by Ronke Macaulay

You may think the term Anti-Nigerianism – defined as hostility towards Nigeria as a nation, and by extension Nigerians as a people, or indeed vice versa- is an exaggeration, and smacks of self-obsessed paranoia. I would argue that for any observer of the current global geo-political scene, the evidence of the increasing negative bias against us is blatant. In the eyes of the world, our governments since independence, despite our obvious enormous potential, have been financially corrupt, politically inept, economically bereft of ideas, morally bankrupt and socially irresponsible. As a result, our nation has become a pariah amongst the comity of nations.

The Nigerian as an individual does not fare much better: his status abroad has plummeted to an all-time low. Our reputation is at a devastating ebb, and this translates as extra checks at foreign airports, subtle disqualification from certain types of employment, overzealous screening for fraud prior to any financial transactions, and so on. The foreign media is filled with horror stories about Nigeria and its citizens, with little in the way of rebuttals or balanced reports to give the public an unbiased picture of the reality on the ground. Even more worrying, we have begun to see the manifestation of physical attacks on Nigerians on a regular basis: South African hoodlums routinely target Nigerian visitors en route from the airport to their hotels. Gabonese police torture a Nigerian with impunity. A Nigerian is stabbed to death in the Ukraine in the latest of a series of attacks.

Nigerians have become so used to this guerrilla warfare that we are almost immune to it. Some citizens shrug that such treatment is well-deserved because “we have brought it upon ourselves”. Others simply grumble in the face of such obvious hostility. A growing number may go further and assert themselves all the more loudly in response to the undisguised contempt in which we are held, but by and large we soldier on, albeit with the danger of our collective self-esteem gradually sinking deeper by dint of oft-repetition that as a people we are deserving of all the condemnation.

This state of affairs cannot entirely be laid at the door of racism, since it cuts across all races and continents, including the rest of Africa. It is our Nigerianness – our attitudes and practices, and what we are perceived to represent in the scheme of things - that somehow causes offense. We dabble here, there and everywhere; we are hugely ambitious and confident; we tend to look down on other Africans and believe we can eclipse them in all endeavours. Parallels may be drawn between the new anti-Nigerianism and traditional anti-Semitism, which recent studies show may be expressed through a number of traditional stereotypes, including the belief that Jews are more willing than others to use shady practices to get what they want; that they stick together more than other people; that they always like to be at the head of things; that they have lots of irritating faults. Substitute Jews for Nigerians in the above examples, and it is clear that some of these accusations are being regularly leveled against us. 

Anti-Semitic views translate into practices such as violence directed at Jews, Jewish symbols and Jewish institutions. In our case, the green passport – foremost symbol of Nigerian nationality - has arguably become the equivalent of the J for Jew which was used to identify individuals who would immediately be singled out for negative or discriminatory treatment in Germany before the Second World War. Nigeria does not as yet have much in the way of symbols in other countries, other than its Embassies and the businesses owned by individuals. The former hardly represent our interests, being widely accused of standing idly by when Nigerians are attacked. The latter however, have come under threat, for example in South Africa during the recent xenophobic wave, and face more subtle pressures in other countries where their proprietors are unjustly assumed to be fraudulent or incompetent, simply by dint of being Nigerian. Need I remind the reader of scandalous comments by the highly influential Oprah Winfrey, for example?

Anti-Nigerianism is real and growing. If we fail to act decisively, one day we will wake up and discover that as Nigerians we are pariahs – unwelcome anywhere, and unable to leave our shores for even legitimate reasons. Our people abroad will be forced to permanently cower in apology for their mere existence, or resort to changing their names, their accents, and their nationality in order to avoid being ostracized. We are already far down this road to ruin: witness the lifestyles and attitudes of many second generation Nigerians in Diaspora, who disown the country and deny their heritage out of fear and shame at being associated with one of the most high profile examples of a failed state in the world today. 

We have to make a stand and fight anti-Nigerianism with every weapon available in our arsenal. We can start by cleaning up our act internally, by demanding responsible and ethical governance which respects human rights, and by eradicating impunity from our system. Let us demonstrate zero tolerance for the criminals amongst us who bring the rest of us into disrepute. We must also stand up to bullies abroad who see us as an easy target. Finally, we should win the battle of perception, and wrest our dented image back from the brink through the media. Not by spin or by defending the indefensible, but by ensuring that the good news receives as much if not more coverage than the bad and ugly, and by highlighting those myriad areas where Nigerians are making outstanding achievements. Many of us in the media are guilty of failing in this respect, which is tantamount to waving a white flag at the enemy. It is tragic that some of the five star Generals of the anti-Nigerian army are Nigerians themselves. 

