http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/index.php/content/view/11415/55

Nigeria’s Image Problem
Written by Nneka Emehelu
Friday, 06 February 2009

I have been living and working in the United Kingdom for over six years now, I have always been proud of my Nationality until recently, A friend of mine asked me to help her search for a job using my internet facility, I invited her over to my flat, so I could help her fill out the online application. When we got to the monitoring form part, a form that is used according to employment policy to monitor equal opportunity, the form is to help check that people from the same Nationality, Race, Religion, Sexuality, Ethnicity among other criteria gets fair opportunity and equal treatment. On this organisation monitoring form, they had, Nigeria listed, Nigeria was the only nation that was actually listed, usually, the format is African, British, Black British, among others, but in this case they had Nigerian and a column for applicants to tick if they are from there.

I was going to tick it but my friend quickly nudged me, she screamed out no! When I asked her the reason for her refusal to tick the column she quickly lectured me on how that may limit her chances, and the fact that they listed Nigeria separately may mean they have had enough of us, I told her to be positive and see it the other way, that they could be looking for a Nigeria to fill up the position, the half full cup rather than half empty cup mentality. She declined my suggestion, saying she will only waste her time, then I asked her what nationality she wants to tick, she said Black British, I quickly reminded her that she would need to show her Passport on the interview date, if she gets short listed. She said it doesn’t matter as she would have made it to the interview and had the opportunity to prove herself.

Long story short, she got short listed went for the interview, said it was going well until she revealed her ID at the end of the interview, the people photo copied her ID and before she got home, they had emailed her to say how sorry they were, and that she has not been successful, she wept on my shoulders inconsolably, she tried to convince me that she did not get the job because of her Nationality, she went on to tell me, how they had actually asked her when she will be available to resume, and how they confirmed that they had the right contacts for her references. I told her employees usually do that in spite of whether they will take you or not, they check all that details as that is part of the whole interview process, she insisted that they were friendly until she produced her Nigerian Passport, she said she noticed a sudden coldness, their smiles faded, and they quickly shook hands to bid her goodbye and then to fulfil all interview rules, they reluctantly copied her ID.

I explained to her that all that cry and wasted journey and time to attend the interview would have been avoided if she had taken my advice in the first place and stated her real ID in the application form. She insisted that she took the right decision; I gave in to avoid further argument. It then dawned on me that she is another smart Nigerian. If you are shopping on EBay, an online shop, some of the traders that enlist there products will have a notice that they will ship there items to any part of the world except Nigeria, others advised Nigerian fraudsters not to contact them, Western Union will do on line money transfer to any nation except Nigeria, you have to go into any of there branch or agents to transfer money to Nigeria. Absurd! When I inquired why, I was told smart Nigerians has shown them there true colours, another embarrassing one is when you are buying air line ticket to Nigeria with credit or debit card, some will give you the option of presenting the card at the airport, others will suggest you come into their office to authorise the transaction, there are others that will insist they can only take cash or bank transfer from Nigerian Passengers, Again I tried to find out why, I was told that Some Nigerians are in the full time business of stealing other peoples credit card details and using them to purchase tickets for either themselves or their acquaintances.

I remember, going on lunch break with a colleague, we met another colleague who works in a different department, she came and joined us at our table, while we were eating slowly, we delved into a conversation about holiday and were one intends to go, I told them I will be going to my country, I described my country as sunny, hot and lovely, the other colleague from a different department asked me where am from originally, I told her Nigeria, she literally choked on her food, I asked her why, she said she had always had the impression that am from the Caribbean, then she looked at me quizzically and asked me if am serious, I got upset at that question but maintained my calmness, I quickly asked what she meant by that, then she told of how she was conned by certain Nigerians who said they were having difficulty opening a bank account and how they have been working for someone who has promised them to pay them in arrears if they will produce an account, she said she had pity for them as she could identify with their predicament since she is from a black minority ethnic group, she said, she gave them her account details, and the next day, a huge sum of money was paid into her account, She quickly rang them but suggested to them that they should give her four days for the check to clear.

