Nigeria, Where Art Thou?

As I watched the tragic destruction of centuries-old African tombs in Mali by religious fanatics from the Maghreb, I could not but think of  Nigeria. Yes, you heard me right, Nigeria. If Nigeria was truly the "Giant of Africa" with an economy of, say, $600Bilion to match its population of 162 million, no rag-tag army of religious zealots from Algeria, Mauritania & Pakistan would have dared smash there way into an African country and abused its population and heritage.

It's because Nigeria lays comatose under the directionless leadership of (the fantastically misnamed) President Goodluck Jonathan, that the ancient heritage of Mali and Black Africa is being abused by barbaric nomads from afar. Let us not forget that Black Africa too has produced its fair share of barbarians. But these barbarians were swiftly dealt with by the Nigerian authorities. In Sierra Leone, the villainous R.U.F rebel movement was wont to chop the hands off innocent civilians until the Nigerian military intervened (in the 90s) to make the peace. The Nigerian military intervened too in Liberia (90s) after the civil war there got out of hand.

Of-course Nigerian intellectuals would say (in their defence) that they have too many problems at home to worry about the problems in Mali. But, it must be stated that the domestic problems in Nigeria are all the symptoms of the dysfunction of the Nigerian political elite. Had Nigeria developed economically and socially as it should have, we never would have heard of the Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria. 

In the same vein, as I've stated above, a prosperous Nigeria would have never tolerated the rape of Black-Africa's heritage by nomadic barbarians from afar. It's time for the Nigerian "ship" to be put back on the proper course of economic and social development. Where goes Nigeria so goes the rest of Black Africa.