Robot  Villager

# 1 by Ronke Macaulay You may think the term Anti-Nigerianism – defined...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 02.08.2008 11:32

ula-lisa  Villager

# 2 Many of us in the media are guilty of failing in this respect, which is tantamount to waving a white flag at the enemy. . It is tragic that some of the five star Generals of the anti-Nigerian army are Nigerians themselves. Many of them in their tribes on NVS here. You may add that Nigerians rather than live, have made survival an art form. The business minded ones bring the Lagos get rich quick syndrom to everything, not slow and steady Aba business. If you point this out, you seen to be a hater...unfortunately, persons in the US, for instance, use the one incidence of their being burnt by one to brand all... Credit card fraud, immigration marriage fraud, 419 scam letters are all used to brand ALL Nigerians...(scam letters were being branded as "Nigerian scam" until we yelled out) ...generalizations as even evidenced by the recent comments of the White House counsel implying that the subject he wrote on was as honest a Nigeria as you may find...in saying there are no honest Nigerians. Question is, what brings out this perception? The majority may not be that way, but who cares??? They are just Nigerians. And whose duty is it to clean up the individual image anyway since half of them are consumed in self-hate, the other half are too cowardly to open their mouths in case they get thrown out of 'heaven'? Da Bishop. Yes ke! na me talk am. Posted by ula-lisa| 02.08.2008 12:01

aliyuAH  JJC

# 3 Thanks for this call to soul-searching. Nigerians are feared, cold-shouldered and hated at home and abroad. Could this be because we also hate ourselves? I have read so many comments on NVS that seem to suggest that we are a bunch of warring tribes. Every issue is seen from the prism of ethnic or regional affinity. This will pose a major challenge to any effort at cleaning up. Perhaps, the starting point is individual rebirth: good conduct and sense of being a Nigerian. Posted by aliyuAH| 02.08.2008 12:21

aguabata  Villager

# 4 We dont have to fight the symptoms. Nigerians are aggressive because of their environment, people who grew up in owerri, kaduna, enugu,jos, are generally less aggressive than say Lagosians, by extrapolation the Nigerian environment made us survivalists and desperates in our unique way. The nigerian environment has been shaped by leaders past. (colonial and post colonial). let us concentrate and keep fighting the small cabal that is holding us captive in Nigeria and may be then, those 60 million unemployed youths will have less justification for spending their stipend on cybercafes sending shameful scam mails . Posted by aguabata| 02.08.2008 14:09

Palamedes  Villager

# 5 Madam, there are far more anti-Nigerian Nigerians than are out there in the rest of the world. There are even many of them on NVS hammering away their personal frustration on Nigeria and Nigerians. Sometimes, our insensitivity can justifiably arose anti-Nigerian feeling in others: Just last month I went to visit a friend in Peckham, London and I had the misfortune of passing through one Choumert Road, Peckham, London-- despite warning by my friend not to. The first thing I said to myself was, “Gosh! Where do these Nigerians come from?” Gosh! Even as a Nigeria, I was taken aback by the rowdiness and shouting in the street. My friend told me that what I had witnessed was nothing compared to weekend evenings in that part of the road and also, that many residents in the area try to avoid that part of the road—who would blame them? It must affect the businesses around there, if such rowdiness is driving away people who might be potential customers. If you are one of those Nigerians at Choumert Road, you are giving Nigeria a bad name, so cut the crap, and behave yourself. “Nuff Said!” Posted by Palamedes| 02.08.2008 15:32