The money became available on the fourth day, she went into the branch and withdrew some of the money for them, but because it will take her up to six working days to withdraw the whole money, she suggested that they can use her card and draw the money themselves from ATM machine, she gave them her pin number and wisely moved her balance to another account. Two weeks she had not heard from them, then she tried calling them, the number had suddenly ceased to exist, she decided to pay them a visit, they had moved, she went into her bank branch to order for a new card, her bank told her that a letter had been sent out to her inviting her to a court, and how she has been paying in dud checks and cashing them, and that she also took an overdraft of £1,000.00 pounds. She eventually went to court. Long story short, she paid back the sum of £11,000.00 pounds to the bank. I empathised with her and tried to tell her that, that shouldn’t make her hate all Nigerians but before I could finish my statement she got up and walked out without finishing her lunch or saying goodbye. I felt so embarrassed for the sins committed by others who are so much in a hurry to get rich to prove a point to their mates and family back home that they are doing well.

What Nigerians in Diaspora who prey other people’s pocket are doing is far from doing well, they are doing damage to what ever is left of our nation reputation, they are damaging the image of our people and it will take years to regain our good name. We need to start now, to save the face of our future generation. Those in Nigeria can help by not expecting too much from there relatives in Diaspora, their expectation puts these people under pressure to under take all sorts of evil tasks to prove their worth. The government should provide jobs; make the economy vibrant for Nigerians to survive. They should seek means to eradicate poverty and rid the nation of corruption which is actually the main cause of this problem. Leaders should be made accountable. Offenders should be severely punished. Educative messages and adverts should be used to disabuse people’s mind of this get rich quick syndrome. A. These 419 guys should be tracked down and brought to book. This is the only way forward. If nothing is done now, we will all be treated as criminals if we identify ourselves as Nigerians any way!!!

Nneka Emehelu writes from London



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is this how nigerians are now perceived in UK

Are you new to this planet? Even here in America, I mean people know that there are definitely the honest ones among us but they are well aware of the high level of 419 crimes perpetrated by Nigerians around.

Kobojunkie:

Are you new to this planet? Even here in America, I mean people know that there are definitely the honest ones among us but they are well aware of the high level of 419 crimes perpetrated by Nigerians around.

most nigerians are ugly rumours. sad we will do anything for money. the stories in the article are small. it is sad i dont know how we think we can get away with doing all these stupidity all over the world and get away with it.

the incovinience of of being nigerian is too much. people from the top are theives per excellence so you expect something lower from the ones below but you find them trying to out do themselves. the number of nigerians in the prison system in europe is unbelievable

This is news to me.I never heard of an application with the country name on it.WTF!!~~That is wrong!!

.

SeanT21:

This is news to me.I never heard of an application with the country name on it.WTF!!~~That is wrong!!

you have to make a special rule for dishonest and theiving nigerians. you take a risk every time you recommend a nigerian for anything.

tpia:

sounds weird and illegal imo, but I'm not sure what goes in Britain.

anyway, the girl should have stated she was Nigerian on the application, since they asked. She only gave the employers an excuse to call her another typical dishonest Nigerian. If she's going to claim non-Nigerian or black british, then she should have the documents to back it up.

well, they have to protect themselves. Too much fraud on the web.

you dont say. Thats news to me. I think it depends on the amount you're sending, and it doesnt only apply to Nigeria. In any case, they have to protect themselves too.

seriously, is there a law saying people shouldnt use common sense when dealing with others? Just because someone is black doesnt mean he's your brother.

I sympathize with the lady but why was she so trusting of total strangers?  this is money we're talking about.

unless she was dating them sha.

there is always compassion that makes you want to help people you feel are vulnerable. it is not a crime to help people in need. our people know how to take advantage. i used to do things like that without asking questions. you eventually get pushed to the point you re work your strategies/principles. no matter how much they cry now i tend not to hear that much. thankfully we are no more in london and dont attend naija church no more.

The race relations act 1976 is there to protect you. Discrimination still happens though despite the act. If you feel you have been discriminated against, and don't mind going through all the time and paperwork involved, all you need to do is take it up with the party/parties involved. It is not all about monetary compensation, its also about trying to get those discriminating to stop doing it!

