ARE WE STILL UNDER COLONIZATION?
The heading of this article will most definitely seem absurd to many. Because, the average Nigerian knows that Britain
handed over power to Nigeria in 1960, that is about 57years ago, so how can we still be under colonization? Truth be told, Nigerians are still colonized in a variety of ways, which this article will expose. When Britian left Nigeria in 1960,
it was suppose to usher in an era of National dependent and culture, but unfortunately, this vision is yet to be achieved. Colonialism is a policy of a nation seeking to extend or retain it's authority over other people or territories. It involves unequal relationship between the colonial power and the colony (Indigenous people).
FORMS OF COLONIALISM IN NIGERIA
Colonization usually occurs in different ways, from the normal craze for Italian shoes to massive investment in infrastructure abroad.
1. INTELLECTUAL COLONIZATION:
This is widespread in Nigeria, intellectual colonization refers to over dependent on ideologies and philosophies of other sovereign states. We are easily influenced by western ideologies, criticism and sociology. We rarely carry out surveys but accept whatever survey is being carry out by the likes of Amnesty International and the rest, we readily accept
western projections and assertions. We feel proud to study foreign languages and neglect our native dialects. In as much, as we know that the world is a "global parlor" and I encourage dynamism in all spheres of life, am not against the of studying foreign languages, it aids easy communication and international relations but a situation where our indigenous languages become second class is absurd, a situation where parents are proud to teach their children foreign languages neglecting their mother tongue amounts to intellectual colonialism. Remember, You can never be more British than the Britons, let us uncover this veil of intellectual colonialism covering us.
2. MEDICAL COLONIALISM: Our
over dependent on foreign medical care, is a form of colonialism that occurs even in our highest level of governance,
where Billions of Naira will be spent to renovate our hospitals, yet, we still place more value on having medical care abroad, wasting our hard earned taxpayers monies, why can't we build medical facilities of international standard? Is it that our doctors are can not render proper medical treatments? Truth be told, we are still colonized by other countries medically and review should be immediate, even the pharmaceutical companies, how many of them are located in
Nigeria? Almost all our drugs are made in China, US, etc. We must decolonize ourselves medically.
PROPERTY COLONIZATION
This refers to our love for foreign products and underrating our homemade materials, we will easily overpay for foreign drinks, shoes, bags etc. To an average Nigerian anything foreign is of better quality to our locally made products, but how true is that? Am glad that states like Akwa Ibom is leading the call of industrializati on, more still need to be done in this aspects, we can't we produce good and quality materials? This is a questions, we need to answer, our over dependence on foreign materials is one of the reason we are facing reccesion now, as a country! lets rise up and grow
beyond all forms of colonization. Almost all Nigerians encourage and aid 21st century colonialism in one way or the other, we need a serious campaign to recreate our mentality from the highest to the lowest, from the leaders to the followers, a well planed program on how to lead us out of colonization, A strong political will, to free the masses from the shackles of colonization, as we hope for a better NIGERIA.
Comrd Ubong Usoro
[email protected]