The nose went hysterical with laughter as the eyes shed tears not knowing that it’s only a matter of time before it begins to drip uncontrollably too. An adult unlike the underage has more power of choice, which is why the weight of the law most time comes down more on him when he errs. And because it is just a thin line between what is expedient and what is good, God knowing fully well that men will attempt to hide behind the finger of expedience to perpetrate evil and hurt each other says in the Holy Bible that ‘not all that is expedient is good’.  Dele Giwa paraphrasing the Bible said “Any evil done to man by man will surely be redressed if not by man definitely by God for the victory of evil over good can only be temporary. The responses to ‘The Nigerian shame in London’ part one where most Nigerians justified the shameful act of scamming is a pointer to one thing; that the Nigerian followership is as bad as the leadership. The followership is therefore fast breeding the likes of Babangida, Alamieyeseigha, Ofonogoro, Babatope, Ikimi, Abacha, Waya, Uba, Akinloye, Nzeribe, Merije, Fayoshe, Tafa, et cetera.

Since not many people agreed to the exposition on the disgraceful attitudes of some Nigerians in London I have therefore resolved to further provide more objective analysis and culls of responses for the benefit of those who may yet have change of hearts to condemn what these scammers and spoilers do to affect our lives in totality, remember they are reading as well. They are our brothers and sisters as whatever affects the nose must take it toll on the eyes as well.

We have had so many terrible and heart breaking stories about Nigerians in the UK, shall we now sweep them under the carpet and pretend everything is alright? The nose suffers too kee! We have heard and seen people suffer directly as a result of the shameful attitudes of our brothers and sisters in London. An example is Jah Guda, response to ‘The Nigerian shame in London’ - Part I on the village square;

Jah Guda

“My friend has just started a business here in London; he set up two months ago and has been unable to open a business account with any of the major banks. Now he is trying to open an account with one of the building societies. It is a problem that affects innocent Nigerians and we all know what Western societies are like, they will constantly dwell on the negative, their argument is ‘good news does not sell newspapers’. Only last week another Nigerian was jailed for swindling £2 million from the bank accounts of Halifax building society customers, this made TV, radio and print news”.

The BBC got so much commendation each time they exposed bad Nigerians, hence so much search light is placed on us. Because of the recent development it has become a way of life for Nigerians to be the most delayed and interrogated by the police when stopped on the streets of London. A friend told me recently that a police stopped a Nigerian for searching and asked for his identity; he immediately claimed to be a Jamaican, the police told him to keep quiet and said “I know a Nigerian when I see one”. ‘Omo ale  ni fi owo osi juwe ile Baba re’. It is only a child that has paternity limbo surrounding his birth that will condescendingly point to his father house with a left finger.

A young Nigerian graduate who came to London to write a professional examination left his luggage that had his Nigerian passport in a car only to return to discover that the car was gone. When he reported the incident to the police he was advised to go and recover it wherever he hid it as they have countless record of false claims of missing Nigerian passports, so his report was not taken seriously by the police. He was stranded for weeks, overstayed his visitor’s visa, and lost the opportunity to ever return to the UK. Nigerians have become a source of cheap headlines for the media so much so that even the BBC Radio ran several documentaries on Nigerians. The most remarkable one was about one Mrs Owolabi whose charity organisation that was being partly funded by the government fell flat for the Somali bait set by the BBC. The undercover journalist uncovered how she has been a racketeer that was providing fake National Insurance numbers for employment purpose. I was ashamed by her denial when confronted with the recorded conversation she had with the BBC planted Somali, she even swore by her children before the BBC radio crew just to prove she was innocent.

We also read about the Nigerian born British Immigration officer that was selling British indefinite resident permits. When she was detained the newspaper reported that loads of fake resident permits were discovered in her apartment and also apprehended in the apartment was a young man who just arrived from Nigeria with one of those fake permits.

