Ok. I had a friend tell me that Nigeria has so many differences -in terms of culture- from America. So, I would like to know what is so different. And if there are any known rumors or false disclaimers, set the record straight.

For example:

Statement:
Nigerian men can pay an American woman to marry him just to get a green card.
Answer:
Sad but true. But only in the Northern states like New York, Rhode Island, Washington, DC and Pennsylvannia because it is easier to get away with. I have witnessed it.

Statement:
ALL American girls are "easy" or "loose".
Answer:
Not true. America has lots of different cultures. In some cultures it's ok for women to behave themselves loosely. Southerners live in a more rural farm-like area and tend to be more church minded and hospitable than northerners. In fact, I have noticed that more Nigerian girls come to America and go buck wild than the girls who are actually from America. What is seen on movies is different from reality.

Night and Day!!

@ Old Shame

Night and day is a very generalized term. If you know something, would you care to expound or to explain i.e. the example I left above.

Like is it true that Nigerians arrange marriages for their children?
Is it true that Nigerian man will divorce you for not having his child?

American men don't want to be married- talk of letting someone arrange a marriage for them.
American men will divorce you or just leave you regardless of if you have their child or not.

List these types of things. I am looking for specific information.

If you heard something about one or the other post it and see if any one answers.

I really want to know about this babalawo. Is it true that people give their private parts to babalawo to become rich?

infrastructure

You see more older people in the US. than in Naija.

The laws are enforced 100 times better in the U.S. than in Naija

People have more respect for their elders in Nigeria than in the U.S.

A lot of America's food is full of preservatives; it often lacks that natural taste. In Naija, our food is more natural (less inorganic).

American streets and highways are largely smooth and without the pot-holes and craters that riddle most Nigerian roads.

American streets are substantially WIDER than most Nigerian streets, with the exception of those in central Abuja.

It is extremely rare to see large "snow drifts" of trash covering American roads, whereas it is just as rare to see a clean street in Nigeria.

Sewers in Nigeria are OPEN GUTTERS that present mortal danger to pedestrians and vehicles, whereas sewage and drainage systems in the US are entirely underground or fenced off where they can never constitute the death traps found everywhere along Nigerian streets, particularly in major cities.

Vehicle emissions are strictly regulated in the US, but are not a concern in Nigeria so far.  This means that large numbers of antiquated vehicles ply Nigerian roads belching out smoke that is thick enough to obscure the view of drivers and cause wrecks.   Similarly the Nigerian police do not pull over motorists for having vehicles with no tail lights, adding a substantial risk to Nigerian night driving which does not exist in the US.

You can hop in your car at any hour of the night and share the freeway with numerous other drivers in most parts of the US, whereas Nigerian highways are largely empty at night due to fear of armed robbery ambushes, "police" attacks and unmarked craters or huge tree logs left over from day-time police "check points".

Streets in most US cities are laid out in an orderly rectangular grid which makes navigation very easy, particularly with today's GPS mapping technology found in many new vehicles,   In Nigeria the streets are largely random in placement, with numerous un-posted one-way lanes and cul-de-sacs,  making navigation a living nightmare for visitors.

Pedestrians and drivers traversing the streets of most American cities are unlikely to be accosted by hordes of pick-pockets, beggars, aggressive street-vendors, and hoodlum gangs, whereas that is the rule and not the exception in Nigeria.

A person being pulled over by the police in the US will reach for their driving license and registration, whereas anyone pulled over in Nigeria had best reach for their wallet, hoping they have enough cash money to avoid a vehicle impound and visit to the police station on trumped-up charges based on non-existent legislation.

Wide pedestrian walkways line most streets in the US, but are a very rare sight in Nigeria outside of Abuja, with the few existing in other towns often fenced off and guarded by road-side businesses, forcing pedestrians to take their chances ducking cars, buses and swarming motor-cycle taxis in what passes for a road.

A person may live in North America for a decade and never experience an electrical power outage, whereas in Nigeria it is rare for the lights to flicker on for so much as a negligible 10 % of the time in any given 24 hour period.

Pay your utility bills in the US and you can be sure your home will be supplied with electricity, CLEAN water and cooking gas on tap.  The uninterrupted flow of those basic utilities are remains a wistful fantasy in Nigeria, hopefully to be realized in coming decades for the benefit of generations yet un-born.

Bribes are expected and demanded for even the most mundane rights in most Nigerian government offices, a situation as foreign to American culture as would be the sight a Nigerian-style motorcycle taxi transporting a family of six.

There are virtually NO public toilets in Nigeria, so the sight of men and women defacting and urinating beside the road and in full view of the public is commonplace and routine, a revolting spectacle absolutely unheard of in the US.

Other than these very few minor and insignificant differences, Nigeria and North America are comparable in that there is terrain below and a sky above in both countries.

"You can hop in your car at any hour of the night and share the freeway with numerous other drivers in most parts of the US, whereas Nigerian highways are largely empty at night due to fear of armed robbery ambushes, "police" attacks and unmarked craters or huge tree logs left over from day-time police "check points"." (Jakumo)


Ndipe's comment


Almost like a culture shock that you can hop on the freeway, and drive comfortably at night, with no fear of being waylaid by robbers. Even when I had a flat tire last month on my way back home, I just did not panic, because with my cell phone, I knew AAA would arrive sooner or later. America truly deserves our kudos for its near reliability in rendering social services to its citizens.

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