When I first came to the UK, there was situations that I had to let go, but I tell, if anything like that happens now, I will see it to the very end.

If your friend felt she was discriminated against because of her nationality, she should take it up. The proof of burden in racial discrimination cases is on the defendants. The defendants have to proof that they did not discriminate against you.

seyibrown:

The race relations act 1976 is there to protect you. Discrimination still happens though despite the act. If you feel you have been discriminated against, and don't mind going through all the time and paperwork involved, all you need to do is take it up with the party/parties involved. It is not all about monetary compensation, its also about trying to get those discriminating to stop doing it!

When I first came to the UK, there was situations that I had to let go, but I tell, if anything like that happens now, I will see it to the very end.

Thanks you for mentioning this my sister.

Far too many Nigerians overlook these laws put into place that protect people from discriminatory practices in the workplace.

Never let others take advantage of you, fight for your rights. Y

blackspade:

Thanks you for mentioning this my sister.

Far too many Nigerians overlook these laws put into place that protect people from discriminatory practices in the workplace.

Never let others take advantage of you, fight for your rights. Y

It is always easier for many to scream out that people are racist than it is to stand up and demand the respect and right due one!! If everyone took advantage of those laws, how many people will be left to whine about RACISM!!

In addition to my earlier post:

[b]Case study: On the road to equality


John wanted to hire a van to travel from the North East to Liverpool, so he telephoned a local hire firm to enquire about their rates.
The following day he called to accept the price and booked a van, on the condition that he pay a deposit and produce a full clean driving licence. Ten minutes later he went to the hire centre. He introduced himself to one of the staff and stated that he had come to collect a Luton van. He was taken into the office and informed that he would not be able to hire a vehicle as he planned to take it outside a 25 mile radius. He informed them that he had overheard staff in the yard talking about a customer who was taking a van to Scotland, but the company replied that the customer had booked in advance. John explained that he had also pre-booked by telephone but the company said there was nothing they could do.

At this point John suspected that the firm had refused to hire him the van because of his ethnicity, which is Afro-Caribbean. He decided to test out the situation and asked Mike, a white friend, to try to hire a van for a long distance journey. His feeling was confirmed when the company agreed to hire a van to his friend to travel to Sheffield that same day.

John went to the CRE to ask for advice and assistance. We advised him that under the 1976 Race Relations Act it is illegal for companies to refuse to serve customers on the grounds of their race. We served him with a race relations questionnaire, which is a standard tool used to investigate a case.

It is a good opportunity for an organisation to explain their side of the story, but the van hire firm did not complete the form. Their only response was to send a letter denying that they were operating a 'colour bar', and stating that only one Luton van could be taken outside a 25 mile radius each day.

We applied to the county court who allocated the case to the small claims track. John, his friend Mike, and the managing director of the van hire firm gave evidence. The firm were unable to provide evidence as to why the van was unavailable on the day.

The conclusion of the court was that John had received less favourable treatment than his Mike, on the grounds of race. The court found that the firm's policy of hiring vans outside a 25 mile radius was not consistent. They said that the firm's failure to fill in the questionnaire and absence of another explanation led them to draw the conclusion that race was reason why they refused to hire a van to John. They ordered the firm to pay him £3,000 in damages.

Names have been changed to protect the identity of our clients.[/b]

Case study: Face didn't fit
[b]

Claire was working as a full time cashier at a petrol station run by a multinational firm, when the garage was sold to another company. The contract stated that all nine staff members would be transferred to the new employer.

One day, when she arrived at work for her usual shift, Claire and her colleagues were not given any work to do as their new boss had brought in two new staff. Another staff member turned up for work to find that someone else appeared to have been given her job, so she left. A few days later, a meeting was arranged to resolve the matter, but their employer told them that they would not be paid as he could not afford it. Eventually he agreed to pay some of the wages and they went home, not knowing whether or not the garage would re-open. Two staff found work elsewhere.

Claire called the petrol station and was told to come back to work the next day, but five of the original staff were never contacted again. They felt they had been mistreated. When she returned to work she found out that her boss had hired a new manager and two new staff, all of whom were Asian. Although she got on well with her new colleagues, she felt it was unacceptable that the company had replaced the original white staff with new Asian staff. She was eventually told that she was no longer needed at the garage, and went to her local race equality service for advice.

