One of the mos controversial articles written about a generation of Nigerians who fortunately i am part of; was written by an extremely “respected” journalist of all times; Mr Reuben Abati. you can just google the article “a nation’s identity crisis” and you will get the background of what you are about to read. As i said in my opening note, i will be posting a reply i wrote the day i read it, that is like a year ago now.so enjoy and let me have your feel.

When i saw the heading identity crisis, i thought “finally someone is waking up to the fact that we need to revamp note the word not rebrand ourselves” but Dr Reuben abati, did not want to talk about our identity, he wanted to talk about the entertainment/music industry. Before i go into all the rhetoric of the music industry, which dr Abati doesn’t obviously understand, I’d like to talk some on the identity issue.

I am one of the few people in my generation who had the privilege of understanding and loving what it means to be a Nigerian. I grew up with a mother who would send me to school but once i am out of school, i must read my Alawiye, greet her in Yoruba converse with the same. My father made sure we were grounded in not just being Yoruba but blacks that has been forced by the kind of relationship lord Luggard and her mistress had to be what they have cooked up for us to be. At the end of every year he’d take me and my one sibling then to our home state and we would camp in places around the state, surviving on animals we could trap and ones he hunted, and fruits on trees it was absolutely beautiful. I thankfully did not grow up in a home where we were forced to speak English. My parents believed when you force a language on a child, you were forcing a culture on him, and telling him his is inferior to the other.

Question, how well does our “golden fore-fathers” trained their children- us to respect and appreciate what the nation and continent can offer?

Have not all of them become cnn and bbc buffs that they make us feel less ourselves for wanting to speak our local languages, they even called it vernacular, what degradation!!!!

Professor Fafunwa conducted the famous (i hope) Ife six project where he was able to prove the power of language as it relates to expressing world views. The golden generation who continually look back to the good old times forget that, what a Nigerian will call water leaf is what a British will call water cress leave. While we cook it for different “efo” dishes they blend it or eat it raw and with sandwich. Now does that make their water cress better than my water leaf? I don’t think so; it’s just that we see different uses for the leaf.

Now if you want to talk about identity this and many more is what I’d be expecting not an expose on music, If i can even call it that.

I’m sure your rendition of how Nigeria was named was to-i don’t know, exalt romance?

It only got me angry, for the sake of all and sundries sensibilities, i will not describe what was in my head when i read and imagined your “let’s name Nigeria” story.

At least you have told us some things, (1) lord Luggard wasn’t as smart as history made him look, (2); he is just another adulterous leader, which for a Briton is something to say… (3), his fair lady, had all the aces as she was good at what she was “employed” for. Good lecture doctor, good lecture.

I am not going to dwell too much on the aliases Nigeria has, I’ll just ask a question: where is the big apple?

On the Nigerian anthem, though i went to a military school and i still am very solemn when i hear the national anthem and if i am where i need to stand still i would, i also know that “the star spangled banner” has been sung in different from of genre. When are we going to be comfortable with our inherent personality as given us by God, and if you don’t believe in God, nature? When are we going to live our lives like we really are and not what Lord Luggard and his mistress designed.

A quick one, why did Mrs. Obama not think she was committing a social faux paux when she hugged the queen of England? Her nature? She’s black? Comfortable in her skin?

Now, to my main dispute with the article. With due respect sir you know nothing about music. Period. Banky w, read your response and it was just apt. couldn’t wait to read other so i wont form an opinion before i responded.

A case in point, why wasn’t KSA’s-which i guess is his given name- sweet banana or pamurogodo not labelled as ntbb by nbc but 9ice’s own is banned? Why was, sina peters songs not considered ntbbs?

I love Fela, grew up on his music and that of Tunji Oyelana and the benders-who my mum wondered what we liked about the signature “huh-huh” or the lyrics or the music, and i am sure she is from your generation.

I’d suggest you don’t condemn rap because you don’t understand it, i am not a rap buff but i appreciate music and as a media person you are to appreciate it, critic it if you must, but appreciate it you must.

My vocation in life allows me interaction with these people then again my upbringing also allows me to understand the workings of a creative mind.

Dear Sir, your article just cut down maliciously, growing creative minds and that is so unfair!!!!

Before his passing, we heard MJ doing collabos-yeah i went there sue me- with Akon. When will we hear collabos between KSA and ROOFTOP-MCs, or Banky w and Chris Okotie/Dizzy K Falola if they were still singing?

It may not happen because YOU guys are determined to see us as never do wells and have no inclination whatsoever to pass on what you know. Challenge yourself sir what are you still doing in the mainstream of print, what is Akinloye Oyebanji still commentating for? Are there no younger people you can train to do these things?

We are not saying you should retire, we are saying, let go of the reins of power, let the young ones who you have all labelled as daft do it with your supervision, while you have an open mind to innovations.

You do not listen to the music, as stated in your article, you hear them, because if you listened, especially to “lagimo” you’d know. If the rap was too much for you, at least, Cobham’s sang and that was the climax of the song.

Guys, we are up against a generation that will not live beyond theirs, and they are absolutely unaware of what we have to do to keep our head above water. We have to take the reins of our generation in our hands and be what we are created to be.

Different does not mean better, every generation think they created sex, but it’s been the same all ages past.

Dr. Reuben abati, we are still waiting on a well researched article on “A nation’s identity crisis”

Thank you.

Tunmise.

 Knowledge puffs up; love covers all; love yourself,love your neighbour, love this nation, above all love God He is the essence of your being.