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Nigerians in US reject CNN report...Read the full article.

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There is no doubt that the socalled documentary was fundamentally flawed - another design by a section of the Western media to demonise Africans especially Nigerians. The fact is that the West cannot believe that in spite of portraying Africa as a continent full of disease, corruption, beggars, etc, some Nigerians still manage to excel in many ways. They simply cannot understand the never say die fighting Nigerian spirit. Corruption thrives in Africa because it has its roots deeply rooted in colonialism. Where does the loot from African countries go to? Back to Western banks. Where are the money laundering laws of these western countries?

The Government of the United Kingdom conveniently allowed DSP Alamiesigha varnish from his home which was meant to be under surveillance because they didn't want to spend UK's taxpayers money trying a criminal who stole Nigeria's money. Some Western Governments work hand in hand with some Nigerian criminals and then generalise about us being rogues. We all know it takes two to tango. If you fall for the tricks of a 419er, you do not have genuine intentions yourself. Most of the victims of 419ers want to reap where they have not sowed. 'Cunning man die, cunning man bury am'.

I know several people in the US and this documentary seeks to portray almost half of them as criminals. The West in their false claim to superiority will stop at nothing to destroy the black man.

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Where are those misguided Nigerians who discount the belief that the outside world, especially the west is prosecuting a campaign geared towards dehumanizing and birsmiching the reputation of Africans? Where are they? Those starry eyed clueless Africans who cling to the delusional notion that the exclusively negative portrayal of Black Africans is the result of our shortcomings, and not the hostile actions of a campaign dedicated to our dehumanization?

Pray tell, where are they?

They used to at least allow us respite between strikes, now they sally in furious succession. I went into yahoo today to check my mail only to be greeted with the obscene headline about AIDS potentially killing 100 africans. Then there was the feature about Nigerian flim flammers in the U.S. Lately, in the media, there has been considerably more coverage about the advanced mail fraud than in previous years. It seems the media had been dismayed by the apparent lack of association between Nigerians and the dastardly practice, and sought vigorously to rectify that through repeated news reports and comments about the crime, until the practice became inculcated into the minds of the general public.

After reading this article, I performed my own unscientific research by recalling forty Nigerians I had known during my residence in this country, and only one of them had been involved in any activity that I could describe as illegal. This particular activity was certainly nothing that could be described as evil or atrocious, but was simply an illegal occupation. But that was only one out of forty! A piddling 2.5%! Can you think of any other immigrant group that can boast comparable numbers? Half of the inmates in California's prisons are illegal aliens south of the U.S. border, many of whom are incacerated for committing heinous crimes such as murder and rape. Yet you will never hear the media discuss this because of a simple fact: they like Mexicans and other South Americans. They do not care for Nigerians and other black Africans.

When I make such statements, I am villified for being indisposed to the acceptance of the degeneracy that is believed to be deeply woven into the Nigerian mindset. Yet my own experiences and the experiences of many Nigerians belie this belief.

So I wish the eternally optimistic African Godspeed in his conviction of the good intentions of the western media. Meanwhile Ghana's foreign coach has just shown his employers how appreciative he is of the opportunity to coach a national team by expectorating on them with remarks he made about the indisposition of black Africans to discipline. That's what you get for hiring a "saviour" with light skin instead of your own citizens. His remarks make a perfect companion to Clemens Westerhoff's priceless offering about Nigeria, when he opined: there are two kinds of Nigerians, those who play soccer and those who sell drugs all over the world. A summation that automatically renders the vast majority of Nigerians stateless.

My heartffelt congratulations also go to the Togolese football association which executed the scintillating stroke of firing Stephen Keshi, who miraculously qualified them for the world cup, and replacing him with a German who probably would have been hard pressed to associate the name Togo with a national entity prior to his appointment. Well done, my "African brothers". Now thanks to you and your predilection for foreign coaches, our inferiority complex will be on full display for the whole world to see starting on June 9th.

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A Response To CNN’s Offensive And Unacceptable Generalizations About Nigerians In Hou

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3519 International Court, Washington DC 20008
Tel: 202-986-8400 EXT 1023; Fax 202-237-1078
Website: www.nidoamericas.org
E-mail: manager@nidoamericas.org


May 25, 2006

Kathy Slobogin, Managing Editor
Andy Segal, Senior Producer,
CNN Presents: “How To Rob a Bank
Cable News Network (CNN),
Atlanta, Ga.


A Response To CNN’s Offensive And Unacceptable Generalizations About Nigerians In Houston And Nigerian Immigrants In The Americas As A Whole.
Request for retraction and apology

On behalf of Nigerians in Diaspora Organization (NIDO) Americas Inc. and all Nigerians both at home and abroad, we write to protest the offensive and stereotypical portrayal of Nigerians by the Cable News Network, CNN, on a featured program titled: CNN Presents: “ How to Rob a Bank” shown four times over a two-day period between May 20th and May 21st 2006.

NIDO Americas Inc. is the umbrella organization representing the interests of Nigerian professionals, community organizations and individual Nigerians living in North and South America and the Caribbean. The mission of NIDO Americas is to harness the tremendous industry, skills and expertise of Diaspora Nigerians to help in the socio-economic development in Nigeria and to improve the well being of all Nigerians wherever in the world they live and work.

According to the United States Census Bureau the average Nigerian living and working in the US has a college degree or higher education. The scholastic attainment of the Nigerian community in the USA is higher than those of native-born Americans of all racial backgrounds and is at a rate that compares favorably with other immigrant communities including East Asians, Japanese, Chinese and those of European origin.

