Still on the story of the maltreatment of 135 Nigerian passengers and Mr Ayodeji Omotade on the BA flight to Lagos from Heathrow, London...

A website has been created asking the world to respect Nigerians and a petition is flying around for all Nigerians to boycott BA and I am aware NVS is strongly in support of this act, I even understand President Yar’dua has condemned the act and requested an explanation from the British government (Thisday Newspapers). I honestly don’t know why this has generated so much emotion within us Nigerians; I mean, how do we treat ourselves???

Don’t we suffer more oppression from our Nigerian brothers and sisters than from any other group of people? One cannot enter the same elevator with any minister in Nigeria, most Bank MD’s do not share the lift with their members of staff, and we being personality worshipers in Nigeria are comfortable with this sort of treatment. How many times have we been brushed off the road by a governor’s convoy (remember the woman that was beaten in front of her kids by Imo state governors envoys while he sat there and watched), brushed off (with whips, like we are animals) by mobile policemen in bullion vans because they are transporting cash for banks or even some rich man who can afford to have 6 policemen as his ‘escorts’ while crime flourishes right beside him. The last time my cousin in Nigeria went to Ekiti for his friend’s father’s funeral, the convoy of a state Governor killed a man in one of the small towns before Ikole!

Now let’s go to our individual treatment of one another, how do we treat our drivers and domestic helps? I remember my neighbour's driver used to stay with them till 11pm every day including Saturdays and Sundays, we enslave our domestic helps with all types of inhuman chores and say to them they should be happy because they are getting a fair deal of ‘a bed to lie on’ and 3 square meals a day. I’m not saying everyone does this, but a large majority of us are guilty, it’s the way we have treated ourselves which is in our nature and character that is responsible for the treatment we get from everybody else.

We then think the only way to go about it is to shout, protest, jump queues, write in big English in all the newspapers in the world, rather than re orientate ourselves and learn to treat everyone with respect regardless of age, race or financial capabilities.

Most of the foreigners in our midst have seen the way we treat and have no respect for ourselves and they have adopted that model too.

The Nigerian passengers in the BA flight would have scored a better point if they had requested to get off the plane when the deportee was being maltreated before they were actually asked to get off. Guess what is even more striking and embarrassing to me, 135 Nigerians were asked to get off the plane and the remaining Nigerians in the Business and First Class didn’t stand up in protest! Why???? Why didn’t they voice their objections or eve get off the plane in protest! Maybe they were not even part of the protest in the first place, I can imagine our self styled ‘big men’, probably sipping a drink and chatting with fellow business class travellers, feeling special and probably saying things like; I’ve been flying BA First class for 20 years, they can’t try me’ , and all sorts of things.

I went to Nigeria last year for a friends wedding and while driving on the roads I could not understand why everyone was so ‘angry’, if you overtake someone, he feels you are riding him and starts fighting with you, you cant park in front of a shop/side road as someone will come and start telling you ‘you think because you dey drive fine car, you can park here’ just because your car is flashy or ask you for money for your car to be safe.

Is it not in Nigeria that one can be locked up in a police station on a Friday evening and won’t get bail until Monday on a flimsy excuse that your arresting officer has gone home for the weekend?

Let’s re orientate ourselves and start treating ourselves well in very simple ways, we can change the way we are perceived all over the world, stay on a queue, let the other driver go without abusing him/her, etc. You can’t make omelettes without breaking an egg, we can’t launder our image as is being suggested in so many circles, we need to make some sacrifices and it must start form home.

Robot  # 1 | 17.06.2008 23:33

Still on the story of the maltreatment of 135 Nigerian passengers and Mr Ayodeji Omotade on...Read the full article.

