[Applause]
dialects of social infrastructure what
do we mean by that indeed which dialect
do you speak let me begin by sharing a
personal experience with you if you look
on the sign behind me you see
don’t walk and walk about 35 years ago a
friend and I immigrated to the emigrated
to the United States he went to the
state of Georgia and I went to Long
Island New York after about 3 months I
get a phone call from my friend and he
was complaining you know we don’t have
these signs which are evidence of the
physical infrastructure in the in an
average American city you will see these
signs at major intersections or Street
crossings don’t walk and walk and he
said my brother this walk and don’t walk
science they’re plenty or they’re too
macho and guess what I told him I said
my brother Nicky obey the sign to
another man country we do we’ll come
back to these signs later on what is
social infrastructure what does it mean
the average leader a state governor or a
council man will always talk about the
physical infrastructure things like
roads things like hospitals schools
those are physical infrastructures but
what is social infrastructure why is it
important to have the right social
infrastructure now let me explain what
that is basically without using parlance
that’s all
Norman clay sure that will confuse the
average person it basically means our
values
what is our values it means the basic
codes and laws that guide the behavior
of everyone in an average society it
could be in a village it could be in a
local council it could be in a states it
could be in a country that’s basically
what it means
conversely it means those things we
consider unethical or unacceptable
behavior that’s what it means
so then the question is do we have a
social infrastructure in Nigeria do we
really have one well quite a few of my
friends they say we don’t have a social
infrastructure they say that our social
infrastructure is damaged is broken that
we don’t have one and I tell them we do
it is just broken it is not working well
now again the title is dialects of
social infrastructure
now if dialects if we use if we refer to
social infrastructure as we do a
language let me now use examples of
people language do you speak the
alienate dialects do you speak the umeå
dialect do you say no do you sit in they
walk or let me use the each other Alex
do you say to brown do you say no do you
say to one language or in Yoruba and now
Aqaba Bhawani you see which dialect
what’s which dialect you speak now let
me explain this to you this way if we
refer to social infrastructure the
values that we all have as though it is
a dialect then we’ve got 2x
I mean it’s a little bit more what do I
mean by that let me take the Nigerian
pidgin now most of you should know that
there is solonian pidgin this New Guinea
pidgin
there is Jamaican Patois there is
Nigerian pidgin so if these pidgin
languages are dialects of the proper
English language which one do you speak
now if pidgin English is a dialect I ask
the question can any one of us go to a
University University of Port Harcourt
University of Ibadan and writes your
examination in pidgin English would you
write it in prop broken English you’d
say no now can we go to Oxford
University and used it to make in patois
that fee no likes the sings in he sings
in Jamaican Patois
can you go to these universities and
write their exams in pidgin English or
Jamaican Patois the answer is no because
it won’t work there’s no way the
professor will accept your exam so then
it is appropriate now for us to really
understand the fact that the dialects
the way we behave the things we believe
as normal behavior as social norms is
very important isn’t it won’t you agree
it is very important what we think about
what it is right for us to do and what
is not right why so in sociology in the
study of human behavior and sociology
there is a mantra which says language
and culture are inextricable in other
words you cannot separate between how we
express ourselves and how we think and
the things we believe in you can
separate it
so when a Frenchman says simply or an
American says do me a favor there that
language expresses their politeness
towards each other or when they say
pardon me please that is the way they
express themselves now let’s come to
Nigeria and we’ll take that pidgin
English which generally expresses what
we believe
let’s now discuss the dialects that most
of us speak it has served us because
from pano Katsina to Bamako d2n no GU
tosho-gu to believe to worry to put her
court to caliber we all are able to
communicate in the Nigerian pidgin that
is actually our lingua franca listen to
what have you heard this said amongst
Nigerians
let me share this with you not be
Nigeria we do you not be limbo the
nigerian facto now he suppose no now
what is that same another one he don’t
do now you savvy pass these confirm a
culture of mediocrity government money
sweet o not be we’re passing they walked
in their job now turn by turn oh what
does that say about our social
infrastructure you are forty and below
and I’ve met quite a few brilliant young
men whom I could father but the
generality of Nigeria’s fix this
language that shows that it is okay you
go settle now that it is okay for us to
