Oprah: Campaign of Calumny Against Nigeria
Written by Paul I. Adujie
Lawcareer2007@aol.com
New York, United States

Oprah Winfrey is a person of African descent, for whom I have publicly expressed admiration, poured encomiums in a most public way, and only recently in: "Oprah Winfrey: Powerful, Selfless & Giver of Dignity!"

Sadly and painfully, it has come to pass that our daughter, the highly achieved and accomplished Oprah Winfrey, our most famous descendant, has chosen, wittingly or unwittingly, to add her high profile voice, through her far reaching medium, to the campaign of calumny against Nigerians and  invariably, Nigeria.

Oprah maligned Nigerians and Nigeria, all in the name of discussing identity theft and sundry frauds which have become prevalent in America. These crimes and others, are a public threat and as such warrant public conversations, but why must Oprah and others focus on whether some perpetrators are Jews, Germans, Japanese, Mexicans or Nigerians?

Generalizing and stereotyping Nigerians or Nigeria, labeling and castigating Nigerians and Nigeria, has become a totem of American journalism.

What Oprah and her cohorts are doing to Nigerians and Nigeria, with these frequent stereotyping and generalizing, should be exposed for what they are! These are primordial, primitive and erratic ignorant responses or value judgments about 140 million Nigerians, of whom these journalists know nothing about! And yet, these journalists, in their happy ignorance, talk about Nigerians with some sorts of expertise, amounting only to, automatic responses without erudition analytic acumen.

There are unfortunately, some Nigerians who are forever willing to jump to justify these attacks on Nigeria; Such as when Nigeria was maligned by CNN in "How to rob a bank" or when CNN’s Jeff Koinage orchestrated and choreographed a pay-per-view  strip-tease "expose" on Militants in the Niger Delta or when ABC Television’s Brian Ross’ "Black Money: The Latest Twist in the Billion Dollar Nigerian Scam Racket"

I am no longer willing to be patient with the halting Nigerian, who keeps insisting, that 100 percent of Nigerians must do right, always, for we must act just right, so that Americans and Europeans complaints and castigations of Africans may come to a stop. Non-Africans’ uncommon negative ferocity directed at Nigerians and other Africans, must be seen for what they are! Irresponsible journalistic prejudices wrapped in racism. As often as I encounter these ferocious attacks against my nation and my continent, I always wish that I have the natural, divine and even, supernatural powers to write thrillingly eloquent defense of Nigerians, continental Africans and all peoples of African descent.

This week alone, I have read public comments by a tenured Nigerian professor at the University of Maiduguri, Professor Abba Gana Shettima who was denied a visa to the Gambia, a visa that would have enabled him deliver a public lecture of continental proportions in importance. He narrated his ordeals in an article titled "Between (‘419’) fraudsters and their greedy ’victims" Additionally, an article by Joseph Anwana who also narrated what is increasingly appearing to be concerted efforts to repudiate everything Nigerian and Nigeria,  Nigerian Employers And Tokunbo Mentality

These persistent and sustained attacks on Nigeria, have dire consequences for Nigerians and Nigeria, severally, in the short and long terms, as well as repercussions for Nigerians as individuals striving, in and outside Nigeria. And Nigeria as a corporate entity, that is continually under barrages of attacks or endless bashing.

If you happen to disagree or do not see the point here, just ask yourself, what did Professor Shettima do, to be denied a visa to Gambia to attend a seminar/workshop? Then further ask yourself who is next in line to be meted this injustice resultant from our national smears, you or me? Why is it, that we never similarly see press references to other criminals by race, ethnicity and nationality? A fraudster is a fraudster, a killer is a killer, not because he is American or Nigerian or Briton!

Oprah Winfrey is a very experienced and savvy journalist. Oprah posses a very powerful medium, her show is seen worldwide. When she mentions a book, it becomes an instant bestseller. Imagine then, the impact, the damaging impact of her singling out Nigeria, in negative portrayals! That is the power of O! I take the view that Oprah must therefore use such phenomenal power with utmost restraint and sense of responsibility.

Oprah’s singular act of choosing to join the voyeuristic, scandalous and teasingly salacious Western Press’ sour attitude toward Nigeria, is a new low in American journalism.

It is the responsibility of Nigerians to inform Oprah and others in the world, that corruption, advance fee frauds and other aberrant behaviors, are not inured and infused into Nigerians’ DNA. Thieves must be called thieves and murders must be called murderers, not Americans or Nigerians. Bad behaviors are not peculiarly Nigerian!
There is no national particularity or outlook, in the methods of operations deployed by criminals born in America or Nigeria! Those who generalize about Nigerians, and Nigeria, are aware of this. They chose to gloss over these pertinent and salient points.