Some people dread to associate with Nigerians and those who dare to pay dearly by being on guard 24/7; an example is Patricia M. Daboh who responded to “The Nigerian shame in London part I” posted on www.nigeriansinamerica.com  

Patricia the Valour

 “Hello. I really enjoyed your article. Although I am not Nigerian, I too, feel what you are feeling. I am an African American woman who married a Nigerian man on January 4, 2007 in Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria. Ever since I told my family and friends about my choice, I have had to be on the defense. It is like the mention of the word Nigeria brings distaste to many people, for Nigeria is well known for scams. I walk in the bank and I see signs about not doing any business dealings with Nigerians. My husband and stepson should join me in the states next month, and still, people tell me to "be careful" with him. One thing I did not know is that Nigerians were known for their athletic ability. That is very good to hear! I really never knew what mixed couples go through, but now I do. It is like I go around with my fist up on the inside always ready to defend my decision and my husband if someone says something very insensitive about him and my stepson. Although Nigerians are well known in America for their schemes, that does not mean all Nigerians are like that. I met many Nigerian people that were humble, lovely, honest, and kind. Unfortunately the number of Nigerians that take advantage of people are increasing yearly. I get an e-mail from Nigeria telling me I have won a lottery . .and you know the rest. Recently, someone e-mailed me and asked me to help a teengage, Nigerian boy. Although she never asked me for funds directly, she sent me correspondence of the conversations she had with this supposedly teenage boy, and in those e-mails, he did ask her for funds. She responded that she was unable to help him. I wrote an article (blog), and she got my e-mail address and contacted me that way. She asked me to help him! However, my stern reply let her know that I would "never" send funds to anyone in Nigeria, or America, without personally knowing the person. How do I know his story is true--I don't? How do I know that she and this person are not working together--I don't. I was taken advantage of by a person who identified himself as a Nigerian man, and I will never put myself in that position again! If I do not know you personally, I do not loan or send you funds or do anything financial on your behalf--bottom line!! With all this deception going on, one has to be careful. So although I am not Nigerian, I still feel the shame of Nigeria's bad reputation. When Nigeria's economic situation is changed, then perhaps the schemes will decrease. Desperate people, although that is no excuse for manipulation, sometimes do desperate things! Excellent article . . .I know how you feel.”

Some Nigerians prefer to pour out their venoms on writers who dare to write on topics like this instead of addressing the subject matter and condemn the perpetrators. They claimed the articles labels and that it’s just a way of lazily re-echoing what they already know. If they know it why have they not done anything about it?  They should remember that no amount of garnishing will change evil because evil will always remain evil. ‘Ti ako ba sofun Obayeje pe on baye je aro pe awon jo  tu Ilu se ni’ If you don’t confront a clandestine saboteur he’ll think you are together in the business of nation building’. When we keep quiet we do not only condone this appalling acts, we also support them in principle. ‘Woe unto them that keep quiet in the face of crises’. A  Nigerian who was not bold enough to disclose his identity responded to Patricia M. Daboh comment on part 1 of this article posted on www.nigeriansinamerica.com

The anonymous Villain

“Yeah, yeah another Naija bashing! Cant we get something else to talk about? I feel your concern but I must say I feel the Western media are just magnifying the issue of Nigerian scammers just as they magnify the issue of Blacks on welfare (for your inf. do you know there are more whites on welfare than blacks?) but you will never know becoz the media with thier hidden agenda continue to show and publicize only blacks on welfare. As for the case of 419. It is share greed on the part of the duped that make them get duped in the first place! How can I tell you I have an unclaimed amount of money and I need your account and a token amount to clear it and you believe? Where do you know me from? The internet? You see what I mean? I do sympathize with the scammed but there is a spiritual law that says what goes round comes round or chicken come to roost. White people from the time of Christopher Columbus have raped, duped and cheated natives of their land and rightful inheritance. Its no surprise to me we are witnessing this on their descendants. When you sow the wind, you reap the whirl wind. Nuff said!”

……..and Patricia fired back some scud missiles:

“No one is bashing Nigeria, but it cannot be denied, especially by those of us who receive weekly e-mail schemes from Nigeria asking for our help in trying to retrieve funds from some type of lottery, that Nigeria is known for its many schemes. We are not making up these things, but it is really happening to many of us! If something is a fact, than it is a fact. And until those facts change and are replaced by more positive facts, than, unfortunately, the numerous schemes that come out of Nigeria will be the focus. Of course, the recent elections, and all the negative things that happened during the elections, does not help Nigeria's image as well. Every country is known for something positive and negative. Unfortunately, again, this seems to be a time when the world is focusing on all the negative things that are coming out of Nigeria (schemes, poverty, electricity shortages, and fraud). If anyhone is tired about the negative things that are being said about Nigeria, which I fully understand your feelings, than write a positive article about Nigeria. Give readers something positive to focus on to balance out the scale of people's negative perception of Nigeria”.

