Friday, November 10, 2006

Unreported World

Unreported World just aired. I haven't got very much to say except, Nigeria is probably doomed. Stark poverty which makes a family want to give their child away, pollution which turns beautiful creeks in rivers of crude oil, the arrogance of a governor (Odili) who drinks a $200 bottle Cristal with a journalist without a hint of irony, and an articulate, dynamic, unfortunate people bearing the brunt of it. I'll see if I can put a copy of it online in the next few days. In the meantime, listen to the podcast.

12 comments:

Unknown said...

$200 bottle of Cristal? Where??
Perhaps a lesser vintage year? Anyhow, that's a hell of a deal. :-)

Chxta said...

Nigeria isn't doomed. But the people of the South-South have to realize that their worst enemies are in their midst, not elsewhere...

(Reference: http://chxta.blogspot.com/2006/08/south-south-should-shut-up.html)

Nomad said...

I watched it yesterday and I cringed when he said there'd be uninterrupted power in two weeks. I was so embarrassed. My synopsis of that statement; he was in no mood (probably lazy) to engage in any form of intellectual conversation and willed the discussion away; typical. Unfortunately, he forgot he was talking, not to a kow towing, brow beaten journalist from naija. Shame on him.

Jeremy said...

Please someone put it somewhere where it can be watched on the internet- either in YouTube segments or on a server somewhere where it can be downloaded..

Anonymous said...

Mann, I was impressed with the effort taken by the journalist and he got his story right, no spinning whatsoever.

Odili was big time arogant as u said, who was he trying to impress? A british journalist?

I have never seen that side of Niger-Delta, though never doubted the poverty. I think those who are fighting for their right, should perhaps change their strategy and start making the politicians in their states more accountable. If the state governor can invest hundreds of millions of dollars on a state of the art governor annex, why can he invest a similar amount on a state of the art hospital? selfish soul.

Noella said...

I forgot to watch it, I agree with Jeremy, could you please upload it. I also agree with Chxta Nigeria isnt doomed

In my head and around me said...

This sadly is just our life. The gap between the rich and the poor is so wide, that it just leaves people breathless and unable or unwilling to try and make it across.

What we then have happening is that to afford the $200 bottle of Cristal, people just tend to walk on the illegal side. After all in this country, to be "somebody" you must be a thief.

419 thief, politician thief, road side thief....the Cristal tastes the same.

uknaija said...

And he wants to run for President....the biggest problem we have in Nigeria is big-manism, take that away and we can begin to see the way forward...he probably didn't even realize the incongruity of the Cristal sipping

The Dog of Freetown said...

Terrible. But for how long do you think? Even doom is unreliable and inconsistent.

ExtrovertedPrude said...

Yep, saw it too. That's one hell of a deal! Whichever way you look at it...the cristal or the predicament.

Unknown said...

i've heard about nigeria's corruption problem for decades (and i am sure it has been going on longer than that).

why is it that everyone that gets elected there, seems to, eventually succumb to corruption?

i have such hope for nigeria, but it seems like there is are chronic abuses of the people and resources buy those in power.

Nkem said...

Houstonmacbro, the long and short answer is that they wre crooks before they got into power. It's basically like putting a thieving little kid in a sweet shop - they'll go crazy.