The IJGB EFFECT
So for some time I've been thinking about this issue,and I thought why not write something on it and here we are. For those who don't know IJGB means I Just Got Back.This is a colloquialism used to describe people just arriving from "the abroad", such as the US, UK, maybe Canada but Ghana and Benin republic does not count sorry. Well what's my problem with it you say? Well this phenomenon has been a deciding factor for a lot of things lately, like being able to speak with a foreign accent now determines how people measure your intelligence or level of exposure.
The thing is we have always regarded imported things/items better than our own be it language, food and way of life, so when there’s an influx of people with whom we believe have experiences of the other world we consider them superior to our homegrown. I’ve heard stories of people going for interviews only to be turned down for the IJGB with probably less experience or qualification. I probably won’t say it’s the accent alone, I think it embodies everything foreign, the educational system and the fact that they stayed abroad.
In this country, I believe that having a 3 days course or internship or whatsoever gives much more opportunity than those without, despite having more experience. So now who should we blame, err this is a complex one? Nah, we blame ourselves. It’s a system of the inferiority Africans feel as a whole, which haS grown under the influence of the whites showing and convincing us that everything they come up with is the best. From the colonial days, the introduction and imposition of their religion with which they regarded as pure and supreme and our traditional beliefs which they regarded as archaic and odd. We’ve grown to accept these beliefs as we now see our traditional religion as being fetish and the adopted religions as being the ultimate.
The thing is we have always regarded imported things/items better than our own be it language, food and way of life, so when there’s an influx of people with whom we believe have experiences of the other world we consider them superior to our homegrown. I’ve heard stories of people going for interviews only to be turned down for the IJGB with probably less experience or qualification. I probably won’t say it’s the accent alone, I think it embodies everything foreign, the educational system and the fact that they stayed abroad.
In this country, I believe that having a 3 days course or internship or whatsoever gives much more opportunity than those without, despite having more experience. So now who should we blame, err this is a complex one? Nah, we blame ourselves. It’s a system of the inferiority Africans feel as a whole, which haS grown under the influence of the whites showing and convincing us that everything they come up with is the best. From the colonial days, the introduction and imposition of their religion with which they regarded as pure and supreme and our traditional beliefs which they regarded as archaic and odd. We’ve grown to accept these beliefs as we now see our traditional religion as being fetish and the adopted religions as being the ultimate.
The westerners have
used isolation to make us abandon our made in Nigeria products. They created a
system that when you do not own the latest gadgets or gizmos we feel outdated,
uncivilized and left out( and probably because we don’t produce any). As much
as this phenomenon rises and increases the more on the edge I feel. Why?
Because every day I worry about my future (I don’t have international exposure) and this makes me feel inadequate. This stems from the fact that basically
every Nigerian stations (mostly radio) I tune into has various degrees of
imported accents and most of the stars of the stations are the IJGBs, not that I have any issue with them. (FYI i'm studying to be a journalist)
I believe that when we
as Africans start appreciating what we have the better for us because it’s also
evident in our products and items. When we see a made in America and a made in Nigeria product we’ll be more
inclined to pick that made in USA and that’s because consciously and subconsciously
we believe that the product made abroad is much more genuine than the
indigenous one. Add that to the fact that we as Nigerians have a history of
making substandard products (that now includes education) that can’t even
compete in the international markets.
Speaking honestly a lot of Nigerian brands are comfortable with mediocrity,(Nigeria is hard I know) because they generally don’t have the consumers at heart and are not willing to look for ways to improve their business, brands, services, products and customer relations to world standards and are mainly concerned about profits. Then they turn around and blame everyone else for not buying their products that even they themselves are not likely to use. This my people is why we should constantly hold ourselves accountable. I’d also like to particularly give kudos to businesses constantly trying to create, invent and reinvent themselves because let’s face it the Nigerian economy does not exactly foster business growth but despite all they thrive.
Speaking honestly a lot of Nigerian brands are comfortable with mediocrity,(Nigeria is hard I know) because they generally don’t have the consumers at heart and are not willing to look for ways to improve their business, brands, services, products and customer relations to world standards and are mainly concerned about profits. Then they turn around and blame everyone else for not buying their products that even they themselves are not likely to use. This my people is why we should constantly hold ourselves accountable. I’d also like to particularly give kudos to businesses constantly trying to create, invent and reinvent themselves because let’s face it the Nigerian economy does not exactly foster business growth but despite all they thrive.
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