 Welcome back to the breakfast and plus TV Africa today We look at Nigeria and the fact that we're still grappling with fulfilling our potentials And that will be the crux of our conversation this morning on the breakfast 62 years after independence the court tree is still grappling like I mentioned to fulfill our potentials And most Nigerians believe that the country's main problem is poor leadership The blame is on the colors and corrupt leaders who have systematically plundered the country over the years and lefty Them have very dysfunctional and insecure and debt-reading Contrary to the popular argument, we will be taking a look at our collective contribution to the decadence in Nigeria joining the conversation this morning is Christian Umo Kereca. She is a Nigerian born health professional Based in Canada. She's also the author of the collective contribution to our decadence in Nigeria Thank you so much Christian Umo Kereca for joining us this morning on the conversation Thank you for having me. I really appreciate you guys having me Okay, so so just this we let's start off with this very popular book Chinua Chabe actually wrote a book that's still very popular and In that book he said that the trouble with Nigeria is not with her climate It's not with the people but with the poor leadership But that's contrary to what you have written and some of the Postulations that you hold in your book and where's that? I wouldn't say it's contrary to it. All I'm saying is is collectively even including the leaders Including our political leaders, our religious leaders, our traditional leaders and the citizens of the country That's what I'm saying. The problem is not just hanging on one part It takes a tree to make a forest It takes a lot of trees to make a forest. It doesn't just take one tree to make a forest This is what I'm saying that we are all concentrating the leaders the leaders the leaders But what about the citizens of the country? Look around everywhere in Nigeria today Everywhere is corrupted Everyone is corrupted If you don't mind can I give an example of just what recently just happened Due to these interviews and promoting my book in Nigeria IDHL a book to Nigeria so that at least today we can have the opportunity you guys we have the book and IDHL since January 18 To Nigeria and they told me that it will arrive in four days To Nigeria I pay $454 to actually mail these goods they mail these goods these goods go to Nigeria They asked me I have to pay custom duties They asked me also that I have to show all documents towards these goods Everything they asked me I have sent including my work ID That I have sent that if there is any question they can quiet up But I said today and the idea is holding on to these goods only because I have two iPhone 10 in the goods what has drunk gots to do with iPhone 10 This was kept all the way from Canada. There was no drug now in Nigeria drug They have not released these goods. Okay my point here now We are concentrating on the government and the government the question now is this a government Is this a government and I will tell you today that what NDAA is looking for is for me to give them money to Release my goods, which I wouldn't Of course the government is at fault as well Accountability your children are stealing What are you doing about it? Everybody has problems Even when you get to Nigerian airport to even pay a loan at Nigerian airport They want you to pay for toilet paper the people that sits there or else Values everything is gone. We don't need up any integrity. Then we are crying. There is no job So if I had sent something now that is pertaining to give a job to Nigeria The NDLEA is holding on to it Is this right? Am I gonna DHL again? So DHL staff now they're not gonna have jobs Because the less the less good that I sent the less good people that experienced the same thing that I have experienced The less they have sent as well Then the less there are jobs then they start firing people. We are the problems of Nigeria So are you saying Yeah, Christina, you're saying that you sent your books down to Nigeria and you sent them along with some personal items namely two mobile phones and yes the national Drug law and fossil agency, which is a government agency that fights, you know Drug abuse and in northern the country headed by former legal state got military administration Ministerial of Booba Marwa Seized your your books and your phones Yes, and did they give you any reason? No reason Okay, honest when I called DHL to be honest on the background. I'm not gonna mention them for confidentiality They told me to go settle NDLEA if I want my goods All right, and this this is quite a very sad situation and a bad advertisement for Nigeria I know that if Alhachi Booba Marwa hears about this he'll be very very distraught. I hope that someone from the NDLEA is listening Whilst we've invited this Yeah, who's doing a great work abroad and has written a book on Nigeria and how we can fix things in the nation Which actually is what the NDLEA is trying to do and she sent these things back home a books back home and some phones Attached to them and the officials of the NDLEA have seized the phones when it has nothing to do with drugs But anyway, we do hope that this situation is sorted out and at that particular instances or in particular Experiences that you may have heard of or have had That led to the thesis of your book like messy as such is so eloquently Yes, I live in this country and I've been living in I've been living in total all the countries that have Leading because this is not the only country I've lived in before about 30 something years But I come to Nigeria Lord is pathetic when I come boom and see what is going on It's really pathetic and I know how much people I have to be sponsoring back home, which is genuine sponsoring due to the system that is going on the system that is going on is impacted everyone Everyone either you live in Nigeria because I have people living abroad that Christine give this off Why why are you doing this? You don't even live in Nigeria. You live Nigeria 30 years ago. That is not true If my aunt is 80 something years old is not getting anything I have to give her something to help her out then it's affecting me if my Nature has lost a job or anyone in my family lose a job that I'm helping out that is affecting me So indirectly I am paying for what they have done to you And it's really sad And no one is saying anything. I don't even know what they placed you. I'm talking about our political I don't know what they place you when they take on government Because I would love to be displayed with you I don't know what they place you because if this is what they place you and this is what they are doing I am so sorry It's sad Okay, so so reading you know parts of you know some of the reviews has been put out To your book that you have written Let me ask you How do you think that we have lost our ethical and moral and cultural values that are causing? Because in you thought you think that all of this They wanted to come establishing Nigeria they sent a lot of $200,000 they lost it to bribes They end up giving up and I am not exaggerating they end up giving up and took a loss of $200,000. Do you know how many jobs this will have