How could Oprah with her American experience along with other 40 million persons of African descent in the United States, afford to stereotype 140 million Nigerians? How could Oprah not know or remember the racist charges against African Americans? And how African American males were, and are still stereotyped in American press as having predispositions to violence and love for raping white women? How could Oprah forget how racists in America portrayed African American women as having predisposition to being harlots and prostitutes with lose or easy morals. All these, to enable racists white America, to demean and devalue African Americans and then, lynch them metaphorically and physically?
Nigerians are being maligned now, just as African Americans, this, in complete disregard the overwhelming evidence and facts, African Americans were, and are still disrespected in the press, and Oprah knows it! The disrespect and stereotyping of Africans Americans continues even though there are available cogent, concrete and compelling truth of African American resilience and successes against all pains and all odds.

Oprah’s joining of the bandwagon of those at CNN and ABC Television etc is a shock to me. Those who have selectively and deliberately chosen to highlight some Nigerians with negative or criminal behaviors, as the gold-standard for measuring 140 million multitude of Nigerians on earth, are most offensive and pedestrian. Only those who are willfully undiscerning, who would choose to excuse or exonerate the mugus, those gullible and greedy persons, who often collude and connive with crooks, in their joint attempts to reap from where they have not sown. Those who connive with 419ers are criminals with criminal tendencies. Or why would they expect their cats to give birth to hens? Or expect to inherit millions of dollars from strangers, suddenly?

Oprah by this act, plays into the hands of those who have accused her of offering meticulous orchestrated and equally carefully choreographed shows to please her audience an audience, said to be overwhelmingly and predominantly White/ Caucasian.

Why can’t discussions or conversations about identity thefts and frauds in America, be in proper big picture perspectives and done in contextual manner? Why blame it on the Nigerians? And why for instance, did Oprah not refer to the mugus on her show, solely, as American mugus? So that it will be the Americans versus Nigerians, on her show? Truth be told, the persons on that episode of her show, comprised, the crooks and the gullible

Oprah’s attack and onslaught on Nigerians, is an ironically sad throwback, it is reminiscent of the mindless stereotypes and sweeping generalizations against peoples of African descent in Minstrel shows in America of  yore.

What a sad irony? A person of African descent, as knowledgeable and media savvy as Oprah, would condescendingly generalize and stereotype her own Nigerian Kit and kin in Nigeria, Africa?

Oprah should be told not to hit anyone who is already down. Oprah should be told to be quiet if she has nothing good to say about Nigerians, her African relatives!

Nigerians, continental Africans and all peoples of African descent are minutely inundated with scathing and scorching negative world press. Without the rare luxury of presentations in positive lights. I assume Oprah is clearly and keenly aware of this luck of the draw for our peoples.

Our peoples, all through history, have not had the favor of dignified and respectful presentations of our culture and way of life, of our birth, death or marriage etc.

Some including myself had expected, imagined and assumed that, our peoples have common fate and have a common cause. Consequently, the first amongst us to have a high pedestal, such as Oprah Winfrey has created for herself, would inevitably, aspire to portray our peoples in the best of lights.

As oppose to, and instead of, joining the bandwagon and taking the easy and low road to the perdition of negative sweeping generalizations and stereotyping of our peoples.

How be it, that Oprah did not opt for the high road? How be it that Oprah did not engage in the more difficult and arduous tasks of using her worldwide platform to drum up business investments and tourism for Nigeria and all Africa?  
    
Why did Oprah have to ply the low road? Why did she choose the route of maladroitly recycled garbage, recycling old news of the lowest negatives, and aberrant behaviors of a few Nigerians. Is it about television ratings, the Nielsen? Is it to whet the appetites of those in these parts, with unquenchable appetite for lurid dinner jokes at our expense? Or is it for the voyeuristic consumption of her worldwide audience?

Crimes and criminals are repulsive and are deemed repugnant and reprehensible by majority Nigerians just as the majority of their American counterparts do.

A majority of Nigerians at home and abroad, are law abiding, hardworking decent human beings, just like their American counterparts.

A majority of Nigerians are virtuous and decent.

It is our belief that virtues and vices are universal, as universal as the addresses of junk-mail senders and as universal as the addresses of spammers - who frequently invade the privacy of our e-mail, addresses, soliciting, and making legal and illegal propositions!

