Germans' love for value, orderliness and the Nigerian contradiction

DAPO FALADE-JUST BACK FROM BERLIN

While it is a truism that the essence of the sovereignty of every individual nation lies in its inherent and distinct cultural and socio-economic values and peculiarities, it will not be out of place to say that there are some basic barometers that can be used to generally measure the level of human development and infrastructural attainments in any given society.
It is an indisputable fact that Germany remains one of the most developed countries in Europe, nay the entire world. This fact can be deduced from its strong economy and the value of its former national currency, the Dutch Mark, before it eventually joined the European Union (EU). It has remain a strong force to reckon with in the Union; even while many member-countries are still struggling to recover from the recent global economic recession, Germany has been giving succour to many others in the Union.
For a first time visitor to Germany, one cannot but be amazed by the level of infrastructural development in the country. More than a cursory look into its national life would also reflect that fact the typical German places premium on values and orderliness, both in their private lives and their institutions. Right from Frankfurt, where there is a one-hour connecting flight to Berlin, enroute Tegel, such a visitor cannot just miss the German passion for value and orderliness. As you are alighting from Lufthansa, one of the world's biggest airline operators, there are sophisticated and modern airport buses waiting to convey passengers to the next terminal to board another airbus (owned by Lufthansa) to Tegel, without any delay or hitches.
For such a traveller, it would not be difficult navigating his way out of Tegel to Berlin, the capital city of Germany. Facilitating this easy way of passage is a well developed and affordable transport system, consisting mostly of sophisticated ranges of Mercedes Benz and BMW cars (status symbols in my dear country, Nigeria) and luxury buses as well as a functional undergroung train system which arrive at their terminals at the allotted time. Depending on the choice of the passenger, you can either opt for the Mercedes Benz car which charges per distance or you can buy your bus pass ticket which can last you throughout the duration of your stay.
I bought a one-week ticket at a cost less than €29 which I used throughout my stay in Berlin. Two things I found quite impressing in the well managed transport system in Berlin, nay Germany. One, is its efficiency and effectiveness. All what a passenger needed is to flash his/her ticket at the bus driver and you will enter the bus without any hassles. When I posed the question of how to detect the usage of an expired ticket to a Nigerian tour guide, he simply smiled and said to me that while it is sometimes possible for a recalcitrant passenger to manage to escape, most of such people often get caught in the act through a computerized system. He said many immigrants who contravened such a 'minor' law often find themselves to blame as they usually face deportation back to their home countries.
Secondly, both the road and rail transport systems are so well organised in Berlin (and in the entire country, I was told) that both the commoners and the averagely rich will not necessarily need to create holes in their pockets to buy cars for their personal use. As regards the rail system, which is mostly underground, all what the passenger needed is to get to the tube station and wait for a train, which would arrive within the appointed time to take passengers to their destination. What is largely accountable for the efficient underground rail transport system is stead power supply and modern trains.
It is very doubtful if such could obtain in Nigeria where it would be a miracle to have 24-hour uninterrupted power supply in any part of the country, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) where the inhabitants have been groaning under erratic and epileptic power failure. This observation is not intended to denigrate the sincere ongoing effort of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration to resuscitate the rail transport system in Nigeria but a pointer to the fact that we need a functional and steady power supply to have an efficient rail transport system and thereby reduce the carnages on our roads nationally.
Still on the transport system in Germany, it also amazing to know that there is almost a 100 per cent safety on the road as drivers in Berlin, both citizens and foreigners, drive with caution. This air of safety explains the prevalence of bicycle riders and the ease of passage by children and the under-aged on major roads in Berlin. You will see children meandering their ways, unguided, through the roads without any fear of being hit by any of vehicles moving around. What is more? it is always a delight seeing bicycle riders, especially in the early evenings, going about their business without any hassles.
Indeed what obtains in most of the roads in Berlin is a sad reminder of our own attempt to introduce bicycle as a means of reducing the escalating cost of transportation in Nigeria. It would be recalled that the proponent of such move, a former Minister of Transport, Chief Ojo Madueke, became an object of ridicule. The man himself became a victim of the bad transport system in the country when he was involved in an accident when he publicly rode a bicycle in his attempt to demonstrate the seriousness he attached to bicycle as an alternative to vehicular transportation system.
Talking about a safe transport system in Berlin, Mr Victor Ngwu, a Nigerian resident in Berlin and Executive Director of MediaTeam IT Education Centre, a CISCO and Microsoft-licensed IT training specialist, told Features Tribune of his experience when he accidentally hit a dog that strayed on his way. "I was driving at a slow speed on the road when a dog freed itself from its owner and suddenly strayed along my way. Immediately the incident occurred, I called the police, knowing fully well that I'm not on the wrong side of the law. However, the owner of the dog got mad at me for calling the police and angrily left the scene of the incident, apparently because his dog was not licensed to be taken for strolling on the road. If I had been on the wrong side of the law, that incident would have landed me in trouble, my status as a German citizen notwithstanding", he said.
