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Mar. 23, 2007 Africa never ceases to amaze negatively the average keen observer of her long battles with underdevelopment imposed by both colonialism/imperialism and inherent internal contradictions. The continent which is least developed in the world at large continues to be a conundrum--it's history, it's diverse cultures, languages, people and environment. The Third World has simply refused to grow with time allowing poverty, privations of it's denizens and other self-inflicted woes which only a celestial force outside this planet could explain better. Today in the 21st century when man has conquered the moon and achieved other break-taking ground-breaking feats in both science and technology our continent is still trailing behind centuries away from these Millennia steady march by mankind towards achieving perfection in all fields. Some concerned Africans have argued that Africa could well be a cursed continent given the great deal of mostly innocent bloods so far shed on account of battles of leadership and other social vices which only a people incapable of managing their affairs could be victim of. Today in almost every continent and nations you find an African doing all things odd to eke out a living. The Diaspora is now a huge market where economic migrants resort to for self-actualisation. While in Germany few years ago a friend once told me as we were enjoying a cool evening outing in Dusseldoff how a Nigerian 'JJC' from Edo State who came to Germany for the good life nay greener pastures was taken to the morgue to wash up some dead bodies for few hundred Deutsh Mark! There and then against his wildest expectation he collapsed when the dead body of the white man he was to have cleaned up was brought out via a remote controlled casket. The guy was shocked and succumbed to the shock of confronting the 'green-coloured' corpse of a man starring him in the face all alone in a parlour of a morgue! It took the rapid intervention of undertakers and moticians to revive him after which he took to his heels! Africa has lost a lot of best hands and brains that should have assured her greatness but do you blame those going to Europe, America and Asia for greener pastures? The brain drain syndrome is one of the greatest threats to Africa's survival as a developed continent; deprived of badly-needed manpower and abandoned in the hands of mediocres the continent has taken more than a fair share of socio-economic political battering of late. And the situation may not improve sooner because a visit to various foreign embassies gives the impression of a generation of frustrated and poverty-stricken young men and women ever ready to migrate to wherever that will guarantee them a semblance of economic independence. The best parameter to measure Africa's capitulation to Third World appelation is in the world of 'Tokunbohs' and every other thing that is not new and original. As an international businessman engaged in import/export electronics business I sometimes wonder why Africans like inferior and second-fiddle thing. The markets are awash with 'tokunbohs' ranging from cars to electronics; from household items to hospital equipments; from clothes to food/drink and name them. In every home except those of politicians, '419'ers, drug barons and well-established businessmen you must find a 'tokunboh' item competing for space in the house. The 'tokunboh' phenomenon exposes our continent as a dumping ground of every (dis)used item or material. In Togo more than any other African country in the sub-saharan bracket 'tokunboh' is legalised and that is about the greatest achievement of late Gen. Gnasingbe Eyadema in his 34 unbroken years in power. Another 'positive' achievement of his is in providing the enabling environment for tourism; one sees five star hotels concentrated in an entry and exit way toward the border post with Ghana beside the atlantic ocean in a small capital city where mass indigence makes their existence ironical. The 'tokunboh' culture is so pervasive that a lot of people has stopped using things that are not 'tokunboh'; they have been literally 'indoctrinated' into believing that what a white man used is worth much more and better than a new original product from the continent. That is why today some importers go to China, Hong Kong, London, South Korea, Singapore to import disused electronics, cars and other things which had been used and dumped in their originating nations. In a clime where things are faked at will including drugs, cosmetics and food items nothing less is expected. Mrs Dora Akinyuli, the chairperson of NAFDAC in Nigeria has been waging a bitter 'war' with agents and manufacturers of these sub-standard goods. Some drug companies in Pakistan, India and China in collusion with Nigerian businessmen out to make huge profit engage in mass production of substandard goods especially drugs and baby food items. Even in Lagos, Orlu, Onitsha, Owerri and Aba fake and sub-standard drugs get produced and one wonders how many Nigerians that must have met their untimely deaths in the hands of these disguised murderers. That's why I was elated the other day on hearing the good news that NAFDAC forces had closed down the Onitsha Headbridge Drug Market. That particular place is a den of fake drug producers and marketers so I salute the courage of Mrs Dora and her drug control agency for picking up courage to shut down the market thereby saving some Nigerians from untimely deaths. Speaking in Ihiala, my hometown in Anambra State last two weekends where she went to receive the "Star of Service" award from the Catholic Church, Mrs Akinyuli insisted that the Onitsha market "has the largest concentration of fake, expired and counterfeit drug in Africa." declaring that NAFDAC "can no longer bear the burden of some heartless traders who wittingly feed the public with dangerous drugs." That woman is a heroine! The major problem is that the average Nigerian is a lawless money conscious animal whose scrupples or conscience are never touched whenever issues of wealth or it's acquisition are at stake. In broader perspective the average Nigerian does not believe in the Nigerian tothering project. He sees Nigeria as a glorified useless entity fit only for select few at the top cornering the resources meant to cater for the developmental needs of the people. Alas you have a heavy number of criminals among the population hell-bent on inflicting any damage to the system so far as their economic interest is concerned. These set of our compatriots can be described as "tokunboh" citizens because in as much as they live in Nigeria they feel nothing Nigerian! Their citizenship is worth nothing! Do you blame them? Money is the name of the game and everybody is worshipping same! Africa (sub-saharan that is) is a continent where there's always a bad or ugly news to report and never anything radicaly innovative or challenging in terms of advancement of the course of humanity. Yet we run consuming societies; we take delight in consuming but not producing anything. We only produce those things that diminish us as human beings or kill us! The 'tokunboh' culture can only be challenged or eliminated when we start challenging our brains and stop acting with resigned emotion and hysteria. A Nigerian-born Jelani Aliyu, 40, has just designed an electric car "Chevy Volt " in New York. The question is if Aliyu were to be in Nigeria would he have had the opportunity to actualise this genuis dream of his? After all the Nigerian dreadful situation contributed immensely to the hanging of citizen Tochi in Singapore last month! The 'tokunboh' mentality in almost every African must give way for fresh thoughts and ideas; the continent cannot make a headway in over-all development if we depend on every 'tokunboh' goods or services. We must take pride in producing since production makes the economy going. We must resist the temptation to be like George Orwell's portrayal of the animal kingdom that produces nothing but consumes avariciously. ------------ About the author: Sunny Chris Okenwa is a U-K contributor based in Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire. Email: soco_abj_2006_rci@hotmail.fr Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. 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