By Lanre Apampa
While I find it easy to excuse the past, my outrage is with the mindless hypocrisy and complicity of the present actors, on both sides – the oppressors and the oppressed.
I took a deliberate decision to downplay my interest in the English premier league some 20 years ago when I realised that it was being deliberately over hyped to create a continuous flow of followership and resources into the UK, just like the days of imperialism.
The world’s institutions are created to maintain a pecking order and a 2-tier system of rules.
America can invade Grenada, Panama, Nicaragua etc whenever it chooses to. It can keep Guantanamo Bay for as long as it pleases. But Saddam Hussein had no right to invade Kuwait. Amnesty International was constantly being unleashed on GEJ fighting Boko haram terrorists.
Yet the elites who condemn these imperialists, still go there for education, medical treatment, tourism etc. In fact many are citizens.
So my take is, in the whole wide world which countries still offer you a chance to become somebody in life?
If your country has failed you and you were unable to do anything about it, why rail against a people that offer you a chance to become somebody in life?
I’m a Muslim, why are Muslims not migrating to Saudi Arabia or Kuwait to go and live? These countries don’t allow it and don’t give opportunities like that to foreigners.
What about China?
What about Russia?
So, it’s not that one is oblivious of the atrocities of British or American history, but on a balance, they still offer more good (for run down countries) than any other countries of world). Hence my admiration and praise.
But I remain proudly Nigerian, warts and all.