KWENU: Our Culture, Our Future

As Nigeria turns 44: A time for reflection

 America is full of ingenuity

  ACHO ORABUCHI

Dallas, Texas

aorabuchi@netzero.net

Thursday, September 30, 2004

I have often wondered, like many other immigrants in the United States of America, why America is so strong in many aspects and could provide an abundance of amenities to its citizenry. What makes the American systems—the political and economic systems—strong? Though there is no utopian system in the world, yet the American experiment, with some of its imperfections, has proven to be the best in the world. Going back to the question, the answer is simple and could be found in a combination of factors—spirits. The spirits include that of service, hard work, and the spirit of collective drive to succeed. Also, freedom to fail or succeed, inalienable rights enshrined in the constitution, personal responsibility, healthy competitions, and most importantly, the spirit of ingenuity have strengthened the structures of the American system. One may fairly conclude that while cycle of progress pervades the American economic and political systems, cycle of corruption permeates the systems found in most African countries.

America excels in many areas, including science, technology, and medicine due to ingenuity. Every state of the union is unique and in its uniqueness finds a way to meet the needs of its citizens by managing its resources creatively and prudently.  Minnesota, a beautiful and most highly ranked livable state, has a good number of lakes, the great Mississippi river, and enjoys the four seasons of the year: winter, spring autumn, and fall. Agriculture thrives in the State. Minnesota is the home of both Vikings Football and Twins Baseball Clubs. In this presidential election, the state, which was won by Al Gore, the Democratic candidate in the 2000 presidential elections, is now considered as one of the battleground states.

American ingenuity is also evident in Minnesota. That could be seen in the magnificent and the biggest mall in USA, Mall of America, situated in the suburb, Bloomington, of the twin cities of St Paul-Minneapolis metropolitan area. The Mall of America is simply splendid!

The Mall of America, a tourist attraction, is globally renowned largest family entertainment center. It is the largest fully enclosed shopping complex that housed various stores, including nightclubs, about 10 movie theaters, and other countless entertainment options. The Mall of America attracts millions of visitors every year.

I was in Bloomington, Minnesota on September 18, 2004 for an event that had a dual purpose. Chuck Chuckuemeka, CEO of Chuckuemeka & Associates invited friends, well-wishers, and his clients to thank his clients and for a graduation celebration in honor of his wife, Dr. (Mrs.) Marcelline Chuckuemeka who recently received a Doctor of Pharmacy from University of Wisconsin at Madison. It was an occasion to remember with guests from all cultural persuasions. Some of the guests at the event were Mary Franklin, Dr. Ben Okwara, CEO of First Care Medical, Inc., Dr. Eugene Nwosu, CEO of Savannah Heart, PC, Sir Clement Ezeh, Chief Ide Victor Okoye, and Chief Polly Ubah.

I had the opportunity to visit the Mall of America twice in one day. I admired the ingenuity that went into the concept, design, and actual erection of the mall. One of the visitors to the Mall on September 18, 2004 described the complex in one word, “stupendous”. Stupendous is not limited to the aesthetic structures that could be found in the United States. The current political process in the country wets my appetite for a cycle of desired change in my home country Nigeria.

Contrasting America’s political process with Nigeria’s, there is no other better portrait that depicts the Nigerian body polity than the one painted by Obi Nwakanma when he said, “NIGERIA is in a quandary. The conduct of the last local government elections emphasizes this fact most eloquently. Reports in all newspapers indicate the level of violence and apathy, as well as the all too common manipulations that marked the elections. There was apparent citizens' disdain for the political process, a fact which is no longer surprising, as we see new levels of citizens' alienation from the polity, and as we feel the collective disdain for those who now masquerade as political leaders. Nigerians refused to legitimise fraud by refusing to vote. In the public consciousness, elections have become a huge joke in Nigeria.”

“A silence may pervade the land, but it is the quietude of disgust and dissent. In all nooks of the Nigerian state, a palpable discontent is brewing: in the nuclear family, among the kindred, in the churches and mosques, in the banking halls and commodity exchanges, in the classrooms, in the public offices, in the barracks, in the newsrooms, and on the streets,” Nwakanma warned. This may explain part of the reasons for the MASSOB’s recent success for its call for a stay-at-home on August 26, 2004.

As I stood a few yards away to admire the Mall of America, I imagined how Nigeria could have been if the leaders had not been wasting the country’s resources. Also, I thought about how effective the center could be if the leadership pool was not contaminated with corruption. I had no choice, but to muse. This is truly a time of reflection for all Nigerians, especially as we prepare to commemorate Nigeria's Independence Day on October 1, 2004. To mark the 44^th anniversary of Nigeria's Independence, the past and present leaders should reflect on how to address the following issues for the benefit Nigeria’s citizenry and the country’s global status: poverty, economy, corruption, ethnic and religious violence, electoral reform, judicial system, etc. Meaningful progress in those and other areas is more urgent now than ever.

I hope our leaders, who must have clocked enormous frequent flyer miles to the western world, are learning and applying the American political process currently going on. They should learn to run issue-oriented campaign devoid of fraud.

Well, as the America’s electioneering is winding down, the two presidential candidates draw sharper contrasts between themselves on issues. They would have a germane opportunity to stake out their differences before the American people. Trailing President George Walker Bush in the national polls, tonight, September 30, 2004, Senator John Kerry would take the advantage of the first of the three scheduled presidential debates to delineate his foreign policy prerogatives and convince the electorate that he is a better candidate.