Be so true to thyself as thou be not false to others. (Francis Bacon)
Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire. (Confucius)
First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do. (Epictetus)
The more you let yourself go, the less others let you go. (Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche)
When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you (African Proverb)
No man can ever end with being superior who will not begin with being inferior. (Sydney Smith)
A man who is not ashamed of himself need not be ashamed of his early condition. (Daniel Webster)
For better or worse, you must play your own little instrument in the orchestra of life. (Dale Carnegie)
Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else. (Judy Garland)
Every man has to seek in his own way to make his own self more noble and to realize his own true worth. (Albert Schweitzer)
If you start to think about your physical or moral condition, you usually find that you are sick. (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
A creature who has spent his life creating one particular representation of his selfdom will die rather than become the antithesis of that representation. (Frank Herbert)
You gotta have a dream. If you don't have a dream, how ya gonna make a dream come true? (Bloody Mary, in the movie South Pacific)

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Continued from Part II

n Part 11 of this article, I blamed the Nigerian (African) leaders for under-developing their constituencies despite the resources at their disposal. I am not trying to exonerate the west completely here; they are still covertly pulling strings here and there on African governments and are influencing some of the policies pursued by the African leaders, but, the problem is that African governments have failed to stand firm on their feet against the undue influences of the west, on the one hand and to extricate themselves from the web the west has knitted together to trap them in, on the other. The west is using their financial institutions like IMF, World Bank etc to force some policies down our throats; they always connive with the Africa leaders to make us take un-necessary loans thereby mortgaging our future and that of our generations unborn through that way. The west is not happy when we are free of debts as they will not be able to prescribe bad economic policies for our government that will make us almost slaves to them. For instance, the IMF forced Babangida´s government to take a useless loan and to implement the structural adjustment programme (SAP) as one of the conditions for the loan and that programme was one of the things that kept Nigeria today the way it is; it wiped away the middle class, it made our industries obsolete and moribund, it devalued our currency and made it worthless, it enriched the ruling class and their cohorts at the expense of the majority of the people in that as IBB and his government were telling the people to tighten their belt, they were loosening theirs, as the people were starving and dying , IBB, his friends and their families were living in opulence and over indulgence.

Enyimba 1 of Aba (real name unknown) wrote this in NaijaPolitics:

“Last month the World Bank approved over $200 million for farming in the Northern Nigeria . The next day they approved another $330 million to rehabilitate all the federal roads in Nigeria , and yesterday they are okaying another $390 million for Lagos-Ibadan road. My question is, who is handling these World Bank loans given to us front and back? Why is it that the World Bank does not want to see a debt-free Nigeria ? After what we went through paying off our foreign debts, how do we become addicted again to World Bank loans? And, and, and, who is negotiating these loans for Nigeria ? Does he not know that Nigeria has over $50 billion dollars in the foreign reserve? For whom is Nigeria hauling or saving this money in the foreign reserve? Does our president Umar knows about these loans? How about the Finance Committee in the National Assembly, do they know about these loans? Why is it that our people in the National Assembly never discussed about these loans before they were approved? The World Bank is still holding our $2.67 billion for 23 active projects in Nigeria . Where are these projects? Upon all these loans, Nigeria is one of the poorest in Africa . Who is fooling who? Now, let us ask the World Bank director in Nigeria why it is necessary to receive all these loans”.

Back to Nigeria and its myriad of problems: To over repeat myself, Nigeria and Nigerians at home do worship any white person who comes to Nigeria and do give him a princely service even if that person is nobody in his native country, but, many Nigerian graduates abroad are going through all sorts of indignation and humiliation just to make ends meet and because the Nigerian leaders failed to make Nigeria a better place where graduates will get jobs on graduation. Many Nigerian lawyers, engineers and other professionals are working as security men, cleaners, bus or taxi divers in England etc. Many Nigerian graduates from all fields are working as cleaners, factory workers, packet distributors with van and other menial jobs in Germany , Holland and infact in almost all parts of Europe . In North America , many Nigerian graduates are working as part-time cleaners in the evening after their office jobs in the morning just to scrap through. Infact many Nigerians in America , even those that graduated from American universities are finding it hard to break even, some of them have to do menial jobs to survive; some have to drive taxi despite the fact that they acquired their degrees, diplomas or certificates as the case may be, in the United States .

Many medical doctors from Nigeria that went to North America and Europe but couldn’t go for the upgrading of their medical certificates to American or European standards are doing menial jobs or are working as nurses or nursing assistants, but, in Nigeria, half-baked white people are living like kings, people that are not more qualified than many of the Nigerians doing menial jobs in Europe and America. Once I visited a brother (from the same village) in the States, he is an accountant with one of the renowned universities in America . He narrated to me how he put up an advertisement for a personal secretary only to be surprised that about sixty college (university) degree holders applied for a job meant for a high school certificate holder and majority of those degree holders attained their degrees in American universities and they were mainly Americans.

