Making common sense
By Ben Murray Bruce
Many Nigerians look up to foreigners, especially Westerners, to set standards for them.
This habit makes many of us think that the average Westerner is in some way better than us.
Not true. Not true at all.
All over the world, Nigerians are setting the pace and are becoming the standard by which others measure themselves. This is very factual.
For instance, in the US, Nigerians are the most educated of any immigrant community. Now I did not say one of the most educated. I said the most educated bar none.
This means there is no sub sect of the US population that is more educated than Nigerians according to official data from the United States Census Bureau.
Sixty per cent of Nigerians in the US have college degrees. This is far above the American national average of 30%.
Not only are Nigerians the most educated immigrant community in the United States, Nigerians are also one of the highest earning immigrant community in America.
Nigerians in the US typically earn at least 25% more than the US median income of $53,000.
And this story is replicated all over Europe and North America.
In Ivy League schools all over Europe and North America, Nigerians routinely outperform their peers from other nations.
Just recently, I was reading about the Imafidon family of the United Kingdom. This family of Nigerian immigrants have officially been named the smartest family in the UK.
All five of their children have broken national education records in the UK. At 13, Anne-Marie Imafidon was the youngest person to pass the U.K.’s A-level computing exam and she attended John Hopkins University in Baltimore and got her masters degree from Oxford University, all before she turned 20 years old.
Her twin siblings Peter and Paula became the youngest persons to ever pass the University of Cambridge’s advanced mathematics exam.
The designer of the famous car, the Chevrolet Volt, Jelani Aliyu, is a super talented Nigerian from Sokoto State. Because of him, I bought two volts for my sons!
And Nigerians are doing well at home too.
The wealthiest Black man on earth is a Nigerian, Aliko Dangote. The wealthiest Black woman on the planet is a Nigerian, Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija. On the list of the top 10 richest Black people on earth, more than half are Nigerians!
A Nigerian, Otunba Mike Adenuga owns the largest black-owned telecommunications firm in the world and it is called Globacom.
Many Nigerians lambast their government because of all the issues we face domestically. But Nigerian governments over the years have achieved great things.
It is doubtful if South Africa could have ended apartheid and achieved black rule if not for the leadership role Nigeria played in the anti apartheid struggle.
Not only did we commit hundreds of millions of dollars to that struggle, but of the three Presidents who have ruled South Africa after apartheid, two of them once took asylum in Nigeria.
Both Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki lived in Nigeria before becoming president.
Nigeria spent over $3 Billion and lost hundreds of soldiers to end the wars in both Liberia and Sierra Leone.
When there was a coup in São Tomé and Príncipe in 2003, the then Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, restored the democratically elected President, Fradique de Menezes, back to power.
And Nigeria’s greatness did not start today.
Before there were street lights in most European cities, the ancient kingdom of Benin had street lights powered by palm oil.
The walls of the ancient Benin Kingdom were greater than the Great Wall of China. This is a historical fact!
Five Hundred years ago, the people of Benin Kingdom were casting metal alloys and using them to create some of the most magnificent pieces of art known to man including the world famous Queen Ida mask, popularly known as the FESTAC mask.Unfortunately, that great kingdom was destroyed by the British in 1897 in revenge for the defeat of acting Consul General James Philips’s army by the Binis.
And even before then, we had Queen Amina of Zazzau. She was a warrior queen who ruled what is now known as Zaria Emirate in Kaduna state of Northwestern Nigeria 400 years ago in 1610.
The Second Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammed Bello, wrote about her in 1836 in his Ifaq al-Maysur as the first among the Hausas to organise her kingdom into a formal government. Queen Amina’s conquest reached Kano, Katsina, Nupe and Kwararafa.
Wherever you look to, in this great country called Nigeria, heroes abound both now and in our recent and ancient past.
We are not some primitive people who are never-do-wells. If all you do is listen to the mainstream Western media, you will not get the full picture of your heritage as a Nigerian.
You see, if we do not tell our stories by ourselves, others will tell it for us and we will continue thinking that they are better than us when in fact we are a great and promising nation!
Do not listen to any leader who says Nigerians are criminals!
We are not a nation of scammers, drugs peddlers and corrupt people. We are a proud and dignified people with a verifiable track record of greatness.
Be proud of Nigeria. Be proud of your accent. Be proud of your heritage.
My name is Ben Murray-Bruce and I just want to make Commonsense!
• Murray-Bruce is a Senator from Bayelsa State