The overwhelming majorities of Nigerians living outside of Nigeria are hard-working and law abiding citizens in America and elsewhere in the world. The majority of Nigerians in the USA live wholesome lives as law abiding and tax paying American citizens or as permanent residents who along with their neighbors of diverse origins continue to add value to their adopted country. There are Nigerians throughout the United States and other parts of the world who have excelled in various fields of human endeavor. They are medical doctors, lawyers, university professors, hospital administrators, nurses and engineers as well as equally hard-working and law abiding members of our community who are taxi drivers, security guards and factory workers.

Amongst the 120,000 strong Nigerian-American residents of Houston are numerous entrepreneurs including Mr. Kase Lawal who owns and operates an oil exploration company with over 2 billion US dollars market capitalization. Another prominent Nigerian who resides in Houston is Mr. Hakeem Olajuwon, former star basketball player with the Houston Rockets to name a few.

For these and many other reasons, we are absolutely outraged by the aforementioned CNN’s cavalier and negative presentation of the majority Nigerians living in Houston. CNN alleged that most Nigerians in Houston are engaged in unsavory activities. CNN’s presentation created the impression that Nigerians as a whole community specializes in fraudulent activities, and in particular have a bent for identity theft crimes. Most disturbingly is the assertion that Nigerians in Houston are bad guests in their host communities. The CNN feature presented a stereotypically negative image of Nigerians as if all Nigerians especially those who live in the Houston area are a monolithic lot, whose main livelihood in the USA are to defraud unsuspecting and gullible Americans. This is certainly false!

The portrayal is simply malicious and a demonstration of lazy journalism. It is most offensive and unacceptable.

CNN is supposed to be a highly esteemed news network. We are very disappointed that CNN chose to castigate and label all Nigerians and Nigeria as a country in a manner that suggested that all Nigerians in America, and especially in Houston, are engaged in criminal activities in a pervasive way. We have not seen or heard CNN generalize and make stereotypic attributes about Italian Americans because of a few who are involved in organized crime; or portray all Colombians in America as cocaine dealers or drug lords, because of the act of a few Colombians. CNN knows that it would be wrong to portray every Afghan in America as a Taliban terrorist!

So why would CNN paint Nigerians with such negative broad-brush generalizations? Why should CNN be engaged in such pedestrian journalism? Could this be attributed to racism? What was the motive behind this negative portrayal?

For a balanced reporting, CNN also ought to be interested in the numerous Nigerians who have contributed immensely and added value to Houston and other communities in the US. We suggest that CNN do a follow-up story about Nigerians in Houston, Dallas, Cleveland, Portland and other parts of America where Nigerians are doing positive things.

On behalf of all Nigerians in Houston, Texas and worldwide, NIDO Americas demands a quick retraction and an apology from CNN for its negative and stereotypical portrayal of all Nigerians for the alleged crimes of a few bad elements who reside in Houston. Failure to obtain a retraction and an apology from CNN will leave us with no other recourse but to seek remedy and justice through the courts.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Ola Kassim MD. MPA. FRCPC. FCAP.
Chairman, NIDO Americas Inc.
705 746 4540 ext. 3818 or 202 986 8400 ext 1023



ABOUT NIDO
Nigerians in Diaspora Organization (NIDO) is a non-profit organization that is drawing from the synergy of all Nigerian Professionals in the Diaspora, to instill ethical consciousness and civic responsibility that will enhance the socio-economic advancement of Nigerians and humanity in general. NIDO-Americas is currently focusing on: strategic networking, social advocacy, education, healthcare, technological and economic empowerment, as well as skills and cultural exchange projects. The Nigerian government recognizes NIDO-Americas as the umbrella organization, a single voice and information-clearing channel for all Nigerians in the Americas and Caribbean including their community based organizations. For more information about NIDO please send us e-mail to manager@nidoamericas.org.

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"They do not care for Nigerians and other black Africans." ILN.

what a CRAP..! so iln, you want honour, respect...etc, you must earn them first...nigeria is in mess, qualitatively and quantitatively a total dehumanizing society and developmentally below level of animal's kingdom...! and somebody somewhere like you want love, honour and respect...! what an irony and hogwash...earn them first..mr iln..!monkeyhead..!

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"They do not care for Nigerians and other black Africans." ILN or naija for dead.

what a CRAP..! so iln, you want honour, respect...etc, you must earn them first...nigeria is in mess, qualitatively and quantitatively a total dehumanizing society and developmentally below level of animal's kingdom...! and somebody somewhere like you want love, honour and respect...! what an irony and hogwash...earn them first..mr iln..!monkeyhead..!

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The CNN Report is not surprising because we know that there is a grand plan to annex Nigeria to the Globalisation project. One of the ways to effect this is firstly using the media to sensitize us positively and negatively. 1) Nigerians are the happiest on earth-(hogwash); 2) We are the best criminals-(rubbish).

Secondly, they chooses the brainwashed Nigerians at Rhodes scholarship project to man our financial houses, make policies for the chosen leader of the country with additional economic adviser to spy for them.

Yet our so-called high Commissioners and Ambassadors sits with their arms folded. They don't know the art of economic, political and cultural intelligence. Mere sitting ducks.

When do we put round pegs in round holes.

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It is Nigerians like you that are referred to in the CNN documentary!

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My second comment was directed to i think better!

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I Think Better:

So because Nigeria is in a mess, those of us who live outside Nigeria should be subject to the nonsense that CNN has decided to unleash on us. By the sound of your tone, it seems to me that you are non-Nigerian hence, the rashness and abrasiveness of your lousy posts. Please if you don't have anything concrete to contribute, abstain from posting your crude and senseless responses. In the event that you are indeed Nigerian (which will be a real shocker), so we should simply accept such insolence from CNN because our country is in a bad state. You better go and sit down somewhere and behave yourself!