...The SaintsAwards Project...

From the presentation at the seminar the Stock index of the NSE shows a skyrocketed growth between 1995 / 1996, year of investment awareness and a speedy rate of progress till present and the figures in quote certainly is worth reckoning to a progressive economy and a society of sane investment conscious people but...that's a paper report!

There is a progress of virtually everything in China, from business to education, health to agriculture, energy to almost every aspect of the society including lifestyles.
Africans run up there to buy up stuffs of any kind with Nigerians in the lead, Europeans lazied in there to do the same, Russians, nearby Asian regions and Americans, all scramble over one another to create an impression of business and some kind of relationship... both friendly and unfriendly. A magic circus is going on there we'd suppose and the night is suddenly turning into day, the blind now see, the lames walking and the weak getting strong...economically sound and strong indeed to pull a crowd of miracle seeking individuals who want a drastic change in their own economies and would like to trail a super power relevance.

Made in China goods snaking in into every countries, copy products, pirated brains, unmatched duplication of other people's talents by some weak hands herded into a factory, busy low income earners doing simple things, very simple things we consider a miracle, made possible by mere policy of change, sheer change speared-headed by people and not spirits.
This is the new China!

There used to be a cart pusher in an ancient city called Anyang, where the bicycles certainly outnumbered the peoples in the city, he earns a cent per each trip from any of his passengers, he carts people and not luggage, this is fascinating, so I stood at the corner and watched him take a rest, the passenger protested, he had to cut the break short and resumes the journey amidst the scorching summer heat, there was a bus conductor screaming at the mixed crowd of passer-by to patronize his business...a very funny scenario! The streets littered and people doing the 'clearing their throat and spitting' as the only freedom they will ever live to earn.

Within a year I left the old historic city, I had the cause to visit again on business... the cart pusher and his likes were no more, the rickety buses all gone and replaced with modern air-conditioned buses, factories has taken up most vast and empty lands, shopping malls has sprung up, the spitting and nasty throat clearing has seized to an extent, the streets wearing a great and decent look, sign posts are in duplicates, one English, the other in mandarin. Some English speaking Chinese people been birth...a festival of some economic magic is about to take place and the people worked to make that a reality since they never believed in miracles taking place, old structures were pulled down and replaced with modern facilities...The Chinese assumed the position of peoples expecting an August visitor who might turn up unannounced and were certainly busy working up a surprise.

Among seven of the foreigners that were on their first visit to China in this ancient city now competing with most cities in the developed world four decided to stay behind and engage in some business, others set up English training schools, got into partnership with Chinese businessmen and took the investment around, others on hearing the good news came running, teachers, traders, investors, small scale and big time, the magic worked and is spreading around, a simple change of old nasty habits and attitude, a mere face-lift of an entire city, a simple exercise of sense of belonging and service.
Today, China is one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

We used to think the reason the Europeans came to Africa was because they have any genuine interest in the development of the continent, it seems so but history has proved that wrong... they needed some resources to fuel their energy savvy appetite to develop their own continent. We dared hope on them and refuse to work up our own system even after they have left. When the religious-cum economic miracle workers came to Africa to evangelize and set Africans free from an enormous hydra headed stronghold, they built railways to transport the loot, they built schools to educate the people so they could be of good use to them, they had the people disciplined and well behaved so they could be of good use to that society under their jurisdiction, institutions both private and public were modeled to the taste of a progressive society until they departed leaving the fortunate Africans to manage their own affairs their own way.

The NSE and the International Investments Roadshow no doubt is a Nigerian government project assigned the duty to help manage the Nigerian economy through investment both local and international, the agency sure have genuine intentions to improve the economic position of the country by luring international investors to come and do business in Nigeria with Nigerians and for Nigeria...the big 'BUT' is...The environment; where is the business environment, People; where are the people, the people with a sense of belonging to motherland.

Attitude, they say; is everything; Habits, healthy and unhealthy make the people, the environment is a sane business oriented society with amenities and facilities that will spur investors both local and international to commit their monies and energies into a promising venture. In the absence of that, we expect miracles to happen. But the truth is; miracles don't happen anymore! People are working up their own economies, Europeans, Asians, Indians and now Chinese with a magic speed; God uses people to perform these economic miracles and not spirits.