practice extortion it is okay for us to
practice thievery of public funds
anyway now way you know who I’d be
that is our social infrastructure when
we say these things we actually believe
them it’s okay they confirm the total
disregard for process the total
disregard for order and so we just
anyway now we’re now you don’t reach
there so we drive against one way don’t
we that is a broken social
infrastructure I’ll give you more
examples now Gabby that oh you know nom
nom Adam sister Bella – it is saying
that favoritism nepotism and tribalism
is okay that is our social
infrastructure so those of you who are
80% of Nigeria or 40 million 60 million
of you is that the way we want to build
this society I’ll give you one last one
not be womanish it’d be you suppose
toast am now waiting you never give
woman that can’t walk gentlemen has it
been said it has been said that is the
culture of chauvinism and it’s and
gender abuse in this society we are
saying it is okay is it oh really okay
really it’s not okay that is our belief
system that is our values now if you’re
keeping up with television lately if
you’re watching CNN and BBC in Algeria
have you heard the name Harvey Weinstein
what happened to him he you know what it
is he owned the company he started the
company guess what happened to him he
got fired from his own company and some
of you are familiar with even the late
founder of Apple do you know he took got
fired from his company because he broke
social norms as a leader of his company
because he ran his business the wrong
way they had to go back and get him if
you’re 40 and younger you have this job
to a fixed
social infrastructure we go yonder
pidgin English now we’ll go TOCOM but no
pool no tacos are done nonsense not be
woman she be what is that how many terms
is Angela Merkel serving in Germany now
how many terms is she been elected so
isn’t she a woman she’s a powerful woman
so ladies and gentlemen young men we
have to respect our ladies don’t we so
we have to do a sincere assessment we
have to really think about that broken
glass the social infrastructure that is
so broken which now leads to the next
question
how do we fix it there is the top-down
approach which is a vertical approach
there is the bottom-up approach which is
a groundswell approach there is the
external force approach I’ll just focus
on this three briefly you are 40 and
younger imagine if we have a 56 year old
as president or we have a governor that
is 55 and he says we’re not gonna do
things the old way anymore he begins to
reconstruct our social infrastructure by
passing new laws by by changing the
mindsets of the average person he
doesn’t move around with ten cars to get
from point A to point B wouldn’t that
make a big change in society if he
leaves office with the amount of money
he took in there but he makes money from
writing books and giving lectures
wouldn’t that be fine for you and me he
doesn’t become a billionaire after he
leaves office that is the top-down
external force how many of us will like
England to come and recolonize us how
many of us will like it no we don’t want
colonialism again right we don’t want
that but guess what if we were invaded
by America and America says you got to
do things
our way and they have all the weapons
and power we probably won’t be able to
fight them would we know what we don’t
want that that is another way to change
our social infrastructure but I think
the best way is the bottom-up we create
a groundswell amongst the youth amongst
all of you and you don’t have to go and
get guns you begin to say we’re not
going to think like that anymore
you have to act together saying you’ve
got to respect the ladies you have to
respect your coworker you have to be a
good student leader you have to be a
leader in community even if you are 28
and you do things in a way that shows
that you want a better social
infrastructure so I focus on you young
people which dialect would you like to
speak what would you like to do to
change this broken social infrastructure
if it down for driver was giving a visa
to go to Geneva Switzerland will it
drive his vehicle will he behave like it
does in Legos by no means not even a
driver of the public was in Port
Harcourt would now let me ask another
question if a university professor
electro in the university goes to any
one of these countries to be a visiting
professor would you ask for money for
handouts
you see we accept that that’s what’s
happening our broken social we are
speaking a dialect that does not work so
young people especially you have to
begin to say we don’t want to speak that
dialect anymore we don’t want to speak
it anymore just the other day 26 died in
the Mediterranean young ladies they were
deceived to die but there are even young
men dying what are they going to look
for what are they going to look for a
better life they say right yes you see
we have to now think of how we watch
dialects of social infrastructure which
which one do we want to speak is it the
broken one or is it the one that will
make this society that we all claim as a
home more egalitarian more useful to us
every great thinker and every great
leader they realize that our values
actually express what we desire to be