Oprah and others, must ask themselves what percentage of their received junk-mails spam-mails are generated by Nigerians? Which will enable them to extrapolate and by extension, assert the castigations and labeling of 140 million as irredeemably corrupt or corruptible.

Clearly and certainly, therefore, its one thing to hold lectures, seminars and television shows on the evils imbued and encased in identity theft, advanced fee frauds, the perpetrators and the persons involved, are persons, who are for the most parts, comprised of crooks, the greedy-gullible sorts, who seek to take unfair advantage of us all.

 It is however, quite another thing to hold television shows as CNN has done as ABC television done, as they engage in sordid campaigns, of which Oprah has now joined, and to describe in false pretense, in manners - as if junk-mails, Spam-mails and identity theft or even corruption are things peculiar Nigerians! In fact, I have been a victim of identity theft, and I am red-hot, fully blooded Nigerian!

What is worse? Oprah and others, have most ignominiously use these awful phenomena of junk-mails, spam-mails, identity - theft and corruption to label Nigerians and Nigeria for behavior that are not particular and peculiar to Nigeria.

Oprah and others like her, have extrapolated in their strenuous efforts to label and castigate Nigerians, and by extension, Nigeria as a nation of, 140 million as if, a nation of irredeemably corrupt and corruptible persons?

As a Nigerian, I worry about Nigeria’s image in particular, the image of all Africans and all peoples of African descent in general. I often worry about our peoples image and how to transcend these negative images thrust upon our peoples. Negative images coupled with our peoples checkered history, has caused immeasurable pain and enduring damage, to our sense of self and self worth. These are indeed, un-quantifiable losses, to our peoples.

As Nigerians, Africans  and peoples of African descent it is our responsibility and in fact our sacred duty to repel and throw off the negative and false images that have been thrust upon Africans and peoples of African descent.

Often, I write or aspire to write positively, deliberately positively, about our peoples, because, knowing as I do, from experience, that our peoples do not as yet posses the medium to broadcast our images positively as CNN and the BBC do for the US and UK respectively and Oprah and others most probably, already knows about this dearth of positive images of our peoples in the American and European or so-called Western Press.

I am charitable and objective enough, not to assume or even think that Americans own, hold trademarks, copyrights or patents and exclusive preserves to criminalities - whether of murder, frauds etc. Nigerians hold no such trademarks, patents, copyrights and exclusive preserves in advance fee frauds or 419 and other crimes.  Americans and America are not perfect. Nigerians and Nigeria are not perfect. There are virtues and vices in America; and let us be clear and fair about it, just as we have them in Nigeria.

Nigerians worldwide must reject the unfair labeling and castigations by Oprah and her cohorts. Nigerians worldwide, do in fact reject these negative characterizations and the gratuitous insults that emanate from such. Nigerians and Nigeria, will surmount these evil campaigns! Nigerians must not be willing to lay down and die or just roll over, as these castigations and unfair labeling are being stacked and piled upon us. Arise Nigerians, Nigeria!

Robot  Villager

# 1 Oprah: Campaign of Calumny Against Nigeria Written by Paul I. Adujie ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 11.08.2007 00:56

Palamedes  Villager

# 2 Oprah is in denial, just look at her, doesn’t she look SO Nigerian (You wonder why she is investing in South Africa where they look different); Randy Crawford looks very Ghanaian; Obama, we already know; Jesse Jackson also looks very Nigerian; and who can deny that the Jacksons are Igbos, there! On a more serious note: Is tiny Gambia not part of ECOWAS, and if so, is there still a restriction in movement of people from member states? If ECOWAS countries are still restricting citizens of ECOWAS, it would be a great indictment of ECOWAS itself—a failure of ECOWAS. I think Professor Abba Gana Shettima should be more active and not just complain in newspapers: He should collect signatures from other ECOWAS and Nigerian Professors, lecturers and Senators to petition the Gambian government. It is a restriction of his personal freedom as a citizen of ECOWAS, and academic freedom. As often as I encounter these ferocious attacks against my nation and my continent, I always wish that I have the natural, divine and even, supernatural powers to write thrillingly eloquent defense of Nigerians, continental Africans and all peoples of African descent. Yes, this is “an eye for an eye”; however my preferred maxim is: “if an adversary takes an eye of yours, take two eyes of his”—the additional eye is necessary to further reduce the adversary chances of a repeat. I understand that Oprah was herself very concerned that some people (Nigerians) might misinterpret it as an indictment on all Nigerians, which was not her intention. Nevertheless, I can always justify the author’s passion and defence of our dear country on the grounds of extreme provocation and negativity from outsiders and their Nigerian collaborators (the enemies within, who are quick to come to the defence of these hate merchants outsiders, some of whom are racist masquerading as serious critics or journalist. I believe that as long as Nigerian refuses to look inward to identify our problems and solve them, it is suicidal to fight the bad press and negativity shown by outsiders towards our beloved country. We should invest our time and resources in the improvement of our well being. If we succeed, the rest of the world will come round to respect and envy us. What the world respects is money, power, economic and technological achievements. No amount of marketing will attract any tenant to a house built next to raw sewage. Posted by Palamedes| 11.08.2007 03:11