Nkire  Villager

# 6 =Palamedes;4295078519>Madam, there are far more anti-Nigerian Nigerians than are out there in the rest of the world. There are even many of them on NVS hammering away their personal frustration on Nigeria and Nigerians. Sometimes, our insensitivity can justifiably arose anti-Nigerian feeling in others: Just last month I went to visit a friend in Peckham, London and I had the misfortune of passing through one Choumert Road, Peckham, London-- despite warning by my friend not to. The first thing I said to myself was, “Gosh! Where do these Nigerians come from?” Gosh! Even as a Nigeria, I was taken aback by the rowdiness and shouting in the street. My friend told me that what I had witnessed was nothing compared to weekend evenings in that part of the road and also, that many residents in the area try to avoid that part of the road—who would blame them? It must affect the businesses around there, if such rowdiness is driving away people who might be potential customers. If you are one of those Nigerians at Choumert Road, you are giving Nigeria a bad name, so cut the crap, and behave yourself. “Nuff Said!” Palamedes, Palamedes, Palamedes! Grow up man, grow up. The flip remark you have up there is not the reason the hatred against Nigeria is on the increase. Look, people around the world are not stupid. All they have to do is look at a big-for-nothing behemot that has been incapable of effecting governing itself and then see the increasing presence of Nigerians in all parts of the globe - that's the genesis of the hatred. Imagine if your are a commodity trader at any exchange anywhere in the world. Every other week the price of crude oil is distorted by violent eruptions in the Delta of Nigeria, fueld by corruption and inept governance, if you were a non-Nigerian, how would this make you feel about Nigeria and her peoples? Off course added to all these is the increasing criminal activity - from some abroad and those resident in Nigeria. Added to this is the fact that governments around the world know where Babangda's money is stached, same as Abubaka, Obasanjo, Abacha, Danjuma, Yar'Adua and all the myriad pot belied a-holes that have been part of the misgovernance, both military and civilian. If I were a non-Nigerian, how would I feel about Nigeria, well, do you really have to ask? I laugh at the Western world for being so short-sighted in 1967. They will all live to regret and rue the day they made the mad dicision to support the wrong side in the war of liberation. Sometimes we get what we ask for. The Nigeria of today was breaded, baked and then fried in 1967 to the disadvantage of Nigerians and world. Cheers, Nkire Posted by Nkire| 02.08.2008 17:04

19 guy  Villager

# 7 =Ronke Macaulay;4295078463> Let us demonstrate zero tolerance for the criminals amongst us who bring the rest of us into disrepute. I believe this is very important. We have this tendency to look the other way when our people commit crimes in an each-to-his-own type stance. The truth, sadly, is we all get tarnished by their activities. I think it's important that we begin to see, or at least try to see, things from the perspective of others (i.e. non-Nigerians) and start to understand the reason(s) for their hostility. This is a very balanced article. Upon seeing it's title I immediately assumed it was going to be another one of those that blame everybody else without looking at our culpability in our predicament. I was wrong. You try small madam. ps; Nkire , your post was actually quite good until the last three paragraphs. All kinds/types/tribes etc of Nigerians are responsible for the rot. Abeg nor introduce ethnicity. Posted by 19 guy| 02.08.2008 17:41

Onari  Villager

# 8 Ronke, Well done! It is not fun anymore been a Nigerian in a foreign country, just last week I switched job to Intel, the first thing a white colleague told was that there are very many smart Nigerians in every field of endeavor, however a few have given a bad reputation to a country that suppose to have so much going for them...this guy said this because he has traveled extensively and met so many Nigerians in the process. Can I agree more to this colleague yes...my simple answer to him was we are 140 million people and there are about .001 % giving the country the bad name and also it will be nice for people to judge people based on the quality of their character and not by country of origin. I must add here that the country's problem is not just the 419 scam, but the face of the country (The government) has not helped either because if the face of the country is corruption do you really blame other countries stereotyping us? Even within our Nigerianess we have so much distrust for one another, talk less of a foreigner who do not understand our culture and our way of life. Is there corruption in other countries? Yes!! Is there 419 in other countries? Yes. But the big different is that criminals get away so easy with their activity than other countries. If those that committed crime against the law of the land is made to be accountable and responsible for their actions then there won’t be most of the stereotyping we have today. The anti Nigerianess did not start today, it started first within us. Does it sound familiar when we Nigerians stereotype the blacks in America as lazy without taking our time to understand the story of the Black Americans and where they are coming from. Even in Nigeria itself there are tribal stereotyping including those that are against the anti-Nigerianess here in NVS...there is more anti-Nigerianess among us than among foreigners. The truth is that we can not blame the foreigner alone for our situation, we have part of the blame to take...example if our drug laws are really enforced, we wont have our citizens been executed in Indonasia, Bangkok or Saudi Arabia. Our weak law enforcement, lack or weak rule of law, weak security, unemployment, and failed physical and social infrastructure has not helped us either. Nigeria as a country needs a lot to do internally to be able to stand up to tell the world to go to hell. We have to look inward to see if something is wrong before we look outwards. Another glaring example is when established institution like Top Government officials, oil companies, Telecom and Bank get involved in despicable act. If I am a foreigner I won’t transact business with those companies. Okay how many Nigerians will go and invest their money in Iraq? My take is this...we Nigerians should staunchly defend against any form of stereotyping as much as we can, but on same hand we should also staunchly and effectively condemn those that have brought total shame to us as free citizens of the world. Posted by Onari| 02.08.2008 18:51