The CRE later took up her case and her employer could not explain why he dismissed the white staff to employ family members, or only those from his ethnic group. An employment tribunal ruled that she had been racially discriminated against, and ordered the firm to pay a four figure sum to compensate for her lost earnings.

Names have been changed to protect the identity of our clients.[/b]



(Commission for Racial Equality archives, 2007.)

Enough has been said about what is happening to the Nigerian image abroad, its quite sad really.
I am surprised that they can go to the extent of singling out Nigeria on job application forms. Though they cant be entirely blamed, i mean, we brought it upon ourselves.
As for legal battles against racial discriminations, I personally dont have that much faith in the system, especially the British one i'm afraid. Lets face it, its STILL a white system, and they remain loyal.
I have thickened my skin against things like this, shrug my shoulders and just move on. Racial discrimination didnt start today, and the western world isnt ready to change yet.

Hesperus:

Enough has been said about what is happening to the Nigerian image abroad, its quite sad really.
I am surprised that they can go to the extent of singling out Nigeria on job application forms. Though they cant be entirely blamed, i mean, we brought it upon ourselves.
As for legal battles against racial discriminations, I personally dont have that much faith in the system, especially the British one i'm afraid. Lets face it, its STILL a white system, and they remain loyal.
I have thickened my skin against things like this, shrug my shoulders and just move on. Racial discrimination didnt start today, and the western world isnt ready to change yet.

This is exactly what I mean. It is easier for some to sit back and whine about racial discrimination than to step out and take advantage of laws out there that not only protect you from such but give you an upper hand against those who discriminate against you. And then we wonder why some get disrespected while other Nigerians don't ever experience the same as we have comfortably accepted as our fate. Jeezz!!!

Kobojunkie, its not accepting fate. It is realising that these guys do not have our interest at heart.
Even those supposed to enforce said laws are the ones leading the pack (eg police). In such cases, what can be done? People before us have gone thru such, cried out an fought, but it all gets swept under the carpet.
Another thing is, you cannot come and fight a man in his land, with his resources and expect to win. So you decide to go to court and all that. . .the people deciding the case are white. What makes you think they really give a flying Bleep about you?
I guess this is the price we have to pay for the mistakes of our predecessors, which made us leave our fatherlands in the first place.

Abegi, na today??

I am not sure about 'having to tick a box if you're Nigerian' on that application form. If you feel you were discriminated against, ask the party involved to give you feedback on why you have been unsucessful.

@Hesperus

For every legal action taken against a discriminating party, they will think twice before doing again. Even if it is an RR65(Race Relations Questionnaire), send it to them, ask questions and let them explain their actions. If they don't respond, get in touch with the CRE OR start a claim in the courts(with advice), they will realise you are serious about taking it up with them.

The matter of reclaiming bank charges started with one person taking his bank to court for unfair charges that he believed did not reflect the true cost to his bank. He won and millions of pounds have been reclaimed by others who followed suit. Many more are following suit.

We need to take action. A lot of emotional distress comes with discrimination. It is unfair.

Hesperus:

Kobojunkie, its not accepting fate. It is realising that these guys do not have our interest at heart.
Even those supposed to enforce said laws are the ones leading the pack (eg police). In such cases, what can be done? People before us have gone thru such, cried out an fought, but it all gets swept under the carpet.

Are you sure you are alright? You live in another man’s country, refuse to take advantage of the laws put in place to protect you from abuse. You come on here to tells us you will not take advantage of the laws designed for your benefit and that of your children and you think they are the ones who do not have your interest at heart? Do you listen/read your own words?

Hesperus:

Another thing is, you cannot come and fight a man in his land, with his resources and expect to win. So you decide to go to court and all that. . .the people deciding the case are white. What makes you think they really give a flying Bleep about you?

So the many Africans who have done so in the same land are what? From Mars? The many Africans who have risen up to compete with these in their land have what? 7 heads? Again, do you read your own words?

Hesperus:

I guess this is the price we have to pay for the mistakes of our predecessors, which made us leave our fatherlands in the first place.
Abegi, na today??

