercial-enterprise positions); have denied a vast majority/generality of Nigerians (through discreet and open operating methods) their rights to their basic needs of life (like food, shelter, clothing, education, medical care, employment, water, electricity, transportation facilities, security and other social amenities/utilities and services) and freedom; and also used the people’s resources and wealth (commonwealth actually) to better themselves (which they consciously and unconsciously concretized through their high-conspiratorial high-life)?