Having said that above; I must add that many qualified Nigerians in North America and Europe are also gainfully employed at the level befitting their qualifications, many are in the upper echelon in their respective fields. While many failed to make it, others made it in a big way, that’s life.

Under-employment is also a problem in Nigeria because the leaders don’t know how to create jobs for the people. Tony Nammor wrote:

"The Nigerian government should for Christ sake stop undermining the skills and ability and most of all, the patriotism to nation building of the Diaspora Nigerian brains.

What I am trying to say in essence is that over the last 20 - 30 years, the country lost a handful of brains, intellectuals and scholars in the field of engineering and other professions to foreign lands.

They left for various reasons and top on the list was for "better life ". In the course of these departures, most of them furthered their education and became experts in their chosen profession. They did not stop there, some of these group of Diaspora Professionals are presently helping to enhance and develop the already developed western nations....

Some even own their private practices which in some cases , have grown and stand out in those nations.

Without digressing, the Nigerian government need to wake up and realize that Nigeria may not be doing fine and passing through revitalization but her citizens have moved ten steps ahead and are doing very well in these nations in the Diaspora.

So what am I saying?

Stop this colonial mentality that the foreigners are better and would deliver better. I have witnessed it all. Those days in the 60s & 70s, Julius Berger for example was a very viable and productive engineering firm in Nigeria ...I definitely can’t speak of that today considering what I see whenever I visit Nigeria .

Today, those companies have been compromised. Nigerian engineers if harnessed properly and given the opportunity can do better.

All I am asking for is, that the government should be wise. The need to create a medium were, the foreign and indigenous engineers can come together to help build Nigeria can not be overemphasized.

It does not take much to do this, design and put in place programs to facilitate the networking and education of our engineers. This also applies to other professions.

The country is missing out a lot. We have advisers to the president who should be giving him insight into positive developmental ideas for nation’s growth but it seems like someone is either not thinking or not listening.

Statistically, we have more Nigerians developing foreign countries in various fields than those developing Nigeria today. Go check! The government should initiate policies that would limit the extent of participation of foreign engineers in the nation’s critical areas of development. United States has those policies in place, if you are not a US citizen, there are certain areas where you would not be allowed to participate in but they surely would welcome your ideas.

The catch is both national security and for the development of their citizens with a touch of patriotism.

This is what we expect from our government. Give the professional citizens of Nigeria the chance to come home and help in nation building and not just doing so with lip service and political statements. I mean, create that environment and put in place the programs to make it happen".

Many Nigerian graduates abroad feel humbled or humiliated because of the conditions they found themselves in. In many European countries, the barriers for the Nigerian degree holders are daunting and sometimes insurmountable most especially the language barrier and racism. Many Nigerians that went to German universities for their first or post-graduate degrees are still being discriminated upon when it comes to job and many gave up half way into their studies due to the language barrier as they couldn’t cope up. A friend of mine who graduated the same year with me at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka came over here to do his masters in food science technology and was told by his project supervisor that he expects him to be above board than his German course mates because he will have to compete for job with them upon graduation and must be better than them (his German course mates) to get one.

It is not uncommon hearing some illiterate or semi-illiterate Nigerians asking Nigerian graduates in Europe of what use are their hard earned degrees since they spent years in the universities in Nigeria but are not better-off than those that didn´t attend university? Countries like Germany are being referred to as a “leveller” because of the obstacles encountered there; sometimes it is difficult to differentiate between a Nigerian graduate (even those that acquired their degrees in Germany ) and a Nigerian trader or illiterate. Most Nigerians in Germany are holders of school certificate and others were traders (in Nigeria) that didn´t see more than the four walls of a secondary school, but, in countries like Germany where the language is not English, those school certificate holders tend to see themselves as being equals to the degree holders since many that spent years at the university to acquire a degree are not making use of it there.

The issue is that many Nigerians abroad with degrees that seem “un-used” should not be downcast. Many of them might be in Europe or America on “internship” unknowingly; fate or destiny or God might have sent them to Europe or America to learn how to organise a town, a state or a country and one day God might open up the way for them to be local government chairmen, commissioners, ministers, state governors or even president of Nigeria. Nothing is impossible because my people say that “Odighi onye ma afo ime ga amu eze” (nobody knows which pregnancy that will produce a king). The options might not only be political; those suffering now abroad might be the chief executives of companies, business leaders in Nigeria later and the experience(s) they are acquiring now will serve them well later. Some might end up being the religious leaders of tomorrow and the ecumenical experience(s) they are gathering abroad will place them in a better position to organise their churches well and to serve their congregations better.