So never mind that you, by ignoring these laws, and their benefits for you, are leaving yet another mistake for your children and your children’s children to pay for in t for in the future, all that you want to believe is that it is everyone else doing this to you?

seyibrown:

The race relations act 1976 is there to protect you. Discrimination still happens though despite the act. If you feel you have been discriminated against, and don't mind going through all the time and paperwork involved, all you need to do is take it up with the party/parties involved. It is not all about monetary compensation, its also about trying to get those discriminating to stop doing it!

When I first came to the UK, there was situations that I had to let go, but I tell, if anything like that happens now, I will see it to the very end.

If your friend felt she was discriminated against because of her nationality, she should take it up. The proof of burden in racial discrimination cases is on the defendants. The defendants have to proof that they did not discriminate against you.

Discrimination in the employment context on the grounds of race or ethnic or national origins is permissible where being of a particular race or ethnic or national origin is a genuine and determining occupational requirement, and it is proportionate to apply that requirement in a particular case. Discrimination on the grounds of colour and nationality is also permissible where being of a particular racial group is a genuine occupational qualification for the job. The circumstances in which this would apply are identified in the Act.

Discrimination in the employment context on the grounds of race or ethnic or national origins is permissible where being of a particular race or ethnic or national origin is a genuine and determining occupational requirement, and it is proportionate to apply that requirement in a particular case. Discrimination on the grounds of colour and nationality is also permissible where being of a particular racial group is a genuine occupational qualification for the job. The circumstances in which this would apply are identified in the Act.

@poster

You are right. There are exceptions. In those cases, it is usually made clear in the job advertisement. Particular jobs to do with national security are reserved for 'UK citizens and nationals'. Exceptions or exemptions are usually made clear at the time of advertisement.

Na today crayfish bend? e don tey

seyibrown:

@poster

You are right. There are exceptions. In those cases, it is usually made clear in the job advertisement. Particular jobs to do with national security are reserved for 'UK citizens and nationals'. Exceptions or exemptions are usually made clear at the time of advertisement.

Exceptions in certain public authorities

The Act does not apply to:

the work of the Houses of Parliament or the security services
judicial or legislative acts and decisions not to prosecute
certain immigration and nationality functions where discrimination is permitted on grounds of nationality or ethnic or national origin

Regardless of how patriotic and indignant Nigerians choose to be in their self-assertion and pride, the sobering fact remains that in most parts of the enlightened world, an admission that one is originally from Nigeria has the same visceral effect on listeners as would occur if one confessed to being a convicted child-molester or axe-murderer who recently eluded captivity.

Isnt Trevor 'racism is dead' Phillips the chairman of the CRE? I wouldnt put much faith in that organisation.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1121442/TREVOR-PHILLIPS-Why-Britain-LEAST-racist-country-Europe.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1081125/Help-white-working-class-risk-surge-far-Right-extremists-says-equalities-chief-Trevor-Phillips.html

Put your faith in yourself using the law to your own benefit, not in TRevor who is only there for a term or an organization that is itself subject to the law.

.

Whilst I might agree that britain is the least racist country in Europe, I do not agree with Trevor Phillips latest 'pack of lies'.

Racism is still rife, especially with the increasing numbers of 'BNP followers'. Trevor Phillips should try looking for a job with an 'african accent' plus a CV with all his educational background in Africa.

A recent survey showed that some estate agents and employment agencies agreed with clients who asked that 'people who are not white' should not be shown round properties or have their job applications passed on to them. One of the responses by a female employment agent when the prospective employer told her he didn't want coloured people was 'normal people, right'.

