I am sharing with you the thoughts and insights that many readers shared with me by email and Facebook messages on the recent diplomati...
I am sharing with you the thoughts and insights that many readers shared with me by email and Facebook messages on the recent diplomatic face-off between Nigeria and South Africa, which I wrote about last week. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
South Africa can treat Nigerians in any way she likes. We deserve it. Any country that decides never to rise above kinship levels will automatically remain at the bottom of everything, except of course when it comes to corruption, insecurity and a host of other vices, then we can take the lead. As always, you manage to delight your readers.
Hussaina Umar, Abuja
Dr. Kperogi, thanks for your thoughtful and insightful article. But I must say that you burst my bubble. I was enjoying all the show of power in this diplomatic fight with South Africa. Like you, when South Africa apologized to us, I felt very happy and proud. I said we had finally arrived. But reading your persuasive arguments changed my perspective. They showed more maturity than us. Thinking about it, we kind of seem like spoilt, sulking little kids that need to be quietened with the candy of apologies.
I didn’t even know that Britain deported 120 Nigerians in cargo planes just days after South Africa. I missed the story until I read your column. Where is the foreign affairs minister again? Why is our government silent? Cargo planes? Like twenty-first slaves? And our newfound “diplomacy of reciprocal deportation” (thanks for that artful coinage!) didn’t kick in? You’re right when you said, “For many of our leaders, white is always right and black is forever wack.” How sad! Thanks for an enlightening and well-written write-up, as usual.
Sabi’u Umar, Kano
In my view, most countries in the world have a jaundiced view about Nigeria due to our relative or outright lack of transparency, debasement of our core values that entrenched discipline and accountability that are reproducible in our institutions at all tiers of government and thus making state mechanism as well as apparatus to very vulnerable to manipulation. One can say that we actually have a system failure to check excesses of officialdom in our system. Come to think of it, a single document that emanate from same office has multiple signatures as authorising officer approving it. This really calls for concern in our attitude and behaviour to work, if we really meant well for our system.
Garba Muhammad, Abuja
It's very unfortunate we live in a world of fallacy. It’s painful that those who matter in this regard will never have time to go through this piece. If they do, they will pretend not to have read this factual write-up.
But something convinces me for sure that one day the story of this country will not remain unchanged. Keep up the enlightenment, Dr. Kperogi. More power to your elbow.
Jibril Seko Gure, Abuja
Nigerians don't like to be told to follow the rules; at least not by a fellow African country. An entire generation of Nigerians has been raised in a culture where it is normal to not only defy the rules, but to insist on the right to do so. This is what the clash with South Africa is about.
Raji Bello, Maiduguri
Is it Nigeria's responsibility to shout all over the world that she's been confirmed free of Yellow Fever or that of WHO that gave the clean bill?
Shehu Musa-Nadije, Birnin Kebbi
I think the problem arises as a result of the role South Africa played in the process that led to GEJ losing out in the contest for the AU chair. What the South Africans said concerning the yellow card is the truth. And if it is the truth, why did Nigeria retaliate? Except if we want to tell the whole wide world that we love absurdity and disregard for due process.
Abdulrahman Abu Hamisu, Abuja
I enjoy reading that factual and logical article, which unveils the issues that our columnists either deliberately ignored or they didn't think along that line.
Abdulmutallib A. Abubkar, Abuja
May Allah give u strength to keep up this good job.
Aliyu Yakubu, Kano
Related Article:
Nigeria's New Diplomacy of Reciprocal Deportation
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