denker  Villager

# 3 What the world respects is money, power, economic and technological achievements. palamedes, well said and well thought out. i dont have to add anything to it... it sums quasi my sentiment! Posted by denker| 11.08.2007 12:38

nf5kmw1  Villager

# 4 Leave Oprah Alone!!! http://www.nigeriavillagesq... I got to watch the Oprah show again today. Now lets get the facts right!!!! Yes I was mad and Yes were all can defend our country but by doing that with wrong facts is wrong!!! We are bigger than that!! She said this in the show. Quote: "I know we're going to get a letter from somebody saying that Nigeria has a lot of wonderful people. You don't have to send the letter," Oprah says. "We already know that. We're just talking about this particular scam that's going on. We're not talking about the entire country and everybody in the country." At several points in the show she was critical of the people who feel for the scam and called them "Mugu" Would I have her focus on the hard working and intelligent Nigerians, the answer is BIG YESSSSSSS!!!! Yes, were the most intelligent ethnic group in America http://www.census.gov/population/soc...y/table_01.txt So, leave Oprah alone and focus our energies on building Nigeria!!! God Bless Nigeria!!!! Oprah Winfrey got it wrong By Our Reader Published: Thursday, 26 Jul 2007 Quote: Recently, America’s TV girl, Oprah Winfrey, called on America to sever diplomatic relationships with world’s topmost corrupt countries. FALSE Quote: Worst of all the countries, Oprah surmised, is Nigeria. FALSE Quote: According to her, “all Nigerians – regardless of their level of education – are corrupt.” FALSE It is very pathetic that Oprah could ascribe to a larger population, the evil act of an insignificant number of persons in the world’s most populous black nation. Quote: Oprah’s conclusion is based on the fact that a Nigerian of Igbo extraction was caught with $500,000, which was alleged to have been stolen from a foreigner through the Internet fraud popularly known as 419. FALSE Quote: Oprah had sponsored an hour-long programme, which ran for several days on the CNN, with the sole aim of exposing the clever tricks espoused by this group of Nigerians to con their victims. FALSE Much has been said about the greed of the victims themselves, and I need not say more about it. However, at a time when Americans are committing heinous crimes against children and women, nobody has tagged all Americans as murderous. Quote: So, why call all Nigerians rogues because of the sin of a few bad eggs? FALSE Oprah regularly tells her life story: how she was sexually abused by close relations, how she ‘walked the streets’ (Americans’ euphemism for prostitution), etc., but nobody has ever deemed it fit to tag all American men as incestuous because of Oprah and others’ experiences. She did drugs – just like the typical American teenager, but nobody has cast all American youths in the mould of drug abusers! So, why should an individual that is supposed to know better sentence a nation to odium for the infraction of a tiny fraction of its population? I urge Oprah and her likes to disabuse their minds about Nigerians. Be wary of requests for money from strangers, and if you fall for a scam, blame your greed and not Nigerians. Okoli Vitalis, legendchyke@gmail.com __________________ joe@nigeriansforsuperenergy.com http://nigeriansforsuperenergy.com Posted by nf5kmw1| 11.08.2007 20:16

smilee  Villager

# 5 =Palamedes;199050> I believe that as long as Nigerian refuses to look inward to identify our problems and solve them, it is suicidal to fight the bad press and negativity shown by outsiders towards our beloved country. We should invest our time and resources in the improvement of our well being. If we succeed, the rest of the world will come round to respect and envy us. What the world respects is money, power, economic and technological achievements. No amount of marketing will attract any tenant to a house built next to raw sewage. That is the koko of the matter as far as I am concerned! O se jare (thank you). We can scream Oprah all we want or blame the white man (CNN, abc, etc) but lets face facts, if we don’t give them anything to talk about there won't be any finger pointing. Palamedes has hit the nail on its ugly head. I saw the Oprah show (I've it on tivo for anyone that wants a copy :D) and for me what stood out was the number of postal mails (not emails) that are sent from Nigeria to the US daily. The US postal service intercepts these mails. Why is Nigerian government not doing the same on their end? That is one way to help out no? Oops I forgot we don't have reliable postal system. And the wahala continues. Minus those annoying unknown phone calls I get from Nigeria that are really fax calls! Shio! We have all been victims jare. No one is denying that the Mugus were not greedy but how is that solving anything? Let’s fish out the scammers. Let’s come together and eradicate YAHOOZEE! :smile: Posted by smilee| 11.08.2007 21:34

