Comments on: New Naija Generation – Identity Crisis or Identity Redefinition?

By: Obi Onuorah

Obi Onuorah — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 10:21:54 +0000

Olarenwaju, you should read your own quote with understanding before citing it. The wasted generation is not this one, nay, its the one before us. The one that has torn this nation to shreds, the one that has failed time and time again to provide even the basic necessities of society which has forced its youth into robbery and its daughters into prostitution. This same old generation which has failed countlessly to instill high moral values in their children, and have in their greedy chase for the ephemeral, abandoned the youth to find their morals on the streets and off the internet. it is this same generation, that have failed to hold and transfer culture, custom and values as was done to them by their parents, that has left the youth to seek to define their own or borrow from wherever they can.

I can go on and on about the past generation because it is they that have failed us.

For the few privileged like us whose parents were blessed with humility of status, and who in search for an identity for ourselves have found the dusty rusty values long discarded by our predecessors, we indeed have a responsibility to our country, to tear down the shabby walls we have inherited, and rebuild our great nation, with our anthems tenets of freedom, peace, unity and justice!

By: NAIRN * SIRHIM

NAIRN * SIRHIM — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 12:15:46 +0000

NAIRN * NAIJA * GLOBAL

By: olanrewaju ogunlana

olanrewaju ogunlana — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:46:00 +0000

"i feel sorry for the generation coming after me because mine is a wasted generation" – Wole Soyinka.

In as much as i do not totally support Dr Ruben Abati i am still with him 70% he has raised some salient issues, and i was expecting Aribaba to attack the issues not the man. I don't care who's responsible for it, but this generation of young Nigerians has contributed to the retrogression of this nation more than any other nation. Apart from suicide bombing every other atrocities is very evident among the nigeria youth. Deep in your heart you will admit that over 80% of our music and movies celebrate mediocrities and hopelessness. Fraud(yahoo yahoo), pornography etc. Ask a foreigner Who is a Nigerian ? the first thing dats comes to his mind is "a country of fraudsters in black africa". This is absolutely wrong but at thesame time true,

Our young musicians are promoting this vices, our movie scene is not helping matters. If our leaders have failed us must we now fail our selfs. Nigerian youths wrestle dis country from the colonial masters, the average nigeria. Nigerian youths can change the fortune of this country we can make a difference if only we could re energise our identity and not 'Nija'. We have lost our sense of pride and we are always looking for who to blame for our misfortune. Lets see some sense of dignity in our music and movies.

Long Live Nigeria.

By: LoloBloggs

LoloBloggs — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 06:45:56 +0000

Well said Aribaba. Every generation has utter nonsense both musically, politically and culturally. Things that will transcend generations will show themselves in time, so Dr Abati need not worry about us and our children I'm sure we will be fine.

I don't think his article hit the right notes at all. Even if you need to send a rousing call to Naija youth about national identity you need to respect that we are more distant from our cultural values because of our parents! Like you said, the average Naija kid out here in diaspora does not speak or even understand their language, but who was to teach them?

I'm all for unifying under Naija, bringing pidgin into the mainstream and hearing our music (rubbish or not), especially if it means we are believing in ourselves and not trying to prove anything to any old academic with Colomentality! (love that term!)

By: Online game » Dalek

Online game » Dalek — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:15:48 +0000

[...] New Naija Generation – Identity Crisis or Identity Redefinition … [...]

By: Aribaba

Aribaba — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:37:58 +0000

Yes Tim.. Eldee & Banky W did respond, and so did over 20 other bloggers. The idea of responding to Mr. Abati's article is not a borrowed idea, but more of "if u have an issue" with it. Even though I did mention the original article, and Banky's response, there's no real reason I should cite theirs since this piece was written independent of the views of Banky or Eldee

By: Tim

Tim — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:28:15 +0000

k. . . not to be a bish or anything but didn't elDee and Banky W write replys and post them online first? If ur going to blatantly steal ideas for columns i suggest u cite them first. Its common curtsy. With that being said this piece isn't half bad. May ur elbows remain greasy, bruv!

By: TheDoublePrince

TheDoublePrince — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:05:05 +0000

I saw some valid points from Dr Abati's Article; I believe he has a valid concern or fear. African Hip-Hop has embraced the Western Hip-Hop values. Which most of them promote drugs, violence and portray women as sex symbols unlike the previous artists who didn’t embrace the western values like Fela, Osadebe and King Sunny Ade. Not to say that the previous artists had a better lifestyle than the new artist. Even though his article has some flaws, I still think he raised some issues that we as individuals should take into serious consideration, for example the longevity of this our era. I still listen to Fela, Osadebe, King Sunny Ade, Alex O and co. can we pass down our music to our children? Don’t get me wrong I know we have the likes of ASA and a few. I totally agree with Banky’s response to him because African Hip-Hop and the entire entertainment Industry has created a sense of belonging for African home and abroad and also become a source of revenue.

By: Aribaba

Aribaba — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:28:03 +0000

I really hope he was being sarcastic with those fantasies cos if he wasn't that's really disturbing to me. In every generation there will always be trash music…i.e. Alex 0.. it takes sometime to bubble and shuffle… I mean.. how does that affect the price of anything in the market…lol

By: Aribaba

Aribaba — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:26:15 +0000

I agree akaBagucci… the word Naija seems to have unified nigerians all over… So easy to blurt out Naija 4 Life…lol

By: Aribaba

Aribaba — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:23:24 +0000

Yep… there are so many people that grew up in naija that can't speak their language or speak pidgin.. I didn't learn my language till I was 16, and I thank God my parents were pretty open minded about pidgin in the house.

By: Aribaba

Aribaba — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:21:33 +0000

Thanks Dayo… It's so funny how every generation is quick to forget that they were once young and were considered way-ward by the older generation. I'm sure we might have something to say about our children when they start wearing flying shoes…lol.

By: ola

ola — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:38:18 +0000

I know Mr. Abati usually takes on a sarcastic tone in his articles so I'm hoping that the part about Lord Lugard's mistress was one of those instances. He is right in that some of the quality of the Naija music we listen to is crap and doesn't make sense (across generations), but to completely generalize and put down a whole generation is not the best way forward.

By: akaBagucci

akaBagucci — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:18:42 +0000

I think Dr Abati raised a few valid points in characterizing the lack of a national identity – but as you rightly point out, perhaps it is not our fault that we lack a national ethos…..Perhaps the 'bastardization' of the Nigeria name into 'Naija', 'Naij' or what ever other moniker exists has actually done more to rally a generation of Nigerians around the cause of national belief than anything the older generation has done/ not done…

By: ronke

ronke — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:35:45 +0000

This is so true. Infact, were it not for my uncle who lived in the US at the time, and convinced my parents to let us speak "vernacular" I would so be one of those Naija who grew in Naija and have nothing to show for it I love our generation! Great Article.

By: Dayo

Dayo — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:03:06 +0000

Very well said. I agree with you a 100%. The older generation did not give us a lot to be proud of regarding Nigeria. We literally ran with "We are the future leaders of tomorrow" and decided to redefine our culture, music, style and hopefully re-write history to reflect what Nigeria..my bad, NAIJA really should be.

My Naija is a place that discards the cultural intolerance of our parents generation, that embraces "Proudly Naija" concept and spins in into a multi-million dollar industry.

My Naija is a place where our youth are motivated and see every challenge as an opportunity to prove to the world that we are better than what they show in western media.

Finally, My Naija does not need Lord Lugard and his cronies to tell me how to act or speak!