Negative Effects of Westernization on Nigeria|-|Rex Chimex Blog

Written by: Joseph

Since the dawn of the twenty first century, Westernization has been a phenomenon that has been spreading across the globe at a tremendous rate. The spread of Westernization can be attributed to many factors of which Globalization can be said to have played a very crucial role in its spread.

Nigeria like many country in the world has always been at the receiving end of these western norms and value system where the negative aspects of these western norms and value system is now something that is witness in the lives of many Nigerians, and of course the positive impact are things nobody wants to emulate or make part of their everyday lives.

The negative impact of westernization has since spread its tentacles to every nook and cranny of the Nigerian state thus influencing and changing the culture of many tribes and ethnic group in the country.

A renowned scholar once defined Culture as the "way of life of a particular people living in a particular place". From this definition given, one can readily say that the ways of westernization was never part of Nigerians as a people living in a particular place.

A growing trend now in Nigeria that is almost becoming a norm is the way many Nigerians dress, while many will say "to dress decent is a choice" they tend to forget that from the pre-colonial era, Nigerians have always have different dress attire that has always been the embodiment of Nigerian traditional value and culture system, dress attire that are very beautiful and more often than not provoke the envy of many westerners.

The way many Nigerians dress nowadays often make one to wonder about the moral scruple of that individual, this is most common with some Nigerian women, you take a good look at the way some women dress in the society and you cannot help but marvel at the level of indecency being display, they reveal almost all the things that shouldn't even be revealed, things that should only be seen by their husband alone, should you even ask why they display such things in public, they tell you it’s their body and they can decide to do whatever they what to do with it.

More often than not these women who often flaunt their intimate parts are often at the receiving end of many men who most times mistake them for commercial sex workers, the women in turn tend to pour their anger at these men forgetting that in Nigeria today most people react to what they see and hear in the society.

Let us shift our attention now to another trend that is by far worse than that of indecent dressing, "Infidelity", you take a very good look at Nigeria today and you just can't help but marvel at the way some married men cheat on their wives at will. Before the spread of westernization, infidelity was something that was severely treated and spoken against in Nigeria, should a man or woman cheat on his or her spouse, that person will be brought to the village square and flogged, but now all you see are married men engaging in the act and still say that there is absolutely nothing wrong for a man to cheat on his wife.

The Women now have also joined the men in this abysmal act, some women nowadays tend to copy what their male counterparts are doing, that is cheating on their husband, when asked why they engage in such act, they tell you "what a man can do a woman can do better" that is cheating is not only good for a man but good for a woman.

Among all these things, the issue that really calls for concern is the issue of "homosexuality". To the Nigerian traditional man, homosexuality is a foreign word and should one try to explain it to him, he will rebuke you with all the might he can muster. Be that as it may, homosexuality is now almost becoming as morally right as infidelity and indecent dressing, although the National Assembly have banned the act, this does not however stop many from engaging in it.

The pressure from many foreign countries on Nigeria's stand on homosexuality goes a long way to say that many Nigerian homosexuals both home and abroad are lobbying for the National Assembly to legalize the act.

Although the Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs have reiterated Nigeria's stand on homosexuality, many foreign organizations seem not agree with it saying that it is an individual’s fundamental human right.

What they seem to forget is that such a thing was and still is a taboo in our many traditional norms and value system in the country today.

I believe these mentioned above are just about the most worrisome trend westernization having brought to the Nigerian polity.

We must all look at these things critically and speak out against it for with the aid of globalization they seem to be spreading tremendously. When growing up as a child, homosexuality, indecent dressing and infidelity were things that I never even knew about, but now even a thirteen year old will tell you that such things are almost normal and right.

While westernization have brought about many positive changes in Nigeria, it has also brought about many negative changes and the negative is what many Nigerians are focusing on thus relegating the positive, a very close look at internet scam popularly called ‘yahoo yahoo’ will buttress this point.

We should all shun these negative trends of westernization and uphold the positive, for if we do not, our traditional norms and value will be wiped off the face of the Nigerian state to be replaced with western norms and value system.

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