By Adeola Aderounmu
In 2007, I sounded a warning about the rush of the chinese to the African continent. (see link and full article below)
This last weekend I received a confirmed report about my fears. An eyewitness told me how Chinese companies are digging deep into Nigeria’s Resources and taking away the deposits in the Earth.
In some places, they have dug as deep as 10 storey beneath the soil level.
The chinese are taking away the Resources that the useless Nigerian rulers have neglected. Stupid and useless Nigerian rulers continue to depend on oil from the Delta. Even then the oil itself is being stolen by national and international crooks.
The Chineses are paying almost nothing. What is N350 000 custom dues for minerals Worth over N5m dollars?????
Is Nigeria totally a useless country???
Are Nigerians totally fools???
How can the rulers and the people allow this?
The simple answer lies in the fact that the Minister in charge of Resources-whoever the fool is- is receiving bribes Worth a few hundred millions from the Chinese and turning away his/her Eyes.
Nigeria is finished.
To even imagine that the people cannot start a revolution that will eliminate all these greedy rulers politicians is another scandal.
Nigerians are the most corrupt people in the World, Nigeria is the most corrupt country! Corruption get levels, naijas own is unimaginable and irredeemable.
Otherwise is there anywhere else in the World where the Chinese can go and cart Resources? They are not even into partnership that will utilise the Resources in Nigeria. They are taking them away to make as much as USD5m per take away and paying about N350 000 as custom duty.
This is unbelievable. Nigeria is finished.
The people of Nigeria are poor for many reasons. This is just a part of it.
Nigerians live in the World worst irony and tragedies combined.
There is nothing wrong if every Nigerian family is a millionaire family and this can be achived legitimately.
But a few privileged people have seized the political machinery and used corruption to divert the Resources of all to just a few. The gap is widening Daily.
In every establishment in Nigeria, people are expected to succeed through shady deals and magomago.
Everything scatter scatter, totally.
The rest-several millions of Nigerians, more than 90m people are living poor in a very rich country. There will be no greater tragedy on the surface of Earth or in the history of mankind.
So many nonsensical factors combined to make Nigerians poor:
Failed political system
Failed educational system
Mediocrity
Misplaced values/abnormal mentalities
Nepotism/ Tribalism
Foreign exploitations with local conninvances
and so on
Nigeria, Nigerians, who will save your souls?
FULL ARTICLE WRITTEN IN 2007
Indeed, China has made giant strides in economic growth such that the other parts of the world tremble. China is a force to reckon with globally and no one can take that away from them. On the other hand most parts of Africa (especially the popular sub-Saharan Africa) have remained in comatosed stagnation. Some African countries have not made real progress since their self-determination.
Surely, the negative impacts of the colonial rule cannot be ruled out for the apparent lack of progress in a number of African countries. However, to continue to lay the blame for retrogression of African countries on the doors of these former intruders is absolute fallacy. Ethiopians always boast that they were not colonized yet the poorest people in Africa probably live in Ethiopia. Leadership in Africa as exemplified by many false democratic institutions, dictators and tyrants is pure failure. Many African countries are perishing for lack of missions and visions. Civil war, absolutely unnecessary frictions and political instability have been additional woes to the several stumbling blocks in the way of the needed progress in Africa.
The lack of will and the absence of quality leadership in Africa therefore continue to expose Africa to neo-colonialism and imperialism. Africa remains a dumping ground for all sorts of wasteful European, American and Asian experiments. With the prevailing economic and political woes resulting from tasteless and rubbish leadership in Africa, the continent has found the romance with China somewhat irresistible.
Arguments are rife on the gains and pains that may result from this rapidly expanding romance between china and Africa. China has been doing some great deals in Africa and here are a few of them.
What is the China approach really that makes her to continue to win more friends in Africa? Does anyone know the good cards that China had played and the evil ones that are being hidden? Is it all about the energy sector and the oil talk? I think that China’s invasion of Africa may have effects on several aspects of the African life. May I point out a few problems that China will bring along or transfer to Africa?
Pollution
I know that China has a serious pollution problem and she may have overtaken the US as the number one contributor to greenhouse emissions. There has always been a need for industrial growth to be matched with waste management but China like many other countries has not been successful in this regard and there are anxieties already over the marathon races and cycling that would take place at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. In the end, China may pull through the hosting successfully but how the problem would be solved on the long run remains a dilemma for the country. With 1 000 cars registered daily across China and with industrial pollution that even hit Russia, how will China rescue Africa from such a scenario if we come to that point when she has not rescued herself? The problems of global pollution and the role of China are more complex than I have briefly stated here. The US however is the number one foot dragger on recommendations to solve climatic problems. I was not taken by surprise as a result of the near deadlock at the just concluded climate meeting in Bali
Fake products
China is not only using fake products in her own domain, she is also sending them out big time to other places. Nigeria has been a safe haven for fake drugs in the past and many lives by been lost by swallowing ordinary dusts or powders for drugs. Specifically China is the main source of fake medical supplies in Nigeria. The others are Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt and India. NAFDAC Boss, Dora Akinyuli has been working hard to eradicate this menace in Nigeria. With China as a major African partner, Dora or her successors and their counterparts in other Africa countries may get their hands fuller in the years ahead.
China makes fake of everything including fake toys that are injurious to children’s health. If they are to control growth in Africa and HIV AIDS is not doing it, sending toys and drugs from China to Africa may be “the African solution”. I mean Chinese doctors kills Chinese patients using fake drugs. This is not to imply that similar problems do not occur in other places or other countries but China and most of Asia rely on cheap exports and to expect such things to cease under her partnership with Africa is more worrisome than an optical mirage. Who will control the influx of dangerous drugs and toys to Africa?
