Land Issue – Involves History, Economics, Politics and Common Sense

THANK you for allowing me space to comment on the news item that I listened to on NBC Radio recently, transmitting at 93.7 frequency on Frequency Modulated (FM) band to Usakos.

The South African High Commissioner, Curtis Nkondo, with all due respect, was quoted as saying that it is wrong for Africans to be asked to pay for land that was taken from their forefathers without paying a cent and consequently, this land issue is responsible for economic hardship and poverty in Africa. I agree that buying back land that was acquired without payment is somehow wrong, but this premise is only right when viewed from one side.Europeans did not come to Africa to play.They foresaw the population of Europe growing and exceeding land which is a fixed factor of production and hence the need to expand.Having risked their lives on high seas, they conquered Africa and common sense should tell us that their precious reward was the forced acquisition of land.It becomes morally and economically wrong to claim back that land for free because it was taken in this manner.Somehow, the cost was paid for by the education that was brought to us as well as the logistics and consequences of ship trips to and from Africa.Unfortunately, even this form of payment has been counterbalanced by the fact Africans have shed blood for decades to reclaim the land (or the right to govern?).Nature has a larger blame for Africa’s woes as far as land issue is concerned.For instance, why was it convenient for the Europeans to afford the means and technology to come and explore Africa? Why is it that the reverse wasn’t the case? To date, why can’t Africans go and colonise Europe?Finding answers to these complex questions is a step towards resolving the land issue, not through emotions but history, economics, politics and common sense.The land issue is responsible for poverty, diseases and starvation in Africa.Really?Okay, let us explore further.How much land was acquired by Europeans in Sudan, DRC, Rwanda, Uganda, Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria where civil strife have been ongoing? Of the African countries ranked top on the list of corrupt countries by Transparency International, in particular Nigeria and Cameroon, what role did land acquisition play? Of the Southern African countries where land is an issue, excluding Zimbabwe that is undergoing economic turmoil, what are the relative positions of those countries on Transparency International’s rankings? I surmise that poverty, diseases and starvation in Africa are consequences of natural disasters and man-made factors.Man-made factors include hatred for one another, tribalism and massive corruption by some African politicians that beats common sense.Land has never been an issue in Nigeria but the north-south dichotomy has been a bane in that country and culminated in the civil war of the late sixties.Furthermore, massive corruption in Nigeria means that billions of US dollars are moved offshore into private bank accounts of politicians and high-ranking civil servants in such a manner that workers paltry salaries are owed at national, state and local government levels.Free health that is enjoyed in public hospitals in countries where land is an issue is a taboo in Nigeria.The list of woes is endless.I decided to write because I believe that diplomats should take on each other as a matter of peer review.That is the only way that Africa can move forward.For instance, it would make much sense if President Mbeki could ask President Obasanjo this question: My colleague and friend, why is that political leaders in Nigeria are selected rather than elected, you have no social pensions, health is not subsidized, power supply is erratic, national highways are death traps and you have decided to withdraw the fuel subsidy to further increase the hardship of the people you govern in Nigeria?Or Mr Nkondo can invite his Nigerian counterpart for tea and ask him to explain why the infant mortality rate in Nigeria is in three digits, way beyond what is expected of a country richly endowed with human and economic resources.The real culprit of Africa is poverty, disease and starvation and the African politician.Matthew Akpo UsakosI agree that buying back land that was acquired without payment is somehow wrong, but this premise is only right when viewed from one side.Europeans did not come to Africa to play.They foresaw the population of Europe growing and exceeding land which is a fixed factor of production and hence the need to expand.Having risked their lives on high seas, they conquered Africa and common sense should tell us that their precious reward was the forced acquisition of land.It becomes morally and economically wrong to claim back that land for free because it was taken in this manner.Somehow, the cost was paid for by the education that was brought to us as well as the logistics and consequences of ship trips to and from Africa.Unfortunately, even this form of payment has been counterbalanced by the fact Africans have shed blood for decades to reclaim the land (or the right to govern?).Nature has a larger blame for Africa’s woes as far as land issue is concerned.For instance, why was it convenient for the Europeans to afford the means and technology to come and explore Africa? Why is it that the reverse wasn’t the case? To date, why can’t Africans go and colonise Europe?Finding answers to these complex questions is a step towards resolving the land issue, not through emotions but history, economics, politics and common sense.The land issue is responsible for poverty, diseases and starvation in Africa.Really?Okay, let us explore further.How much land was acquired by Europeans in Sudan, DRC, Rwanda, Uganda, Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria where civil strife have been ongoing? Of the African countries ranked top on the list of corrupt countries by Transparency International, in particular Nigeria and Cameroon, what role did land acquisition play? Of the Southern African countries where land is an issue, excluding Zimbabwe that is undergoing economic turmoil, what are the relative positions of those countries on Transparency International’s rankings? I surmise that poverty, diseases and starvation in Africa are consequences of natural disasters and man-made factors.Man-made factors include hatred for one another, tribalism and massive corruption by some African politicians that beats common sense.Land has never been an issue in Nigeria but the north-south dichotomy has been a bane in that country and culminated in the civil war of the late sixties.Furthermore, massive corruption in Nigeria means that billions of US dollars are moved offshore into private bank accounts of politicians and high-ranking civil servants in such a manner that workers paltry salaries are owed at national, state and local government levels.Free health that is enjoyed in public hospitals in countries where land is an issue is a taboo in Nigeria.The list of woes is endless.I decided to write because I believe that diplomats should take on each other as a matter of peer review.That is the only way that Africa can move forward.For instance, it would make much sense if President Mbeki could ask President Obasanjo this question: My colleague and friend, why is that political leaders in Nigeria are selected rather than elected, you have no social pensions, health is not subsidized, power supply is erratic, national highways are death traps and you have decided to withdraw the fuel subsidy to further increase the hardship of the people you govern in Nigeria?Or Mr Nkondo can invite his Nigerian counterpart for tea and ask him to explain why the infant mortality rate in Nigeria is in three digits, way beyond what is expected of a country richly endowed with human and economic resources.The real culprit of Africa is poverty, disease and starvation and the African politician.Matthew Akpo Usakos