what is happening on the on on
especially the Western world now it is a
groundswell that is getting a lot of men
in trouble because this they now because
social infrastructure is dynamic and the
desire is to change it for the better so
we treat each other better we do the
right things better that’s what social
infrastructure is and that’s why the
young man who spoke about the etiquettes
the language we use on social media even
that tells us what our values are so
what I wish and I hope would happen in
this small group and the groundswell
will take on from here further away is
that we are going to make a decision to
speak a different dialect of social
infrastructure we just can say ego
better and not do what we just can’t say
that we have to construct new social
norms that says there’s a way for us to
behave so my fellow Nigerians let me
take you back to the story I refer to in
the beginning the young man that called
me and said this walk and don’t walk
science he too macho he too many
you see that is a physical
infrastructure we see in New York Los
Angeles Atlanta Houston London which
city they were made a name even though
according to Road use rules or driving
rules who has the right-of-way the
motorist or the pedestrian yes the
pedestrian has the right-of-way but why
will they have a physical sign that says
walk and don’t walk because even though
the pedestrian has right-of-way he too
has to be regulated correct so he who is
in a leadership because the pedestrian
has more power you German ego Gopi the
point of the matter is that even if
Authority and leadership and power is
bestowed on us by virtue of laws and
codes and a good social infrastructure
should we abuse it
we should not so when the sciences don’t
work you stand and generally at this
intersection you see them in this
American movies right they all stand and
is a line of people waiting for the
light to do what to change everybody has
limits as to what we can do that’s
what’s our society’s work and so young
men especially remember you have limits
everybody has limits and guess what
every Nigerian who emigrates to the US
or to Canada that embraces their social
infrastructure what happens to them they
do well they rise they obey the rules
but some of the ones that you don’t see
that don’t talk to their families on all
right let us they are in jail somewhere
that’s what happens and those are forced
to understood and embraced the as the
American Way we excelled so ladies and
gentlemen
which dialects do you speak which one
would you like to speak here in Nigeria
is it broken English
show me your values
[Applause]
dialects of social infrastructure what
do we mean by that indeed which dialect
do you speak let me begin by sharing a
personal experience with you if you look
on the sign behind me you see
don’t walk and walk about 35 years ago a
friend and I immigrated to the emigrated
to the United States he went to the
state of Georgia and I went to Long
Island New York after about 3 months I
get a phone call from my friend and he
was complaining you know we don’t have
these signs which are evidence of the
physical infrastructure in the in an
average American city you will see these
signs at major intersections or Street
crossings don’t walk and walk and he
said my brother this walk and don’t walk
science they’re plenty or they’re too
macho and guess what I told him I said
my brother Nicky obey the sign to
another man country we do we’ll come
back to these signs later on what is
social infrastructure what does it mean
the average leader a state governor or a
council man will always talk about the
physical infrastructure things like
roads things like hospitals schools
those are physical infrastructures but
what is social infrastructure why is it
important to have the right social
infrastructure now let me explain what
that is basically without using parlance
that’s all
Norman clay sure that will confuse the
average person it basically means our
values
what is our values it means the basic
codes and laws that guide the behavior
of everyone in an average society it
could be in a village it could be in a
local council it could be in a states it
could be in a country that’s basically
what it means
conversely it means those things we
consider unethical or unacceptable
behavior that’s what it means
so then the question is do we have a
social infrastructure in Nigeria do we
really have one well quite a few of my
friends they say we don’t have a social
infrastructure they say that our social
infrastructure is damaged is broken that
we don’t have one and I tell them we do
it is just broken it is not working well
now again the title is dialects of
social infrastructure
now if dialects if we use if we refer to
social infrastructure as we do a
language let me now use examples of
people language do you speak the
alienate dialects do you speak the umeå
dialect do you say no do you sit in they
walk or let me use the each other Alex
do you say to brown do you say no do you
say to one language or in Yoruba and now
Aqaba Bhawani you see which dialect
what’s which dialect you speak now let
me explain this to you this way if we
refer to social infrastructure the
values that we all have as though it is
a dialect then we’ve got 2x
