Nigeria Content Online

No, today’s piece is not about who won
or lost various party primaries across Nigeria. That hurricane will not
settle anytime soon. Our focus today is on a different kind of breeze
blowing across Europe and leaving once mighty powers in the throes of
destitution. The aftermath has been a fundamental shift of power that
has reduced former empires and colonial masters to new economic
colonies.

Great Britain once ruled seventy
percent of the world’s oceans and dominated military, economic and
political power across the world. It colonised America and large parts
of Canada. It owned Australia, New Zealand and parts of China,
including Hong Kong. The entire continent of Africa was a playground
for British colonial masters and a source of slaves and commodities.
Today’s Zambia and Zimbabwe were essentially the property of one
Englishman – Cecil Rhodes who naturally named them for himself. The
entire Indian Subcontinent and South East Asia – Pakistan, Bangladesh,
Myanmar, Thailand and the Malay Archipelago were British dominions.

That was then. Today, Nigerians own
some of the most valuable and sought after properties in the UK. It is
difficult not to smile at the sight of Britons working as chauffeurs,
domestic assistants and chefs (drivers, house helps and cooks) for
Nigerian families in the UK. It is hard not to applaud Indian and
Chinese businesses buying British icons such as Jaguar Land Rover and
MG to save them from bankruptcy. Africa used to be the abode of debt,
but today, public sector debt today in the UK is over £800 billion.

Today, Arabs, Russians, Indians and
other nationals own some of the major teams in English football. A
decade ago, great sporting franchises like Manchester United,
Manchester City, Chelsea and others represented the best of British
sporting traditions. Of great import also in sports, is the way the
stars of English and international cricket are being auctioned in the
Indian Cricket League which is now the richest in the world.

The wind of change is not limited to
Britain alone. Spain was once a global leader and it fleet dominated
the seas and the known world. Spain colonised practically all of
Central and South America. The devastation wreaked by its
conquistador’s left permanent damage on the populations of its
colonies. Entire populations were wiped out through conscription to
work in the gold and silver mines of central and South America.
Hundreds of ships laden with gold, silver and other looted treasure
sailed to Spain, making it the richest country in the world at one
time. Today, Spain has an unemployment rate of about 20 percent and is
begging China to buy Spanish government bonds – to enable it raise
money.

Similarly, Portugal was a major naval
and merchandising country with colonies all over the world. It once
owned Brazil; a country that is several times its size. Today, a
Portuguese youth with ambition is better headed for Brazil where he has
better prospects than in Portugal itself. A great deal of choice
property in Portugal today belongs to foreigners (including former
colonial subjects from Brazil and Angola) who only use them for
holidays, while many Portuguese live in poverty. The same thing can be
said of Belgium’s king Leopold II who once owned the entire Congo –
several times the size of Belgium. The brutality of the king in
exploiting this vast country is unsurpassed. Today, in addition to
economic problems, Belgium itself is divided along ethnic lines with
the Flemish and Walloons seemingly unable to live together. Tribalism
is not an African invention.

In addition to Britain, Spain, Portugal
and Belgium, other former colonial and economic powers like France,
Italy and Netherlands are being supplanted by the economic miracles of
China and India. Poverty and economic failure are no longer synonymous
with Africa and Latin America. Today, there are many workers in Europe
who do not earn what their Nigerian counterparts earn. The streets of
Africa are no more dominated by British and French automobiles but by
Toyotas, Nissans and increasingly, TATAs and Geelys. Global finance is
shifting from London to Shanghai, Dubai and Mumbai. It is comical,
watching government and business leaders of Europe kowtowing to minor
visiting officials from China.

As we move ahead towards general
elections, we must reflect on the fact that had we voted right and
protected our votes over time, it would not have been inconceivable
that representatives of Her Majesty, the Queen’s government would be
combing Lagos and Abuja, trying to convince Nigerian businesses and
government to invest in British government bonds and to reschedule
British debts to Nigeria….