Dewdrops  Villager

# 9 =Robot;4295078463>by Ronke Macaulay You may think the term Anti-Nigerianism – defined...Read the full article. You may think the term Anti-Nigerianism – defined as hostility towards Nigeria as a nation, and by extension Nigerians as a people, or indeed vice versa- is an exaggeration, and smacks of self-obsessed paranoia. I would argue that for any observer of the current global geo-political scene, the evidence of the increasing negative bias against us is blatant. In the eyes of the world, our governments since independence, despite our obvious enormous potential, have been financially corrupt, politically inept, economically bereft of ideas, morally bankrupt and socially irresponsible. As a result, our nation has become a pariah amongst the comity of nations. The Nigerian as an individual does not fare much better: his status abroad has plummeted to an all-time low. with little in the way of rebuttals or balanced reports to give the public an unbiased picture of the reality on the ground. Even more worrying, we have begun to see the manifestation of physical attacks on Nigerians on a regular basis: South African hoodlums routinely target Nigerian visitors en route from the airport to their hotels. Gabonese police torture a Nigerian with impunity. A Nigerian is stabbed to death in the Ukraine in the latest of a series of attacks. albeit with the danger of our collective self-esteem gradually sinking deeper by dint of oft-repetition that as a people we are deserving of all the condemnation. It is our Nigerianness – our attitudes and practices, and what we are perceived to represent in the scheme of things - that somehow causes offense. The former hardly represent our interests, being widely accused of standing idly by when Nigerians are attacked. The latter however, have come under threat, for example in South Africa during the recent xenophobic wave, and face more subtle pressures in other countries where their proprietors are unjustly assumed to be fraudulent or incompetent, simply by dint of being Nigerian. Need I remind the reader of scandalous comments by the highly influential Oprah Winfrey, for example? Anti-Nigerianism is real and growing. If we fail to act decisively, one day we will wake up and discover that as Nigerians we are pariahs – unwelcome anywhere, and unable to leave our shores for even legitimate reasons. Our people abroad will be forced to permanently cower in apology for their mere existence, or resort to changing their names, their accents, and their nationality in order to avoid being ostracized. We are already far down this road to ruin: witness the lifestyles and attitudes of many second generation Nigerians in Diaspora, who disown the country and deny their heritage out of fear and shame at being associated with one of the most high profile examples of a failed state in the world today. We have to make a stand and fight anti-Nigerianism with every weapon available in our arsenal. We can start by cleaning up our act internally, by demanding responsible and ethical governance which respects human rights, and by eradicating impunity from our system. Let us demonstrate zero tolerance for the criminals amongst us who bring the rest of us into disrepute. We must also stand up to bullies abroad who see us as an easy target. Finally, we should win the battle of perception, and wrest our dented image back from the brink through the media. Not by spin or by defending the indefensible, but by ensuring that the good news receives as much if not more coverage than the bad and ugly, and by highlighting those myriad areas where Nigerians are making outstanding achievements. Many of us in the media are guilty of failing in this respect, which is tantamount to waving a white flag at the enemy. It is tragic that some of the five star Generals of the anti-Nigerian army are Nigerians themselves. Yet you welcome these 5 star generals home to your villages with "red carpet" treatment every Xmas to share goats, cows and salah rams with you.:rolleyes: Well, let the chips fall where they may.:cool: Posted by Dewdrops| 03.08.2008 03:00

philipikita  Villager

# 10 =Robot;4295078463>by Ronke Macaulay Let us demonstrate zero tolerance for the criminals amongst us who bring the rest of us into disrepute. Who amongst us can demonstrate the courage to write against thieving leaders from their community? Who amongst us can tell a scammer/419 from her/his family to the face, "hey brother, you have to pay for your crime". Can any Ibori or Danjuma Goje brother or sister speak against their corruption? I remember only one instance in Nigeria where a brother publicly told his brother..."No, you were wrong brother". It was Mobolaji Aluko, who told off the corruption of his brother, Senator Gbenga Aluko. Even the father, the prominent critic, Prof Sam Aluko did not upbraid his boy. It takes courage! Is it that all villagers here do not have big thieves in government? Another poser is this: Who cares about good news? should we dedicate 50% of our writings to the "good" or "positive" happenings in Nigeria? What positive thing is happening in Nigeria today, that deserves balance reporting against the negative? Is it PDP or INEC? Electricity? "Superstar" CEOs of banks that help launder stolen billions? Is it the police? WHAT GOOD IS HAPPENING TO JUSTIFY ANY BALANCED REPORTING ON NIGERIA? Posted by philipikita| 03.08.2008 03:46

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