A Response: Native Sense Is Commendable

Learning never ends

Prudence is always a student

Thoughts are always welcome

The mind will always ask

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Here was my response to the learning event I recently attended:

I was thoroughly enlightened by your brilliant keynote, though I had to hurry out to another scheduled task during the Q&A session.

Owing to my penchant for the poor, despised, and excluded segments of society, I noticed when you referred to the smallholder farmers, to whom most of Nigeria owes her nutrition security, as 'illiterates'.

These ignorant and unlearned ones may be 'illiterates" by Western education standards, but I sure think they have sufficiently commendable native sense to have remained productive throughout the ages.

My stance: what we need to do is make them see their innate capacity to innovate and upgrade their productive capabilities, not cast aspersion on their little strengths. Inclusive systems of local governance can help here.

My question is: how are DFIs like the AfDB working to include these vulnerable group of smallholders in innovation capabilities building?

An instance: To my mind, localising development would mean that all smallholder farmers as well as agro-processing firms in Western Africa are fully aware about how to access the US$1.3 million line of credit recently approved by the African Development Bank.

All agents that work to boost nutrition security in the Region should be adequately informed.

Native sense is deep, the education brought by the West does not diminish its strength. They may be uneducated but are sensible in rural economies.

What we are working at is reversing the oxymoron scenario of a so-called wise but poor people.

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In these auspicious times when the global development sector has become all the more lucrative and elastic, the poverty of the poor also becomes an advantage to the rich. These Western romantics tend to rule the world with their lofty ideas, do they not OR have they not?

I think it is better for visionary African minds to propagate ideas that gain preeminence rather than settle for mediocre handouts from their mental captors.

These are my deep seated convictions.

Indigenous solutions and ingenious native sense that leap forth tend towards creative independence and are mostly West-deviant.

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Peace to Nigeria and all hers!

Peace to AfDB!

Peace to AfricaLICs!

Peace to GlobeLICS!

Peace to  NigeriaLICS!

Prosperity, be common as air!

Education, be wholesome! 

Lights, break forth into liberty!

Planet, bring forth tender plants!