FoxCatcher  # 2 | 18.06.2008 12:54

=Robot;4295056806>Still on the story of the maltreatment of 135 Nigerian passengers and Mr Ayodeji Omotade on... Is it not in Nigeria that one can be locked up in a police station on a Friday evening and won’t get bail until Monday on a flimsy excuse that your arresting officer has gone home for the weekend? Let’s re orientate ourselves and start treating ourselves well in very simple ways, we can change the way we are perceived all over the world, stay on a queue, let the other driver go without abusing him/her, etc. You can’t make omelettes without breaking an egg, we can’t launder our image as is being suggested in so many circles, we need to make some sacrifices and it must start form home. Read the full article. You pose some relevant questions about the Nigerian factor. These are aspects of our national ethos; unpleasant? objectionable? but true. We just have to deal with it. My problem with this line of reasoning is that it tries to justify Nigerians accepting to be international footmats because our home is in shambles. I beg to differ. I had classmates at primary and secondary levels who were Indians, Pakistanis, Portuguese, Lebanese, Arabs etc and I was close to several. All is not uhuru with these nationalities also. Are we saying these human rights abuses are limited to Nigerians? Is it only Nigeria that experiences Bigmanism or some of the vices spelt out in your article? I think not! Yet they stand together when dealing with slights against their nationals? Logic tells you to collectively deal with external aggression before facing your internal wranglings. That's why they say two dogs fighting over a bone close ranks to face a lion. I imagine that after overcoming the lion (if they both survive the encounter:D:D:D), they'd return to their dispute. Our collective negatives are insufficient reason to reduce ourselves to footmats, muckballs etc of the international community. I agree we must first respect ourselves as respect is commanded and not demanded. However, that respect begins with self respect. Even if my home is in turmoil, I must carry myself outside with a bearing that ensures others respect me for my self worth. That is not a request; its a (for want of a better word) demand. As for our home grown budding tyrants; I believe they survive for so long becos of the kind of reasoning in this article. The reasoning can be stretched to tribal/ethnic, social, professional etc colours. About 17 years ago I was sent to PH to represent a client at a meeting with a multinational oil company. Our client received the notice late and I had to travel with less than 24 hours notice. When I arrived at the venue, the meeting was in progress as I was not expected. There were several senior officers of the oil company and other companies in attendance. I was rebuked by the white officials and perhaps because of my age they attempted to denigrate me and my client. My response was blunt and swift. I asserted my professional competence to partake of the meeting and frankly lashed the offending official in kind. The Nigerian officials had to come in to broker a truce. However, later over dinner, they thanked me for helping them take down the official as he was really quite obnoxious. I was left wondering why such senior officers (who seniored this guy in age) would accept such trash from another human being? To conclude, I have british friends dating years back. I respect them, but insist that that respect must be reciprocal. In the instant case, if my money is acceptable to BA, then accord my money respect whatever your opinion of me; period. Ciao

Nnamdi  # 3 | 18.06.2008 16:16

we we seem to get our priorites wrong atimes. BA's conduct was shameful and downright offensive and should be addressed.

tonsoyo  # 4 | 18.06.2008 16:37

You could still have made the points about how we treat ourselves in Nigeria without relating it to the BA saga. They are two different things. Individuals inhuman treatment of one another in Nigeria will not excuse or justify corporate inhuman treatment of Nigerians by foreign entities.

AMEN  # 5 | 18.06.2008 19:02

To mister Elegbe, 1. when you were growing up did you not fight or quarrel with your siblings at home, did that stop you fighting for them when they are attacked by an outsider?. 2. do british and other people not mistreat their own as well, where do you think all the class divides and sexism etc came from.but the brits are the first to stand up for their own globally, even when their person is guilty, and nigeria or its people deserve to stand for their own as well. 3. don't forget the nigerians aboard that plane WERE PAYING CUSTOMERS, AND SO DESERVE RESPECT,THEIR MONEY'S WORTH, AND AS THE SAYING GOES 'THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT'. 4.i accept we treat each other badly, but that doesn't mean others can or should too, its a bit like black people calling each other nigga but saying the white man can't kind off thing, not right at all but it is the way thing are done to maintain self esteem in the face of extreme racism. 5. FINALLY A QUESTION FOR YOU, THAT BLACK PEOPLE KILL EACH IN OUR INNER CITIES, DOES THAT JUSTIFY A WHITE RACIST TO KILL ONE OF US, SAYING WELL THEY ARE KILLING EACH OTHER AREN'T THEY WHAT DOES IT MATTER? GOD BLESS U AMEN

ebiasain  # 6 | 18.06.2008 20:21

Well said. The main thrust of your article shines. But, here's the problem: Nigerians on the whole are good people. I am not sure how many Nigerians will go to Heaven. You know, it's said that many are called, but only a few are chosen. For a country that's 140 million strong, it means we are in big trouble as far as Heaven goes! Any way, that's beside the point. The problem we face in Nigeria is not a lack of the Nigerian capacity for decency. It's simply that our so-called leaders have gone amock by actually turning the country on her head. The result is the current state of affairs back home and our image as a pariah nation. They say, a Nation can only go as far as the goodness and vision of her leaders. When the leaders don't have vision, the people perish! Check the book of Proverbs. Check again, even in our trials and tribulations, Nigerians have remained a people with a great sense of humor. Come to the U.S and see how average Americans are committing suicides because of rising gas prices! Yes, Nigerians are battered by their leaders, but they are not quitting on the collective struggle.