Economic Violence
The prices of food will rise globally in a few years. Rising global temperatures as well as growing food consumption in rapidly developing countries such as China and India are pressuring the world food system meaning that food prices will rise in the foreseeable future, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute.
The crux of the matter is that the Chinese will not support the Black (African) business over theirs. They have more mouths to feed and their antecedent in many issues including global business indicates that they will pursue their own interests at ALL or ANY cost! This singular reason of economic violence carries a lot of weight and implications on its own. It can overrun whatever benefits African are hoping for in their alliance with China.
Back to Europe
Europe is not necessarily a better evil compared to China. Europe is suddenly seeking partnership of equality with Africa. That is the new slogan from the old face of a cheat that had stolen directly and indirectly from Africa over the centuries. Europe in 2007 approaching 2008 wants to tackle common global challenges with Africa. What kind of challenges do they have in mind? In all, there is lack of sincerity in the deals that Europe have for Africa
Though it is an African tragedy that our useless leaders have lodge away billions of dollars in European Banks, still it is a European silliness to play ignorance to the effect that this political recklessness is having on Africa economy.
Imagine since when people have been asked to continue to donate money to Ethiopian Funds. In the request, the soliciting agency described Ethiopia as the poorest people on earth! Would it not be better for example if EU Ministers dig out the European banks where African leaders have lodged away billions upon billions of dollars and put that money back into Africa? If Europe sends back all of Africa’s looted monies, many of the problems requiring financial inputs on the continent would be solved.
The signal would have been clear enough that no stolen money can leave Africa and if they do, they are not acceptable in Europe. They should also return money stolen maliciously through unfair trade before requesting for equal partnership just because they want to beat China in the game of evil plots.
Digression
In my opinion, I think that Africans should start looking for long term solutions to their man-made problems instead of seeking aids like beggars. Afterall there are no serious natural disasters in Africa or they are simply infrequent. The earlier we realized that help will not come from outside, the better for us. The sooner we realize that external help is receiving 10 dollars with the right hand through the front door and losing 50 dollars with the left hand through the back door, the better for our own good and that of our children. Africans should sit down and think positively.
The world has moved into the 21st century and we need to hasten and meet up. We need a critical examination of our situations and clear cut approaches to our everlasting goals. Africa with the help of needed right thinking leaders and intellectuals must move away from too much talk to non-stop actions until we reach the goals and further.
Great Nations used their best brains to achieve greatness to the good of all. That is why real elections are a fundamental part of most developed countries. The masses use that democratic opportunity and their voting power to entrust their welfare and that of the state generally into the hands of the people that can deliver. African leaders should stop depending on the International community. The continent of Africa can be great on her own, but not in isolation from the rest of the world. What about aligning the system of governance to promote fairness and the emergence of issues instead of personal ego, character assassinations and violent physical assaults?
What about promoting fair trade for our commodities? What about the oil rich countries in Africa using their oil resources and agriculture to boost their economy and standard of living? What about putting all the potential mineral deposits in Africa into positive use and not as weapons of war? What about putting a stop to looting and then coughing out all stolen wealth and dedicate that to development reforms? Can Africa leaders stop enriching the developed countries while spreading poverty and pain on the continent?
The abundance of minerals in Africa cannot be matched by any other continent in the world. How many of these natural deposits have been used for the optimum purpose? Instead African leaders are behind the concept of blood diamond, an evil act that is corroborated by the same international community and G-8 that they are running to. Are they too blind to see or too daft to reason? The only reason Wole Soyinka, Nigeria’s Nobel laureate ran into a brick wall in the US congress (while protesting the criminalized election in Nigeria) was because the US is more concerned about the oil in the Niger Delta than the progress of Nigerians or our funny elections.
Has anyone been following the bad leadership examples of Zimbabwe and Nigeria? Zimbabwe is a delicate issue and it seems the problem is made complicated by the influence of the British. The issue of Land Ownership and the fallouts of all the power play is a tragic occurrence in Zimbabwe. The sympathy is to the ordinary people of Zimbabwe, they are trapped between the devil and the Dead Sea. All over Africa including countries recuperating from the devastations of war and those eternally plagued with internal strife and bitter struggles, we should all wake up. We need one another as citizens of the same country and as Africans generally.
Our leaders should stop thinking that we cannot develop without the help of the developed countries. We need them as much as they need us to buy our goods and services on a fair trade level. We need them and other developing countries too in respect of the concept of the benefits of international trades, for multilateral co-operations and so on. At the same time, African people must be bold to seek justice and fairness from those who misrule the continent. This is an imperative ingredient to growth and development.
There may probably be no need for begging when we do our homework and stop our leaders from looting our treasuries. We may not need some famous musicians to sing into the ears of the so called G-8. Together, we can make Africa G50+ and make ourselves the envy of the world in no time if we define our purpose of existence with the concept of common good.
The development and the future of Africa depend on what we decide and what we allow our leaders to do or not to do. What we must not allow them to do is to continue to play into the deceitful and invisible hands of the international community. Our greater hope surely lies within!
Digression ends
China’s intense quest for Africa has raised eyebrows and concerns in America and Europe. Some people say to Europe and America “serves them right”. With a looming AFRICOM from the America side, what I see is the scramble to destroy Africa by plunging deeper than ever before. It is so unbelievable the kinds of puppet leadership that continue to prevail in Africa. Sometimes I wonder where African intellectuals are spending their lifelong sabbatical such that constant idiocy is a norm on the Dark Continent.
Africa is so bad that much of it is even dark from a space view! Before the determination or the end of the eventual tilt of the mad struggle for the new acquisition or re-destruction of Africa, one hopes that Africa wakes up and does her negotiations and businesses with open eyes, a sound brain and with the overriding interests of poverty stricken African people in mind.
A View From The Scandinavian 