ROSSIKE:
The Nigerian mentality doesn't really jell with the whole slavery, returnee issue. Nigerians tend to have a just get on with it and quit moaning mentality, and such a mindset has little patience for the socio/political revisionism of the black diaspora. Most Nigerians would appreciate an African American who came to Nigeria to start a good business etc, as opposed to someone coming merely to ''rediscover his roots'' etc etc. Nigerians don't have time for such 'sentimentality' in a country where the pursuit of material/professional success is more intense than anywhere else in Africa (and possibly the world). It is this Nigerian aloofness to anything not considered of direct economic value that makes African American returnees feel 'unwelcome' in Nigeria, unlike say Ghana or Gambia where everything seems to stop for them when they appear.

You also made another good point. In addition to the different identification means in Nigeria which poses acculturation problems for returnees, Nigerians are also hardly sentimental. If you're not talking money then you're not talking about something of interest to them. I would like to see Nigeria or some well-meaning Nigerians devote energy and resources to our long-lost brothers wishing to return back to Nigeria. Several measures can be put into place for them to return.

A Right to Return and Work bill would first have to be signed and put into law, thus legally enabling a returnee to Nigeria, whose ancestral ties to any of the tribes of Nigeria has been proven by DNA testing(paternally and maternally), to take up permanent residency in Nigeria and also work legally in the country.

The next issue that will come up will be the issue of settlement and land settlement. I would suggest a Land Resettlement Act that would have certain empty lands/areas in states in the South East, South-West, and South-South (areas that supplied slaves to the Americas) carved out and developed specifically for resettlement by the returnees. The lands would further be divided into LGAs and villages within them where returnees of ancestry originating in that particular region of Nigeria (i.e Igbo, Yoruba, Ijaw, Ibibio) would be entitled to legally resettle in those lands created for them, and also be legally entitled to claim any of the carved villages of their choice and the state as their place of origin. These returnees would be free to live in any other city or state in Nigeria but have their village or LGA of origin in the village and LGA they were legally allowed to resettle in, just as it is for every other Nigerian. That way they would be fully legally incorporated into the Nigerian system and the main issue of indigeneship would be solved. After 3 years of consequent permanent abode in Nigeria, and with no longer than 6 months of extended leave from Nigeria, they would subsequently entitled to citizenship and be able to apply for a Nigerian passport.

However, legal integration does not solve the issue of cultural integration. By their proximity to other villages surrounding them, returnees would be given the chance to also acculturate culturally into the culture of the larger community/state they find themselves in. Returnees on their own part would make every effort to integrate culturally into the culture of the area they find themselves in. They would be reclaiming the culture and traditions of their ancestors - the culture of their very first male or female ancestor which was forcefully stripped away from him/her over 400 years ago. It is their every right to reclaim what was forcefully taken away from them.

They would also be required by law to adopt Nigerian names of their choice.

In hindsight, both the Right to Return and Work Act and Land Resettlement Act would effectively succeed in achieving legal and cultural integration for returnees and solve any current problems which might pose problems for effective integration.

In about 2 to 3 generations, their progenies would completely be Nigerian and African.

On the issue of did not come to get us ,really I don't see how this would've even been possible .The tribes in Africa had no navy comparable to what europe had.alot of slaves were kidnapped and trafficked to the coast from deep in the interior and there was no way for there family to get them back. Also there was no "us" you had tribes and clans no idea of black or African unity existed I am African American and I know that what ever tribes I descend from also sold slaves or owned them and when I say tribe I mean language group for example Hausa or Wolof or Igbo Now it is curious that people from the SlaveCoast area would be the most antagonistic towards slave descendants. I'm not disssing I'm keeping it wan hun'id Naija was the SlaveCoast its likely that majority of us have a little Naija in us. Not saying we are mainly from there or giving out percentages to get shot down. Finally and I know this was long . We African Americans identify similar to it was said Nigerians do 1) immediate household 2) extended family 3) neighborhood/borough/ward/housing project or side of town . State as a whole and U$A as a whole come dead last. The arrogance the drive to succeed is also similar. You do seem to care more about education than my folks. And yes indeed lastly if I'm not mistaken don't other Africans sorta look down on Nigerians the way people look down on Americans or Jews ?

gise:
On the issue of did not come to get us ,really I don't see how this would've even been possible .The tribes in Africa had no navy comparable to what europe had.alot of slaves were kidnapped and trafficked to the coast from deep in the interior and there was no way for there family to get them back. Also there was no "us" you had tribes and clans no idea of black or African unity existed I am African American and I know that what ever tribes I descend from also sold slaves or owned them and when I say tribe I mean language group for example Hausa or Wolof or Igbo Now it is curious that people from the SlaveCoast area would be the most antagonistic towards slave descendants. I'm not disssing I'm keeping it wan hun'id Naija was the SlaveCoast its likely that majority of us have a little Naija in us. Not saying we are mainly from there or giving out percentages to get shot down. Finally and I know this was long . We African Americans identify similar to it was said Nigerians do 1) immediate household 2) extended family 3) neighborhood/borough/ward/housing project or side of town . State as a whole and U$A as a whole come dead last. The arrogance the drive to succeed is also similar. You do seem to care more about education than my folks. And yes indeed lastly if I'm not mistaken don't other Africans sorta look down on Nigerians the way people look down on Americans or Jews?

@bold...I'm not sure about Africans looking down on Nigerians. Maybe some Africans have preconceived notions about Nigerians based on Nigerians living in their country but as for Africans looking down on Nigerians, I'm not sure about that.

gise:
On the issue of did not come to get us ,really I don't see how this would've even been possible .The tribes in Africa had no navy comparable to what europe had.alot of slaves were kidnapped and trafficked to the coast from deep in the interior and there was no way for there family to get them back. Also there was no "us" you had tribes and clans no idea of black or African unity existed I am African American and I know that what ever tribes I descend from also sold slaves or owned them and when I say tribe I mean language group for example Hausa or Wolof or Igbo Now it is curious that people from the SlaveCoast area would be the most antagonistic towards slave descendants. I'm not disssing I'm keeping it wan hun'id Naija was the SlaveCoast its likely that majority of us have a little Naija in us. Not saying we are mainly from there or giving out percentages to get shot down. Finally and I know this was long . We African Americans identify similar to it was said Nigerians do 1) immediate household 2) extended family 3) neighborhood/borough/ward/housing project or side of town . State as a whole and U$A as a whole come dead last. The arrogance the drive to succeed is also similar. You do seem to care more about education than my folks. And yes indeed lastly if I'm not mistaken don't other Africans sorta look down on Nigerians the way people look down on Americans or Jews ?

Are you sure about Africans knowledge of the continent at the time? King Agaja of Dahimey kingdom was well aware of "West Africa".
And have you heard of the Bissago islands? The inhabitant's navy held off the Eurpeans until 1939.