Kobojunkie,
Perhaps you misunderstand me, I have no problems with putting your faith in the law . But when an organisation such as CRE (which for the most part is a Joke) and is headed by a coon such as droolips Phillips, then you would be wise to approach such organisations with caution.
Regardless of whether you agree or not, An organisation and it 'direction cannot be separated from the leadership,
Droolips has been there since inception, and the fact that he has remained head of the CRE for that long (in a society where racism is not very overt, but systemic and very real) then he must be doing something right for the people that created the CRE. If the CRE was to be effective, then it would be rocking boats, and not have its HNIC proclaiming racism is dead,
You can do a search on Trevors position on race relations in the UK,

My angle is the CRE is hardly the law in the UK,

@Seyibrown,
I personally do not believe England is any less racist than other countries in Europe. They are only the slickest at hiding their true nature. And they have perfected the overt racism and made it covert and systemic. And that nature is a testament to how such a small nation could achieve so much and conquer so many in the past. It is very easy to get taken by them and end up being under-estimated, But it doesnt make them any less lethal,

She could have left the ethnicity box blank.
If she suspects that the main reason why she didn't get the job is because of her nationality then my advice for her is to ask for her interview notes under the FOI act (assuming the interview is still within 6 months and the company is a public organisation). You never know what might turn up in their.
I once had an interview with tubelines (for a senior engineering position), felt the interview went well (answered all the technical questions correctly, got good reviews from the interviewers for answers given to the competency based questions)and was made to feel i was going to start working with them ASAP only to get the dreaded news.

I ask them for my interview notes under the FOI act and they sort of ignored me until i threatened them about me taking the case to the employment tribunal.

I received a call from their HR manager sort of offering me the job after which i happily declined as i only wanted to prove to myself at the time that i didn't get the job because of other reasons (probably they had someone else in mind but still went on and advertised the role so as to satisfy the employment policies and rules) and definitely not my incompetence.

I am aware of a case about a police force (north of England) secretly discriminated against male applicants because of their drive to recruit more women. Someone actually snitched after they purposely shredded applications from male applicants. All the male applicants actually received well over 200K as compensation

This is just shameful. Honestly some Nigerians have given thewhole community a bad image, have Nigeria on the form is quite amazing as more companies might just follow suit. I used to think that section on employment forms is optional and you dont have to fill it in.

Discrimination is still much alive and i think the fraudulent nature of Nigerians is also partly to blame but it is not just Nigeirans that do these things but unfortunately we are the loudest and we glorify fraudulent acts.

Le Moor:

Kobojunkie,
Perhaps you misunderstand me, I have no problems with putting your faith in the law . But when an organisation such as CRE (which for the most part is a Joke) and is headed by a coon such as droolips Phillips, then you would be wise to approach such organisations with caution.
Regardless of whether you agree or not, An organisation and it 'direction cannot be separated from the leadership,
Droolips has been there since inception, and the fact that he has remained head of the CRE for that long (in a society where racism is not very overt, but systemic and very real) then he must be doing something right for the people that created the CRE. If the CRE was to be effective, then it would be rocking boats, and not have its HNIC proclaiming racism is dead,
You can do a search on Trevors position on race relations in the UK,

My angle is the CRE is hardly the law in the UK,

Thanks LeMoor. Kobojunkie, perhaps my poor diction wont let me pass across my point properly. Yes, i fully understand that there are laws protecting us from these things, and i appreciate that too. However, my problem is with the people who are supposed to implement said laws. How sure are you of their integrity? I read a review somewhere, a behavioural experiment was conducted and it was discovered that the average white man couldnt care less about racism, and wouldnt lift a finger to do anything about discrimination. And most often than not, we find ourselves dealign with such people. At the end of the day, hardly anything gets done and all we get is further embarrassment and futile efforts.

we better start working on our image back home before talking about our image abroad.
we have image problem back home so it will not be surprising that our image is bad outside.
nigeria jaga jaga. charity must begin at home.

Look, it doesn't matter how many laws you quote. This is not often a case of racial discrimination, it often takes the form as a self-preservation policy by a company.
Expansys UK recently cancelled an order from a friend of mine. When he called them up, they apologetically told him that 98% of credit card orders from Nigeria to their site were fraudulent, so they could not afford to take the risk. Ditto Amazon and Ebay. Which judge in the world can deny these guys the right to determine who they ship to or not, or what extra layers they put for 'high risk' clientele?

she should simply have ticked the box nigerian other than giving the interviewers another chance to take every Nigerian as dishonest.

If thereafter she was not selected or shortlisted, she can only assume that it was on the ground of nationality.
In anyway you look at it, honesty counts.