On a final note, If it will take a non Nigerian who by marriage has become one of us to hammer home the truth that will sink in us so be it. ‘Oloorun kin gborun arere’. A stinky person does not perceive himself. Until we decide to address and uproot the source of the shame in our own little ways nothing will change, shame is shame and no amount of laundering can remove it …… not even the popular ‘Kongi’ soap.

“Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them! They will be paid back for what their hands have done” - Isaiah 3:11

'The Nigerian shame in London' Part I ww.nigeriavillagesquare.com/index.php/content/view/5992/55

Robot  # 1 | 22.05.2007 07:25

“Hello. I r...Read the full article.

Auspicious  # 2 | 22.05.2007 07:47

‘Oloorun kin gborun arere’. A stinky person does not perceive himself. Until we decide to address and uproot the source of the shame in our own little ways nothing will change, shame is shame and no amount of laundering can remove it …… not even the popular ‘Kongi’ soap. Gbeere o! O ma seun o, eeyan gidi! (Bullseye! Thank you o'jare, better pesin!). Auspicious.

Mikky jaga  # 3 | 22.05.2007 08:32

A man has bad body odour. You do not help him in anyway by proclaiming that fact in the marketplace. Get him some medication to remove the Body Odour and some perfume to get him smelling right again and you would have done some great job. I have not seen any Nigerian that approves of the activities of these scammers, except he/she is one of them. The question is what can we do? Writing about it does not solve the problem. It has never discouraged the scammers at all. We will just waste our time and breath and nothing will be achieved. The only solution I can see is for good Nigerians in all walks of life to remain resolute on the path of integrity and from experience, the rest of the world will know that the scammers are just few bad eggs, which abound in every society. The amount of scam that went on during the last election in the full glare of the world is also not helping matters. Putting well known scammers like Iwu (as reported by Sahara Reporters) in charge of National elections is to promote scam to a National pastime. A man with "Fake" Doctorate Degree becoming Governor elect is part of the things that make people write us off as unserious. When we stop rewarding 419ers with chieftaincy titles: When we begin to ask where people get their monies from: When a man that became president with less than N2000 in his account suddenly becomes a billionaire after eight years in office and we ask him to justify his income or go to jail, the shame in London will be wiped off.

Just mii  # 4 | 22.05.2007 09:16

I had to go read the 1st part in the Nigerians-in-America site so I could understand the writer's view. It's time we stood our ground against fraudulent Nigerians. Why can't they convert their genius attitude to the right side. Little do they know that the fortunes they enjoy now are all at the detriments of their future generations. In as much as this is a stain on us, it takes two to tango. A fraudster can't do it alone. I heard of a story of a White woman who decided to secretly go into a deal she read in her husband's email, all b'cos she felt her husband was stupid to have turned down such juicy deal. I believe in Nigeria and in her future. I believe as our economy is improving, education being made available, jobs being offered, Nigeria's true glory would come forth in a short while. A journey of a thousand mile starts with a step. Every Nigerian should start making it a duty to sensitize his/her neighbour on the looming disaster of the effects of fraudulent Nigerians.

Auspicious  # 5 | 22.05.2007 09:31

Writing about it and drumming it into the psyche of those in denial is about as important as every other thing we do to rid ourselves of the self-inflicted stigma of fraud that many of our compatriots are noted for. There is a reason why AIDS awareness is brought right into people's faces everyday - in their homes, at their workplaces, on street billboards etc. It is to drive home the point that unsafe sex can kill you and destroy everything else you have. So is the case of Dele Oluwole's (and others') essays about these crimes that are quite common amongst our compatriots; the essays/write-ups seeks to bring to our collective awareness and drive home the point that a few amongst us bring us too much labels. It may also help change the mind of those in denial. Auspicious.

Just mii  # 6 | 22.05.2007 09:50

"the essays/write-ups seeks to bring to our collective awareness and drive home the point that a few amongst us bring us too much labels." I agree. No one should condone or justify fraudulence neither pretend as if we're less concerned. We should not wait till our family member or friend is duped b4 we wake up to this reality.