The International Investments Roadshow has the full support of the Nigerian government, and I bet millions certainly have been invested like the 'London and CNN Nigeria Image Laundry project of Mr. Frank Nweke, former Nigerian Minister of Information' -and we knew what CNN did, they made a mockery of the government image laundry project despite all the millions given them to do 'some washing'

Government agents should stop all this mockery of Africans at this global scale... We know very clear nobody will like to go and invest his hard earned monies in any hostile environment, What the would be International Investors does is to go and set up a trading company in Nigeria, while the manufacturing takes place in China, upcoming Vietnam, and others because production cost is much favorable in these regions, credits to a disciplined and planned economy for such progress...then take the wares to Nigeria themselves to sell and employ Nigerian agents as 'hawkers' with a funny nickname 'Distributors'.

They don't employ anybody to benefit anything from the investment other than the hawkers and distributors who are mere commission agents and that with a sorry sight of impunity and insult to the host community...We know nobody goes to a man's house to insult him and goes free, but we let that happen because there is no sense of belonging among the Nigerian people anymore.

There is an artificial hair manufacturing company somewhere in Henan, Central China, that shuttles Nigeria with hundred container loads of artificial hair products on a monthly basis, a friend I know 'hawks' for then with a funny tag on as "Distributor" and he knows nothing about simple packaging of the products.

South China Airline now shuttles International Flight to Nigeria on a weekly basis because they know Nigerian authorities will rather steal from their own people than make provisions for such despite all the millions in the pocket of both private individuals and government agencies, so they dived into the reaping business with the current mad rush of Nigerians to China to buy up anything.

Of all the continents in the world, only in Africa people go to reap what they did not sow... You work in America you're going to tithe your last dime to the American authority, they call it TAX, so they make enough rooms for you to come and work 'sow' in their land while they reap off your last sweat. But in Africa nobody worked nothing, just get the gullible ones in their government and give them gifts, promise them contracts, the Nigerians sure love that word 'Contracts' and they will steal even their own oils for you. Then you start reaping...what you never sowed!

Now we are going to change that madness; this is very simple, ask the minister of works, road and transport, why are the roads in Nigeria in such a bad shape, he certainly have answers and should stop all that excuses, that's where his sense of belonging is put to a test, ask the minister of power and steel, why is the energy sector is in such a shameful situation, he knows why...he knows, ask the minister and the commissioner of education all over the state, Why is all the educational institutions is in such a terrible run down rating despite all the budget allocations to this institutions, why?, they should have answers and stop all this too much English speech competition they come to do on the microphone.

All of us should show some sense of belonging to motherland and will certainly gain some respect without too much of noise here and there.
Why are you mocking your own people and expect anybody to take you serious of your International Investment Roadshow.

If electricity supply is poorly distributed, crimes hitting the streets like a Hollywood movie magic, roads cuts off usage due to poor maintainance or none, the people become lawless, government agents become lawless and excessively greedy and nobody checks on that excesses and when we do, it's a mockery of the rule of law...such that gives the likes of one DSP Alamiesegha, a former state governor with crazy records of corruption and disregard to law a honorary presidential invitation after a two days prison term for 'grand stealing' and subjecting his own people to misery and shame.

This attitude will merely breed a society of insane people where the ones who chose to be human are considered stupid for choosing to be sane and civilized and nobody certainly will dare go to invest in a confused society, rather peoples will take advantage of their stupidity and ignorance and prey on them, insult them, humiliate them and treat them with disregard, that was what CNN did to the Nigerian image laundry project.
That is what China is going to do with Nigeria and is already practicing it on a lighter scale, That is what the International body is doing to Nigeria with the help of the media, they piss shits on them, they hug them when they need them and kick their ass when they don't need them because if you don't organize your home and go on throwing a party, the people will drink your beers, eat your food and just call you some names-"Dirty stupid man! Hope he calls us for another party soon" -that was why Michelin tyre pulled out of the Nigerian international investors circle citing the harsh economic climate and government inability to enforce a ban on importing used tyres from Beligum I'd suppose and now China too, as one of its grouse.
Nigeria can afford to call the bluff of the International community with all this nonsense they get from people of the world both at home and overseas but has chosen to be engaged in some bogus activities while they suffer shame and disregard all over the world.

Nigeria, no doubt is a great country and Africa is Nigeria and there is no Africa without a Nigeria, we all know that, the people of the world look up to Nigeria to come up with great surprises as one African country with such great potentials but not without a change of attitude and some nasty habits like the Chinese did, the International Investors will come because they all know this fact that Nigeria is the largest trading port in modern Africa, the Chinese know that and don't toy with such opportunities whether you invite them or not, they will be there.

The Nigerian people both home and abroad, the ministers, governors, council chairmen and many blind sycophants called "Special Assistants" should stop all this self delusion of some pet 'Spider-Web' riches stolen from their own people through well crafted loopholes called "Contracts" and practice some positive change of attitude and civility.