Let me first of all say that I am not trying to be tribalistic here or referring to all Nigerians in diaspora as the same. I know there are many good and humble fellows out there who know why they left Nigeria and are making positive impacts.
I lived in a country years back which was dominated by the yorubas and if you see how some of them behave you will really ponder how they keep succeeding in living in that country. No respect for their host citizens, always feeling they own the country especially some that have made money. I was in a Nigerian restaurant one day and one man who was older than me came and started speaking Yoruba for me just like that. Out of respect I told him I don't understand the language and then he asked me if I wasn't a Nigerian. I told him I was a Nigerian but obviously Nigeria is not an all Yoruba country. The had the guts to open that stinking mouth of his that I know is already caused to tell me that I should question God to ask why I wasn't born a Yoruba. I know for sure they must have deported him by now or he might be in prison or something because I don't see such kind of a person making any positive impact in his life.
That aside I also had other terrible experiences with these yoruba people but I can't share all here. The main point is that not all of them had bad characters but the majority of them that did have bad characters sometimes affect all Nigerians in general even those with good characters.
Years later I have moved to a very different country which is more of a French speaking country and it is dominated more by the igbos. Over here is worse than the other country dominated by yorubas. Many of these igbo guys have no atom of respect at all for their host citizens. They feel they are making money and always trying to oppress their host citizens. Sometimes if you see how they talk and insult the citizens in English without any consideration that some of these citizens understand English a little. What surprises me most times is when some of these people will be insulting the host citizens saying things like if it was in Nigeria they can't do such and how Nigeria is better than the country, but they left the same Nigeria they say is better to another country not like if the host country invited them. It is really sad because I believe only some few people who have really travelled will understand the little points am trying to make.
Just last night, I was with an igbo guy who runs a legit business and we were on our way home because we stay in same neighborhood. On the way we noticed a lot of police presence but we just kept moving. Immediately we got close to a junction we saw two police officers who stopped us and they were speaking French so I didn't understand what they said. The guy I was walking with understands and speak french very well so he was communicating with them. The only thing I noticed was that they were pointing somewhere for us to sit down just like on the ground. I peacefully went to sit down and this other guy refused to sit and kept talking to one of the police. I didn't know what was going on as there were other people around as well but all speaking French so I signaled the other police that was close to me and told him I don't understand French but I needed to know what the problem is. Luckily for me he could understand English and he asked me for my identification. I reached out to my wallet and showed him then he asked if I was a Nigerian and I said yes. He then told me I can go because all they wanted to see was my identification so he called the other police and told him I don't understand French but I had shown him my identification and they both asked me to go. That was when I realized that all those plenty talk my friend was talking was unnecessary because they only needed to see our identification. I then called him aside and told him to calm down and speak with them gently but to my surprise he brought out his phone and said he wants to call some of his other police friends. I believe that angered one of the police and the next thing I saw was that they started pushing him to go and sit down where they initially asked us to sit. He kept on resisting while speaking French with them and the next thing I saw was two truck load policemen. Seems they were all together doing the patrol around the area and the whole story changed immediately. The environment became intense and that's how they pushed this guy into the truck with other people that they had arrested as well.
As for me, when I saw the way everything got intense I had no choice but to leave the place and started running home. Like that old saying "na who run from war dey live to tell the story". And that is what I am doing. Up till now he has not been released and no one knows yet where he is.
The bottom line of this all is that, though I know he will be released, it was just a very simple matter that would have been avoided by just being humble and able to show some respect that would have solved the problem and prevented any form of arrest in that forceful manner.
I don't see what it takes for us as Nigerians, no matter the money we are making, to always be humble to our host and respect them irrespective of age or anything. We have to learn to stop that attitude of I am better than my host and Nigerians have more sense than they do.
Whenever you travel out to wherever, please learn to show more respect and always be humble no matter how rich you think you have become.
I lived in a country years back which was dominated by the yorubas and if you see how some of them behave you will really ponder how they keep succeeding in living in that country. No respect for their host citizens, always feeling they own the country especially some that have made money. I was in a Nigerian restaurant one day and one man who was older than me came and started speaking Yoruba for me just like that. Out of respect I told him I don't understand the language and then he asked me if I wasn't a Nigerian. I told him I was a Nigerian but obviously Nigeria is not an all Yoruba country. The had the guts to open that stinking mouth of his that I know is already caused to tell me that I should question God to ask why I wasn't born a Yoruba. I know for sure they must have deported him by now or he might be in prison or something because I don't see such kind of a person making any positive impact in his life.
That aside I also had other terrible experiences with these yoruba people but I can't share all here. The main point is that not all of them had bad characters but the majority of them that did have bad characters sometimes affect all Nigerians in general even those with good characters.
Years later I have moved to a very different country which is more of a French speaking country and it is dominated more by the igbos. Over here is worse than the other country dominated by yorubas. Many of these igbo guys have no atom of respect at all for their host citizens. They feel they are making money and always trying to oppress their host citizens. Sometimes if you see how they talk and insult the citizens in English without any consideration that some of these citizens understand English a little. What surprises me most times is when some of these people will be insulting the host citizens saying things like if it was in Nigeria they can't do such and how Nigeria is better than the country, but they left the same Nigeria they say is better to another country not like if the host country invited them. It is really sad because I believe only some few people who have really travelled will understand the little points am trying to make.
Just last night, I was with an igbo guy who runs a legit business and we were on our way home because we stay in same neighborhood. On the way we noticed a lot of police presence but we just kept moving. Immediately we got close to a junction we saw two police officers who stopped us and they were speaking French so I didn't understand what they said. The guy I was walking with understands and speak french very well so he was communicating with them. The only thing I noticed was that they were pointing somewhere for us to sit down just like on the ground. I peacefully went to sit down and this other guy refused to sit and kept talking to one of the police. I didn't know what was going on as there were other people around as well but all speaking French so I signaled the other police that was close to me and told him I don't understand French but I needed to know what the problem is. Luckily for me he could understand English and he asked me for my identification. I reached out to my wallet and showed him then he asked if I was a Nigerian and I said yes. He then told me I can go because all they wanted to see was my identification so he called the other police and told him I don't understand French but I had shown him my identification and they both asked me to go. That was when I realized that all those plenty talk my friend was talking was unnecessary because they only needed to see our identification. I then called him aside and told him to calm down and speak with them gently but to my surprise he brought out his phone and said he wants to call some of his other police friends. I believe that angered one of the police and the next thing I saw was that they started pushing him to go and sit down where they initially asked us to sit. He kept on resisting while speaking French with them and the next thing I saw was two truck load policemen. Seems they were all together doing the patrol around the area and the whole story changed immediately. The environment became intense and that's how they pushed this guy into the truck with other people that they had arrested as well.
As for me, when I saw the way everything got intense I had no choice but to leave the place and started running home. Like that old saying "na who run from war dey live to tell the story". And that is what I am doing. Up till now he has not been released and no one knows yet where he is.
The bottom line of this all is that, though I know he will be released, it was just a very simple matter that would have been avoided by just being humble and able to show some respect that would have solved the problem and prevented any form of arrest in that forceful manner.
I don't see what it takes for us as Nigerians, no matter the money we are making, to always be humble to our host and respect them irrespective of age or anything. We have to learn to stop that attitude of I am better than my host and Nigerians have more sense than they do.
Whenever you travel out to wherever, please learn to show more respect and always be humble no matter how rich you think you have become.
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