Sometimes we are impatient in life that we tend to lose hope and faith easily. Many educated Nigerians might have been sent out of Nigeria to go suffer to learn from that experience which they will make use of in one way or the other in uplifting their people when the time is ripe. Not everybody will make it definitely, but, I strongly believe that many will. In life, if you don’t serve others, you will not be served, things happening in Nigeria now might be an aberration, I mean where a person rises from nowhere to be somebody, such things doesn’t last. The sons and daughters of the rogues that call themselves our leaders that have positions of authority entrusted to them without them knowing what it means to go through hardship in life are messing themselves up in those positions of authority because they don’t know what it is to lead because they weren’t followers before. For anybody to lead, he or she must have followed. If you didn´t experience something, how will you then feel it? If somebody doesn’t know what it is to be hungry, sick, dejected, koboless etc, he or she can´t provide solution to these problems. Obama that is on the verge of becoming the most powerful and most important man in the world started as a community organiser, then as a lecturer, then to the Illinois State Senate, then to the U.S. Senate and now, is on the verge of occupying the White House. But in Nigeria, a person comes from nowhere to one of the highest offices in the land and once there he or she will not know his/her left from the right and will then help take the country many years backward. Tell me from where many of those senators, House of Reps members, governors, ministers, special assistants to the president etc started from. Many of them were unknown before they got their new positions.

I have no doubt that many people will term me a day dreamer, but, one day my day dreaming will come to reality. Many blacks gave Obama no chance of making it past the first two states in the Democratic Party nomination process, their reason then being that America was not ready for a black president and as such the Democratic Party will never give Obama the nomination. But how would they know that without somebody first of all giving it a trial? Now the doubting Thomases have to swallow their words, not only that Obama has made it pass the nomination phase, but, is going for a landslide in November! Obama has made it because he tried that which many considered as impossible, he never allowed the people with myopic senses to discourage him, he believes in himself and in what he is pursuing. Without Obama first of all trying and working hard for it, nobody would have known that the new dawn has arrived, that a black American President is within reach.

Nigerians are pessimistic types; that’s why many are not progressing. Many will never take risk, but, without risk, there will be no success and people say that venture is success. Back to the issue of Nigerian graduates abroad that are humbled and humiliated; like I said earlier, their experiences today might be a preparatory training for greater responsibilities in Nigeria tomorrow. I remember the story once told, that the Queen of England sent Prince Charles (as a child) to a public school and when asked why, she replied that if he (Prince Charles) is to make a good king later in his life, he must know and understand what the ordinary people are going through. Prince Charles had then all the elite schools in England to attend, but, was sent to mix up with the “commoners” to understand their problems so that he will be in a better position later in his life as their king to solve them. If somebody doesn’t know that a problem exists, he or she can´t bring about a solution to it because it is “what you see that you get”. To bring it down home, I read recently a report in one of the national dailies about a local government chairman in one of the states in the Benue-Plateau axis (I can´t say for sure which one of them, may be Benue) that withdrew his children from the private school they are attending simply because the public schools in his local government was closed after a riot or a strike and his reason for withdrawing his kids was that since the children of others in the local government he is heading are not going to school again because of the closure, there was no need to allow his own kids to be going to school because as a leader, he should live by example. That’s what leadership is all about; compliments to this local government chairman.

My advice to anybody feeling downcast because he or she is not where he or she is supposed to be or not doing what he or she was trained for is: Don’t lose your faith and hope with each passing day, you have come so far, don’t throw them away, one day your wailing will cease. Many of us will be the leaders of Nigeria tomorrow and whatever you are going through right now is just preparing you for that leadership role you will play later in life, keep your eyes on the ball and with the stroke of goodluck, you will make it. After the rain, there are brighter days out there; you just need to start seeing things in a more idealistic way! So if you are feeling like there isn't enough sweetness and beauty in your life, just look harder for it. Believe that it is there, because it is. The universe will give you a few clues about where to look before it´s all over. If you put out some “I'm open” energy into the world, you will soon find some happiness coming back to you. Things are in order and everything will go well. If your career is your main focus right now, that's as it should be. You have all the clarity you need to fully understand the opportunities that will come your way in future, so take a moment today to make some plans for your future. You don't have to schedule everything down to the minute, just give yourself a general idea of where you want things to go. Where do you want to be living? What kind of job environment do you want? Answering these questions will help you see a new path. It's time to toss out any insecurity or hesitation you may have felt yesteryears: There's no room for anything but confidence and pride, today. Embrace your inner eccentric and remind yourself that what other people think of you doesn't really matter, so it's more important than ever to believe in yourself.

Don´t be dismayed if you are not where you are supposed to be, just hold on, don´t allow people to bring you down, Nigerians can be very mean, overlook them with a smile. Just give thanks for what you have and what you can be,. No matter how bleak it looks right now, you stll have an edge over those who don´t have what you have, my (Ngwa) people say that “ejighi atuwor ala ji” (you can´t plant a yam elsewhere except on the ground) and that “onye nvu madu uzo shiwa ite nga ivu ya uzo nwe nkpokörö ite (he that started cooking first will also have broken pots first) and that “since the fowl said that urinating is nothing, let it do it, let´s see”. The future might hold something in store for you, don´t give up and don’t allow anybody or anything to kill the dream you have in your heart. Remember that the darkest hours of the night are the most near to the dawn.The new dawn for you might not be too far away from now.

To Be Continued