I mean it’s a little bit more what do I
mean by that let me take the Nigerian
pidgin now most of you should know that
there is solonian pidgin this New Guinea
pidgin
there is Jamaican Patois there is
Nigerian pidgin so if these pidgin
languages are dialects of the proper
English language which one do you speak
now if pidgin English is a dialect I ask
the question can any one of us go to a
University University of Port Harcourt
University of Ibadan and writes your
examination in pidgin English would you
write it in prop broken English you’d
say no now can we go to Oxford
University and used it to make in patois
that fee no likes the sings in he sings
in Jamaican Patois
can you go to these universities and
write their exams in pidgin English or
Jamaican Patois the answer is no because
it won’t work there’s no way the
professor will accept your exam so then
it is appropriate now for us to really
understand the fact that the dialects
the way we behave the things we believe
as normal behavior as social norms is
very important isn’t it won’t you agree
it is very important what we think about
what it is right for us to do and what
is not right why so in sociology in the
study of human behavior and sociology
there is a mantra which says language
and culture are inextricable in other
words you cannot separate between how we
express ourselves and how we think and
the things we believe in you can
separate it
so when a Frenchman says simply or an
American says do me a favor there that
language expresses their politeness
towards each other or when they say
pardon me please that is the way they
express themselves now let’s come to
Nigeria and we’ll take that pidgin
English which generally expresses what
we believe
let’s now discuss the dialects that most
of us speak it has served us because
from pano Katsina to Bamako d2n no GU
tosho-gu to believe to worry to put her
court to caliber we all are able to
communicate in the Nigerian pidgin that
is actually our lingua franca listen to
what have you heard this said amongst
Nigerians
let me share this with you not be
Nigeria we do you not be limbo the
nigerian facto now he suppose no now
what is that same another one he don’t
do now you savvy pass these confirm a
culture of mediocrity government money
sweet o not be we’re passing they walked
in their job now turn by turn oh what
does that say about our social
infrastructure you are forty and below
and I’ve met quite a few brilliant young
men whom I could father but the
generality of Nigeria’s fix this
language that shows that it is okay you
go settle now that it is okay for us to
practice extortion it is okay for us to
practice thievery of public funds
anyway now way you know who I’d be
that is our social infrastructure when
we say these things we actually believe
them it’s okay they confirm the total
disregard for process the total
disregard for order and so we just
anyway now we’re now you don’t reach
there so we drive against one way don’t
we that is a broken social
infrastructure I’ll give you more
examples now Gabby that oh you know nom
nom Adam sister Bella – it is saying
that favoritism nepotism and tribalism
is okay that is our social
infrastructure so those of you who are
80% of Nigeria or 40 million 60 million
of you is that the way we want to build
this society I’ll give you one last one
not be womanish it’d be you suppose
toast am now waiting you never give
woman that can’t walk gentlemen has it
been said it has been said that is the
culture of chauvinism and it’s and
gender abuse in this society we are
saying it is okay is it oh really okay
really it’s not okay that is our belief
system that is our values now if you’re
keeping up with television lately if
you’re watching CNN and BBC in Algeria
have you heard the name Harvey Weinstein
what happened to him he you know what it
is he owned the company he started the
company guess what happened to him he
got fired from his own company and some
of you are familiar with even the late
founder of Apple do you know he took got
fired from his company because he broke
social norms as a leader of his company
because he ran his business the wrong
way they had to go back and get him if
you’re 40 and younger you have this job
to a fixed
social infrastructure we go yonder
pidgin English now we’ll go TOCOM but no
pool no tacos are done nonsense not be
woman she be what is that how many terms
is Angela Merkel serving in Germany now
how many terms is she been elected so
isn’t she a woman she’s a powerful woman
so ladies and gentlemen young men we
have to respect our ladies don’t we so
we have to do a sincere assessment we
have to really think about that broken
glass the social infrastructure that is
so broken which now leads to the next
question
how do we fix it there is the top-down
approach which is a vertical approach
there is the bottom-up approach which is
a groundswell approach there is the
external force approach I’ll just focus
on this three briefly you are 40 and
younger imagine if we have a 56 year old
as president or we have a governor that
is 55 and he says we’re not gonna do
things the old way anymore he begins to
reconstruct our social infrastructure by
passing new laws by by changing the
mindsets of the average person he