As part of the premium placed by the average German on value is the respect they have for their currency, the Euro. As a Nigerian who has handled the highest denomination of its currency, the 1000 Naira note, for all sort of transaction, it was quite amazing to the Germans rejecting a €500 bill in a bid to get accommodation for two nights in one of the hotels in Berlin. The Front Desk Officer simply told Features Tribune that he could not take the money but I should rather look for a bank to get the money changed into smaller denominations. He said this at a time when all the banks had closed for the business of the day and I found it incredulous that I could be refused an accommodation simply because I was carrying some high denominations of the Euro in my wallet.
The same scenario played itself out on the eve of my departure from Berlin as this writer went to a big departmental store to buy some goods, including shirts and shoes which total cost was put at about €180. After having made the purchase, this writer was again visibly embarrassed as the Sales Manager, a German, simply shook his head and said the transaction could not be completed based on the fact that the same €500 denomination was too big. The two experiences made Features Tribune to do a random sampling of opinions on the value placed by the average German on the European currency and the general conclusion was that Germans and other residents find it more convenient and safer to do their normal day-to-day business transactions, using lower Euro denominations, including the cents.
The high premium placed on the Euro has its antecedent on the refusal of the former British Prime Minister, the late Mrs Margaret Thatcher, to join the EU. One of her reasons then, it was said, was to prevent the British Pound from losing its value. Thatcher was said to have had said that the sovereignty of any country lies in the purchasing power of its currency. The same reason was also accountable for the initial reluctance of Germany to join the Union as its national currency was then one of the strongest (if not the strongest) in the whole of Europe.
The above situation about the value of the Euro is a sharp contrast to the Nigerian situation where the value of the Naira has been on a steady decline since the early 1980s. Compounding the worsening situation, unlike Berlin where it is almost impossible to transact business, using the higher Euro denominations, the Naira, in Nigeria, has been reduced to a mere paper; the highest denomination available, the 1000 notes has become so ubiquitous that it is a common feature in the pocket of even the pepper seller. What is more, the common man who wanted to buy a goods that worth not more than N50, rather than going through the stress of going to the bank, can easily get the N1000 changed into lower denominations by the beggar in the street!
However, it is not all negative stories about our beloved country as its citizens living in Germany were able to exhibit one the things it is universally known for namely, its rich cultural values. The visit by Features Tribune to Germany coincided with the period the Igbo community in Berlin, knowns as Nzuko Umuigbo, was celebrating its annual New Yam Festival, 2013 edition. As it was the usual practice, this year's edition was so colourful, with many Nigerians from all walks of life and consisting of both of the Igbo and Yoruba extractions, coming together to celebrate the symbolic yam-cutting ceremony.
Speaking on the essence of the festival, Mr Godwin Nwaru, the newly-elected president of the Nzuko Umuigbo, Berlin, said it was aimed at bringing the Igbo people in Berlin together and putting them in line culturally, "because being away from home, if we do not form this type of association, some people will forget where they come from. That is the reason the union most of the time organizes cultural shows, with some of our cultures exhibited, to refresh our minds."
Nwaru told Features Tribune that the annual celebration has positively impacted the people as he noted that the young ones are being helped to be in constant touch with their roots. "We are here, giving birth to children and most of these children have not been taken back home in Nigeria, they don't know what palm oil is. They don't know what cocoa yam is. But when we organise such forum, it helps them to know most of these things. Also, cultural events such as this motivates some of us to want to go home."
He also said that such a gathering would also go a long way in addressing the problem engendered by the fading importance of the Nigerian indigenous languages as a way of promoting traditional cultures and values. "You know that majority of our people like to imitate foreign cultures. That children don't speak local languages should be blamed on parents. But we are also planning to establish school here where children can learn local languages. If we don't do this on time, I am afraid, our children may lose it. My advise to parents is that everybody should start from the self conviction that our language is good. The language is the natural identity one has. I want every family to have it as duty for parents to be proud of where they come from, then, inculcate the language in our children. If they try it, it will be possible", Nwaru said.
The president of the Igbo community in Berlin however was not unmindful of the enormous challenges in the task of promoting socio-cultural unity among Nigerians in the Diaspora. Calling on the home government on the need to come to the aid of the union in that wise, Nwaru said, "But now that we have a stable government, we should be ready to partner anyone that has useful information on how to go about getting our state governments involved. We would be so happy and the Berlin community will know that Igbos are here. We will carry them along so that they will give us necessary recognition as an association that has existed for 17 years."