created for Nigerians? This is what Nigerians don't understand that they are killing their future and their children children's future By doing degrading us They thinking only about now. They are not thinking about future And then because they are only thinking about now They are not thinking about future. All they want is luxury lifestyles. Look at what has happened to us We don't have power electricity Is nothing to talk about our road is nothing to talk about Can you tell me what we are known for in Nigeria right now apart from petroleum oil? Can you guys tell me maybe I Is like I am not to that knowledge Okay, Christine Yeah, you could see you've made a lot of interesting points in this book A very interesting book that you put out a collective contribution to the decadence in Nigeria The average, you know Nigerian who will hear this postulation of yours that we all have made a collective contribution to the decadence and May disagree with you the average, you know jail on the street may disagree with you Well, you say that we shouldn't point the accusing finger at the leadership But everyone in this country has played a role. They would say hey I provide my my my my electricity for myself. I Provide water for myself. I I provide some to in some cases my security for myself I in some cases how to provide my own roads, you know And and and I'm doing everything I can and Nigeria is is even against me. So the leaders are Responsible don't tell me that I'm responsible. I'm trying to do these things for myself When people think that way which goes against the the thesis or the idea of your book. What do you say to them? What I'm gonna say to that that that person that is saying it is it might I won't say it My even be one of these corrupted people the person holding on to my goods today That I am not getting the goods that once bright or want to steal the phone if you ask him today I wish Nigeria is gonna say Worry is not good. They have to take worry out. I've had somebody that was in the legislature That is a single mother have three kids sponsoring abroad This person is still complaining about the government that we have Nectarians is complaining. But what about you guys? What about the chairman that has nothing when he was elected in your streets now on houses on the streets All the children is out of that country's cooling abroad This person will still open the mouth to tell you the government is not good We are half partaking in it. I am not saying that the government is good. Don't get me wrong. I am saying collectively We are all at fault Everything needs to be changed in all jurisdictions in the community even inside the family Because I started it from inside the family even the family system believes have to change That the richer you are the richer I'm giving respect to your motorbike power. Why leave me? Yeah, ma'am That is something that they say to Nigeria Then if I am a sibling that doesn't have money and my parents are looking after the one that has money I'm running after the one that has money. What do you think I'm gonna go do? Go look for the money by force so that I can get attention of my parents So it starts from home in our community Then it did that from there gradually went up Okay, let's also let's also share your thoughts on yeah in the course of your book You have also talked about the fact that you know the family system You have blamed this family system largely for the lot of wealth that we're experiencing in the system and how the nation is Actually turning out we like you to true more light and that how is that a problem? and now does that even affect the fact that we're going to have an elections and You're still going to have a system that is not properly structured a system that The people have lost trust in What's the correlation? The correlation is you know before something is good. We have to talk about socialization because we have lost our socialization in Nigeria kind of The cultural the ethical values when they are bringing us up is different from what I know now Like in the 80s what my parents used to tell me what I used to hear what I used to speak I don't see it anymore. All I see now is riches wealth and luxury So I political leader that went stealing a lot of money living luxury lifestyle What is that message passing on to that child? Is it telling the child to know how to act to walk out? Do you understand? This child will never learn to walk hard So all this child is gonna grow up to be is how to steal like the father or mother Looking for comfort. He has never they've never taught this person how to do this and One thing that they don't understand is they are Losing as well and I can give an example when I got to USA I have a friend that I stayed with he wants us to go into deals How to make quick money and I said no, I want to go to school I did mean I have gone into the deals and this is what I am doing today I wouldn't have known that I can become a registered nurse. I Wouldn't have seen that registered nurse coming. It will never never Be in my life. Are you there Christine? Oh, yes, I am. Okay, so so so and Finally for those who wanna there are so many things to go into, you know as far as the book is concerned Especially the fact that you know religion is not left out, you know, you also Anytime why what has religion done to to contribute to the decadence in Nigeria? When I think about it, I am so sorry makes me cry Because they are the ones that supposed to build morals and they are the most of them are the worst one in the country. I Just couldn't believe what we have as religion today. Religion supposed to be charity But our religious leaders these days they want to write jets They are the ones living in a big building even robbing people to pay for Rubbing innocent people that doesn't have money Brainwashing these innocent people while they live in luxury lifestyle Oh Passages in the Bibles that is supporting what they are doing and this is sad They are the one to call our government to call And it's a shit that's right now Nigeria's don't even have where to go. We don't even know who to save us Because if our religious leaders is not saving us then who is going to save us It's quite quite quite sad, you know, and I can sense that your passion And you know for the country and and really your sadness are the way things are, you know Sometimes it's easy to to be used to it And then you sometimes lose for those of us here such of the fact that things are not that good But very quickly in one sentence and we want to thank you very much for a time I'm told we're out of time so I want to thank you I was gonna ask you how people can get your book, but would them I'm sure be they can say We'll leave it at that we'll leave it at that. Thank you very much a Christian more character for your time She's the author of the book elective contribution to the decadence in Nigeria. We since said I appreciate you coming on and giving us Thank you Thanks a lot Well, that's the size of the conversation if you missed out on any part of it It's okay to follow us in Facebook Twitter and Instagram is at plus TV Africa and you subscribe to a YouTube channel at plus TV Africa lifestyle I am messy before to have a fantastic day, and I'm coffee but shells. Good morning