Intellectual Laziness

Why are Africans, to be more specific Nigerians, intellectual lazy?

There are many reasons and I have suspicions but I do not think I can land on a specific answer.

A quick search online and I found that so many people have tried without success to address this and I do not think I will be able to do any better than them. You can read them here;

• Who'll save some Nigerian from intellectual laziness? by Femi Adesina

• The anti-intellectual character of Nigerians by Douglas Anele

I can criticize them as I am a holder of the Nigerian passport. I tend not to subscribe to limiting myself to a specific geographical location hence why I see myself as a nomad. Free to roam the world and “to go where I am treated best”. Of course, you can imagine why the country is in the state it is in. Almost all of the best minds have been ostracized by the unruly and corrupt mob to eventually seek refuge in a sane place. Only to be praised and lauded when they are successful (in terms of material gains) and famous.

I used to joke to some of my friends that Nigerians are professional clout chasers. As everyone only wants to be associated with you once one rich and famous as it is a means of social status for many and another way to make material gains for themselves. They literally tell you without shame, I find it amazing!

It really irritates me that I have to deal with the dumb ones as they are literally everywhere; many of my friends, family, and acquittances. The only thing that seems to motivate many Nigerians is status seeking and material possessions.

And do not get me started on how religious many of them are! such hypocrites! they pray to the high heavens, shout the name of whatever spirit they seem to be worshipping at the moment, but when you look closely, you see the rot and decadence in their souls. With a reverence to the self above all else, such Satanism!

I remember once when I arrived back home after 6 years out of the country, I was immediately struck by how friends and family where bent on me partaking in their spiral downwards, suffering and decadence. Whenever I saw solutions they would only display complete negativity with lack of responsibility and a supreme air of arrogance. In fact, I have never seen so much arrogant people as Nigerians who eat their own shit and think they are the hottest thing since slice bread!

I remember a conversation with a former friend who did not even know that Jollof rice (a popular type of rice dish served in West Africa) was not originated from Nigeria. To his surprise he went on to argue, only to reveal the depth of his stupidity. This is not a unique thing in Nigeria. Arguments over nonsensical things with stupid people that have not read a book in years! In fact so stupid that they will argue that they read books! Only a fool will go on to try to argue that he reads, as it will be evident when you speak but many are oblivious to simple facts.

I guess I am allowed this rant as this is a journal for me to air out my thoughts and trust me, this would not be the end of it! LOL

I see it as a good, here, I get to relieve the struggle many smart ones have with the rampant intellectual laziness and lack of responsibility that is rife in my country. One of the many reasons why lots of issues can never be solved within the social construct called Nigeria.

I leave you with some quotes I found;

“Faith strikes me as intellectual laziness”- Robert Heinlein

“When everyone agrees, someone is not thinking” - George Patton

See you next week!

- Ope