LORD LUGARD'S 'THE DUAL MANDATE', AN OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT?

A friend and an adviser to Icheoku.com posited, "considering the events of the past 4 decades in Nigeria, particularly the brazen display of "power without responsibility" at all levels of rulership, was Lord Lugard fairly accurate in his assessment of Nigerians in particular or has history proved him wrong?" He continued, "what a food for thought;" concluding that he thinks that "Lord Lugard has been largely vindicated by developments in Nigeria since his 1919 departure from Nigeria." He also wants to know what you think?

Icheoku says, we agree with our Ph.D adviser; and restates that Frederick John Dealty Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard aka Lord Lugard was right on the money with his read of the typical Nigerian leader! It is our understanding of his assessment of a Nigerian leader to be that person who just prides him/herself with having powers but not knowing the ends of power? He or she has total or absolute disregard for the end for which power is meant to serve. Put in another way, the power holder or usurper derides the people for whom the power should be used for their betterment; but instead use the power against them!

We shall leave you now to read and judge for yourself the particular excerpt from his 1926 book "The Dual Mandate" at page 70, wherein he wrote:-

"In character and temperament, the typical African of this race-type is a happy, thriftless, excitable person. Lacking in self control, discipline, and foresight. Naturally courageous, and naturally courteous and polite, full of personal vanity, with little sense of veracity, fond of music and loving weapons as an oriental loves jewellery. His thoughts are concentrated on the events and feelings of the moment, and he suffers little from the apprehension for the future, or grief for the past. His mind is far nearer to the animal world than that of the European or Asiatic, and exhibits something of the animals’ placidity and want of desire to rise beyond the State he has reached. Through the ages the African appears to have evolved no organized religious creed, and though some tribes appear to believe in a deity, the religious sense seldom rises above pantheistic animalism and seems more often to take the form of a vague dread of the supernatural. He lacks the power of organization, and is conspicuously deficient in the management and control alike of men or business. He loves the display of power, but fails to realize its responsibility ......he will work hard with a less incentive than most races. He has the courage of the fighting animal, an instinct rather than a moral virtue...... In brief, the virtues and defects of this race-type are those of attractive children, whose confidence when it is won is given ungrudgingly as to an older and wiser superior and without envy.......Perhaps the two traits which have impressed me as those most characteristic of the African native are his lack of apprehension and his lack of ability to visualize the future." - Lord Frederick John Dealty Lugard, The Dual Mandate, 1926 at page 70.

Now do you think that what this British colonialist Governor General of Nigeria, from 1914 to 1919, wrote somehow appertains to you or what you already know or thinks; or was about your distant ancestry or those of the present day, especially Nigerian leadership; or was it a jaundiced opinion of a colorless colonialist who saw nothing good in colonized Africans? We have highlighted what we consider the imperative statements therein and would proceed forth to agree with Lord Lugard that a typical Nigerian leader loves to display and flaunt his powers so much and with little or no regard for those concomitant responsibilities a person bestowed with such powers are usually saddled with? As far as he is concerned, the attitude is just give me the Bacon but how the pork was raised or its sustainability could wait for another day or better still, not my business? Also a typical Nigerian leader lacks vision and this is one principle reason why Nigeria is stagnated today. For example, Yakubu Gowon once said during the oil boom of 1973 that there was too much money that he does not know what to do with it? Icheoku says, if this genocidal Birom man from Plateau State, Yakubu Gowon, had vision, he would have invested heavily in infrastructure and industries; such that today, Nigeria will not be operating a "primitive economy" of total dependence on gas and oil like the Russians?

Further, that Nigerians lack self control needs no soothsayer to affirm; Nigerians spend awfully a lot and some of salaried workers are notorious for over-spending their paychecks with the popular phraseology "book me down" now an acceptable transactional statement in Nigerian trading posts? Some also practice pocket-banking where they put their income in their pockets and disburse it therefrom and within few days after receiving same and several weeks before the next one becomes due; hence the 'book-me-down' until the next pay day syndrome? Icheoku also agrees with Lord Lugard that Nigerians also are very fond of music and are full of personal vanity! They are sometimes seen taking out bank loans just for funeral ceremonies as chiefly obtains in Yoruba south western Nigeria or for taking chieftaincy titles as is a commonplace occurrence in the Igbo south east? We concur that Nigerians, like many Americans, believe in the "here and now;" and would rather engage in get rich overnight activities rather than pay necessary dues to get to where they desire? It is all about wanting it now! Nigerians sometimes also settle for what is available instead of waiting for what is desirable; provided some bills grease their palms! But luckily enough they are not alone in this work for less practices in the market place, as Latin Americans, Philippines and some eastern European countries even work for lesser remunerations?

Be that as it may, we must confess that we have not read the book or been privy to the rest of its content; our analysis was based on the excerpt which was sent to us. We therefore ask you to please pardon our position, if you feel it is rather too strong or that it rubs you on the wrong side of your sensibilities? So many other flag-draping commentators on the excerpt have called Lord Lugard out on his statements; but we are not that kind of unthinking air-heads plebeians, who would fanatically defend the flatulence of their fatherland because their father is involved. We stand on objective convictions and therefore, this our concurrence that Lord Lugard rightly assessed Nigerians then, whose DNA still run in the present day Nigerians; which explains the rot in motherland. What say you?