Auspicious  Villager

# 6 Oh, not the Oprah-Fretters again! Who cares what Oprah does with her big fat African lips? Abeg, leave the Woman and get a Lyfe o'jare! First she carry HER money give few SA Girls, And una begin catch hiccups on top dat one.. Now, na 'dem say-dem say' come dey vex una? Abeg, comot make I see Today climate o'jare! Hun-Uhn! :rolleyes: Auspicious. Posted by Auspicious| 12.08.2007 02:48

ozoodoo  Villager

# 7 When will Opral talk about the huge wealth of Nigeria stacked in American banks, wealth stolen by America using its proxies that called themselves leaders in Nigeria. Did America invade Iraq to instal democracy or to steal their oil wealth? Has Opral ever heard of leaders of other countries "taken out" (sent poisoned apple or assassinated) because they chose to cease to be proxies in the theft of the wealth of their country by America?Does she think President Putin of Russia was joking when he described Americans as wolves? When will these gringos remove their heads from the sand? Posted by ozoodoo| 12.08.2007 03:54

americanbornNaija  JJC

# 8 Oprah!!! Dat one na Dog name? Make that fustrated woman respect herself O!!! To open mouth talk say ALL Nigerians na wayo people, that is really stupid of her. Come to think of it, Chinese, Indians, Pakistanis, and a host of other people from other countries dey commit crime pass Nigerians, so why everybody dey carry Nigerians for head? For Oprah (a so-called African-American) to make such a loose statement (without even bothering to do a proper research), is very sad. Yes, I sabi say Naija people bad, but no be all of us now!!! Even in the States there are so many Nigerians making us proud, abi Oprah no sabi dat one? Make I no swear for that woman head O!!! Come to think of it, I hear say she never marry, abi na dat one dey fustrate am? Oprah, check ur facts before U open that wide mouth of urs dey talk trash. A WORD IS ENOUGH FOR THE WISE. Posted by americanbornNaija| 12.08.2007 15:01

smilee  Villager

# 9 =americanbornNaija;199242>Oprah!!! Dat one na Dog name? Make that fustrated woman respect herself O!!! To open mouth talk say ALL Nigerians na wayo people, that is really stupid of her. Come to think of it, Chinese, Indians, Pakistanis, and a host of other people from other countries dey commit crime pass Nigerians, so why everybody dey carry Nigerians for head? For Oprah (a so-called African-American) to make such a loose statement (without even bothering to do a proper research), is very sad. Yes, I sabi say Naija people bad, but no be all of us now!!! Even in the States there are so many Nigerians making us proud, abi Oprah no sabi dat one? Make I no swear for that woman head O!!! Come to think of it, I hear say she never marry, abi na dat one dey fustrate am? Oprah, check ur facts before U open that wide mouth of urs dey talk trash. A WORD IS ENOUGH FOR THE WISE. The bolded part Right back at you! Now tell me did you watch the show? It is obvious from your comment above you didn't. To open mouth talk say ALL Nigerians na wayo people, that is really stupid of her. Hmmm remormongers!!! :eek: Posted by smilee| 12.08.2007 15:29

ebasain  Villager

# 10 Look who's pointing acusing fingers at Oprah! Some of us who delight in calling our- selves ILN (I Love Nigeria ) didn't see anything wrong with Obasanjo. Infact, to these diehard Obasanjo fans, the devil was really a saint. I fail to understand why you would want to pick on Oprah whose tract record of what she stands for is well documented. Personally, I don't think Oprah went long enough. We are a disgrace, period. If our leaders aren't the most corrupt and worst set of leaders in the world, our country wouldn't be placed in a position for Oprah or anyone else for that matter to stump on her. Oprah, please bring us more revelations! Bring it on!! Maybe that's what we need to change our ways, individually and collectively as a nation. Posted by ebasain| 12.08.2007 21:04

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