Wednesday 10 March 2010

The Making of a Failed State

Somalia, despite all that is said and written about it, has a banking system which is probably not as corrupt as the Nigerian one (how else do they convert the millions they make from their illicit activities?)

The Somalis have and make use of mobile phones, networks of which most likely are not as congested and over subscribed as the Nigerian ones, almost all gun-totting pirates shown carry mobile phones on their other hands, some even have sophisticated satellite phones which start at £40,000 to procure.

Active trading goes on in Somalia. They acquire shiny new weapons (reminds you of the weapons the Nigerian Police used to slaughter the Boko Haram members in cold blood); buy new four wheel drive vehicles (it must be the Toyota Land Cruiser capital of the world, no different from the streets of Lagos, Abuja or Kano); they sell hostages (read, the Niger Delta region and now the South East of Nigeria where we call criminals, militants).

Yet there is no known leader but so-called ‘warlords’ (does that not remind you of Nigeria? Our warlords are James Ibori, Taminu Kurfi, Michael Aoondaaka, Ibrahim Babangida, Theophilus Danjuma, David Mark, Dimeji Bankole, Bukola Saraki and Isa Yaguda).

What is the difference between Nigeria and Somalia, a country widely acknowledged to be a failed state?

Oil.

7 comments:

Jennifer A. said...

For now, there is no difference.

Myne said...

Oil and not much more. I actually think, apart from the barbarity, they're doing better than us.

Jinta said...

* jaycee - let's hope it improves, yes?

* myne whitman - not so sure about the babarity. look at what happened to the boko haram. look at jos today. how about the recent incident where robbers allegedly forced a bus driver to drive over helpless and hapless victims? i suspect they may be more 'civilised' than we are

SOLOMONSYDELLE said...

so sad, but all I could do was chuckle and say "Amen" after reading this.

Nigeria...breaks my heart far too often but I keep going back for more. Wetin I go do?

Jinta said...

* ssd - we dont have a choice

Sherri said...

Oil, warlords and the ignoramus populace who worship them.

very sad!

prashant said...

so sad, but all I could do was chuckle and say "Amen" after reading this.
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