jthelmsdeep  # 7 | 22.05.2007 10:47

=Mikky jaga;177472>A man has bad body odour. You do not help him in anyway by proclaiming that fact in the marketplace. Get him some medication to remove the Body Odour and some perfume to get him smelling right again and you would have done some great job. I have not seen any Nigerian that approves of the activities of these scammers, except he/she is one of them. The question is what can we do? Writing about it does not solve the problem. It has never discouraged the scammers at all. We will just waste our time and breath and nothing will be achieved. The only solution I can see is for good Nigerians in all walks of life to remain resolute on the path of integrity and from experience, the rest of the world will know that the scammers are just few bad eggs, which abound in every society. The amount of scam that went on during the last election in the full glare of the world is also not helping matters. Putting well known scammers like Iwu (as reported by Sahara Reporters) in charge of National elections is to promote scam to a National pastime. A man with "Fake" Doctorate Degree becoming Governor elect is part of the things that make people write us off as unserious. When we stop rewarding 419ers with chieftaincy titles: When we begin to ask where people get their monies from: When a man that became president with less than N2000 in his account suddenly becomes a billionaire after eight years in office and we ask him to justify his income or go to jail, the shame in London will be wiped off. The problem with your rationalization and your "body odor" theory is that it is somewhat misplaced in the context of Nigerian scam artists. The man who has body odor may not be aware of that fact and so, when you provide him with the necessary paraphernelia to help him clean up, you are doing him as well as others a favor. Our scam artists are innately and consciously dishonest people who look for gullible people to prey upon in an unveiled attempt to swindle them out of their possessions. However you choose to interpret the constant negative articles about Nigerians and their scams, the bottom line is that we do have a global reputation for being dubious and dishonest. We constantly imply that we are not the only country with corrupt people, but that is the ostritch syndrome at work (The ostritch buries it's head in the sand when danger approaches, as if that singular act averts the danger. It simply means that it doesn't see it when it arrives). Last I checked, we are still the ones with the global reputation inspite of whomever else may be 'scamming the world.' Instead of indignantly expressing our vehement disapproval at being singled out as a people, we need to quickly come to terms with the fact that we are the only ones who can clean up our global reputation. Being angry at the constant references to how dubious we are as a people serves little purpose except to further justify the allegation, because, generally speaking, guilty people become defensive. Remember that, when you paint with broad brushstrokes, innocent bystanders are splattered with paint. This means that even the innocent suffer the same reputation as the guilty. This is not unique to us. Americans are known globally to be arrogant bullies, people who care little about others and are only interested in what's in it for them. This does not make every American that way, but they also suffer the consequences of that reputation. Let's stop defending ourselves as if the reports in the press are inflated or undeserved. If a lion was attacking your homestead you would warn everyone as often and as loudly as you could, to beware and look out for the lion. That is human nature. The Western media are simply doing what is expected of them to protect the population from these rabid wolves that seek to prey on unwitting victims.

nero africanus  # 8 | 22.05.2007 10:52

Shouldnt We Be Looking At The Cause Of The Problem Instead Of The Problem Itself. Dwelling On The Problem Does Not Solve It , The Question For Me Is This Why Do Nigerians Engage In Fraud We All Know That The Average Nigerian Like All Other Citizens Of Humanity Is Not A Criminal Why Then Do They Engage In Fraud That Is The Question

emi  # 9 | 22.05.2007 11:09

There are at least two important reasons why we must keep talking about these bad eggs. The first is that, we are all casualties of the label their activities cast. And this is painful, really painful. And pain, whatever the cause, especially when psychological must find a vent, and these articles are indeed very good vents. The second reason is that writing about them keeps us all thinking about possible solutions. If we all keep quiet, bear our pains, shame and disgrace in silence, we would all be the worse for it. I encourage everybody to share their experiences. It would keep us aware, on guard, and actively thinking. Thanks a lot for the article, and people should learn that negativities are better when they are exposed than buried.

Jah Guda  # 10 | 22.05.2007 11:58

<QUOTE=Mikky jaga;177472>A man has bad body odour. You do not help him in anyway by proclaiming that fact in the marketplace. Get him some medication to remove the Body Odour and some perfume to get him smelling right again and you would have done some great job. I have not seen any Nigerian that approves of the activities of these scammers, except he/she is one of them. The question is what can we do? Writing about it does not solve the problem. It has never discouraged the scammers at all. We will just waste our time and breath and nothing will be achieved. The problem with your first point is, the man already resides in the market place, aka the world; especially the world wide web. Worldwide our reputation is dire. Universally, we are notorious for this particular crime. We all agree that there are scammers from other parts of the world but Nigeria is becoming a generic name for scams. Second point, we have to write about it here, it is the same as sitting together in a room and having a discussion; we have got the benefit of the net bringing us together, regardless of location, and enabling our daily interaction. Peace

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