doesn’t move around with ten cars to get
from point A to point B wouldn’t that
make a big change in society if he
leaves office with the amount of money
he took in there but he makes money from
writing books and giving lectures
wouldn’t that be fine for you and me he
doesn’t become a billionaire after he
leaves office that is the top-down
external force how many of us will like
England to come and recolonize us how
many of us will like it no we don’t want
colonialism again right we don’t want
that but guess what if we were invaded
by America and America says you got to
do things
our way and they have all the weapons
and power we probably won’t be able to
fight them would we know what we don’t
want that that is another way to change
our social infrastructure but I think
the best way is the bottom-up we create
a groundswell amongst the youth amongst
all of you and you don’t have to go and
get guns you begin to say we’re not
going to think like that anymore
you have to act together saying you’ve
got to respect the ladies you have to
respect your coworker you have to be a
good student leader you have to be a
leader in community even if you are 28
and you do things in a way that shows
that you want a better social
infrastructure so I focus on you young
people which dialect would you like to
speak what would you like to do to
change this broken social infrastructure
if it down for driver was giving a visa
to go to Geneva Switzerland will it
drive his vehicle will he behave like it
does in Legos by no means not even a
driver of the public was in Port
Harcourt would now let me ask another
question if a university professor
electro in the university goes to any
one of these countries to be a visiting
professor would you ask for money for
handouts
you see we accept that that’s what’s
happening our broken social we are
speaking a dialect that does not work so
young people especially you have to
begin to say we don’t want to speak that
dialect anymore we don’t want to speak
it anymore just the other day 26 died in
the Mediterranean young ladies they were
deceived to die but there are even young
men dying what are they going to look
for what are they going to look for a
better life they say right yes you see
we have to now think of how we watch
dialects of social infrastructure which
which one do we want to speak is it the
broken one or is it the one that will
make this society that we all claim as a
home more egalitarian more useful to us
every great thinker and every great
leader they realize that our values
actually express what we desire to be
what is happening on the on on
especially the Western world now it is a
groundswell that is getting a lot of men
in trouble because this they now because
social infrastructure is dynamic and the
desire is to change it for the better so
we treat each other better we do the
right things better that’s what social
infrastructure is and that’s why the
young man who spoke about the etiquettes
the language we use on social media even
that tells us what our values are so
what I wish and I hope would happen in
this small group and the groundswell
will take on from here further away is
that we are going to make a decision to
speak a different dialect of social
infrastructure we just can say ego
better and not do what we just can’t say
that we have to construct new social
norms that says there’s a way for us to
behave so my fellow Nigerians let me
take you back to the story I refer to in
the beginning the young man that called
me and said this walk and don’t walk
science he too macho he too many
you see that is a physical
infrastructure we see in New York Los
Angeles Atlanta Houston London which
city they were made a name even though
according to Road use rules or driving
rules who has the right-of-way the
motorist or the pedestrian yes the
pedestrian has the right-of-way but why
will they have a physical sign that says
walk and don’t walk because even though
the pedestrian has right-of-way he too
has to be regulated correct so he who is
in a leadership because the pedestrian
has more power you German ego Gopi the
point of the matter is that even if
Authority and leadership and power is
bestowed on us by virtue of laws and
codes and a good social infrastructure
should we abuse it
we should not so when the sciences don’t
work you stand and generally at this
intersection you see them in this
American movies right they all stand and
is a line of people waiting for the
light to do what to change everybody has
limits as to what we can do that’s
what’s our society’s work and so young
men especially remember you have limits
everybody has limits and guess what
every Nigerian who emigrates to the US
or to Canada that embraces their social
infrastructure what happens to them they
do well they rise they obey the rules
but some of the ones that you don’t see
that don’t talk to their families on all
right let us they are in jail somewhere
that’s what happens and those are forced
to understood and embraced the as the
American Way we excelled so ladies and
gentlemen
which dialects do you speak which one
would you like to speak here in Nigeria
is it broken English
show me your values
[Applause]
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