I had just signed in to my Yahoo IM when the Yahoo Insider page popped up. It was about network congestion in New York during this Yuletide. You can read it up, if you like: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080104/ap_on_hi_te/text_messaging_networks.
Well, it got me thinking about the entire buzz about networks in the West and stuff. In Nigeria, where networks have to be first sanctioned before they can consider performing, it’s not so bad since in Yankee it doesn’t work when you most need it.
I know you want to argue that their system is better than ours because they have been in the business longer and have far more subscribers than we do. But then, if you drive a Bentley and I drive a Buick, what difference does it make when they both breakdown. We are both immobilised! We were just warming up to GSM when the IBB (Ikeja Bomb Blast) sad event took place in ’01. I am not sure we have recorded such mayhem that would cause the entire nation and the world to shiver but try Yankee and you go fear fear! And there have been many complaints that telecoms systems fail at such critical times over there. I strongly believe we need to better our systems here; though, not because I expect the 3rd Mainland Bridge to collapse but i don’t mind receiving a text that Adedibu is dead.
However, my line is this: in 9ja, before we say “Ndukwe,” we compare ourselves to the West and Rest. Is it to mean that having known that we are arguably the most peculiar people on earth, we can’t move without comparing ourselves to others? We don compare so tey, we dey compare our main roads to Ghana and Cotonou own. Well, who no go no know. I’d advice that we investigate well enough before we make any system, people or country a rallying point.
The US see themselves as the police of the world but they record more domestic crimes than most other countries on CNN. Yet they render many homes childless by many senseless wars they have no business with. Wetin concern Oyibo with bleaching cream? No be say them even correct. Ibo people say na “mere mere n’iru gwompiti n’azu.”
I am not saying we should not look up to those ahead of us but we don’t have to look down on ourselves while we are at it: it’s too self-demeaning! I wonder why I am bothering myself when you won’t make any sense of this. Or, would you really start to see us a people capable of the solutions to our problems? Send me a text, if you feel me!
