Dear President Buhari,

Your Excellency, finally, you added the backbreaking straw with your comment about the notoriety of overseas crimes committed by Nigerians. Incidentally, I read the excerpt of the Telegraph UK interview wherein you made the statement while I watched a Netflix documentary titled “Virunga”.

Virunga is a 2014 British documentary film, which focuses on the conservation work of rangers within Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the activity of a British company, Soco International, which began exploring for oil within the UNESCO World Heritage Site in April 2014. In the past month, I have also seen quite a few other documentaries around a similar theme – “Stealing Africa”, “How to rob Africa”, “The Great African Scandal”. The consensus theme, albeit stereotype, is that “The West is largely as responsible as Africans for the woes of the African continent”. When it wasn’t giving out the entire democratic republic of Congo to King Leopold II as a private enterprise, it was granting presidential pardon to her citizen who set the pace for defrauding African governments, now commonly known as “Subsidy scam” in Nigerian circles. There are even alleged conspiracies about how this pardoned individual financed the military coup that brought you to power the first time. But that is an entirely different issue for discussion. Since you rode to political power on the wave of a change(d) democrat, we can at least let bygones be bygones.



However, beyond the all-too-common rhetoric of a plundering west, I also found a few lessons from the documentaries that have evidently become relevant in the face of your many recent overseas comments.

First, greed is human nature. A few Nigerians partaking in drug trafficking, sex racketeering, and basic as well as advanced fee fraud is not very different from a few westerners partaking in sponsored wars, unpaid royalties, and third party child labor. The key difference rests in the system of the crime and the strength of the law. While the foreign individuals stealing the continent have built corporations around their trade, Nigerian (African) criminals with a turf off the continent still run the show as crudely as many of their one-man businesses. Unfortunately, the strength of the law is a reverse in these scenarios. The corporations have to deal with ineffectual governments and weak institutions, while the silo-styled Nigerian kingpin takes his chances against decade-old intelligent law enforcement institutions. Little wonder who the odds are against.

Second, charity begins at home, and I guess this is an intended double-edged truth. Wishing away the reality that corruption is endemic in today’s Nigeria is akin to a fool’s pilgrimage. If this is a generally accepted paradigm, why do we expect that our beat-the-system nature wouldn’t land us in murky waters when we face stiffer systems abroad? Or do we currently have a system that ensures only the righteous ones make it abroad? Quite the contrary! Many of us who travel abroad have had to beat the system at least once, along the value chain from getting an international passport to being airborne. Sir, if we really want to fix our image issue, then we must fold our sleeves back home and get to the trenches of strengthening institutions as against pelting us with the change rhetoric as if another election season is nigh.

Unfortunately, your disdain for the second edge of the home-taught charity pierces my heart more. A disturbing trend has emerged from many of your foreign trips, especially those in which you enjoy great spotlight from the foreign media. You often speak in the third person. Your stance on Nigerians at such times beggars belief. It’s almost as if you are the president of a people you do not want, or associate with, or don’t even know at all. If this were in the corporate world, it could easily be interpreted as if you are positioning yourself to be poached from the other guys. Or sir, are you positioning for the UK to poach you as her prime minister? That you choose to make controversial statements about your people through the foreign media while on foreign trips is a chain of bad decisions. Sadly, your handlers are doing a great job of managing the clap backs terribly.



On a final note sir, there are quite a lot of hardworking Nigerians seeking asylum abroad. That a lot of Nigerians can daily swallow the pills of a failing government, bad economic policies and a growing sense of insecurity doesn’t mean those who choose to opt out of that reality are fraudulent. When I feel a government cannot provide the basic conditions for my survival, am I not in danger? There is only so much a man can take and those who desire to pursue their own happiness should feel free to do so without their president equating such pursuit with crime. 

Sir, you are the president of all Nigerians, home and abroad. What we expect from you is the CHANGE you and the All Progressives Congress (APC) promised, and not beating the drums of shame, hoping that the rhythm would nudge our hands to clap and our legs into dancing. 

Change, please?

Signed:

Damilare Ogunleye
@ogunleyedami

Cc: Office of the Lying Liars (APC)
       Office of the Wailing Wailers (PDP)
       Office of the Citizen (Nigerian)



http://www.thescoopng.com/damilare-ogunleye-rejoinder-nigerians-seeking-asylum-abroad-are-insincere/

Who is this guy? we don't know him or anything about his credibility.

Will let this one slide.

#NigeriansAreNotCriminals

Baba Change for we... #NigeriansareNotCriminals

HungerBAD:
Who is this guy? we don;t know him or anything about his credibility.

Will let this one slide.

He is an IPOB youth using a Yoruba name

No doubt about it

No Yoruba will write so unintelligently

Retributionn:


He is an IPOB youth using a Yoruba name

No doubt about it

No Yoruba will write so unintelligently

Dear Mr. Intelligent, at least I put my twitter handle under it for you to check.

HungerBAD:
Who is this guy? we don;t know him or anything about his credibility.

Will let this one slide.

Just google my name and read my previous pieces. My credibility is that I am just an ordinary Nigerian. Neither a Wailing Wailer nor a Lying Liar.

Collage:


Just google my name and read my previous pieces. My credibility is that I am just an ordinary Nigerian. Neither a Wailing Wailer nor a Lying Liar.

This is nonsense

Anyone can create an internet profile and claim to be anybody

There is no proof that is your name

What school did you go? What university did you attend? If you attended any?

What is the meaning of Omo Ale in Yoruba?

OyeniyiLeke:


This is nonsense

Anyone can create an internet profile and claim to be anybody

There is no proof that is your name

What school did you go? What university did you attend? If you attended any?

What is the meaning of Omo Ale in Yoruba?

Do I dignify you with a response? Apparently that would be fruitless considering your reasoning capacity asking for the yoruba translation of Bastard, as verification, in an age of Google translate.

Collage:


Do I dignify you with a response? Apparently that would be fruitless considering your reasoning capacity asking for the yoruba translation of Bastard, as verification, in an age of Google translate.

If you thought that was a question, then your level of reasoning and cognition is abysmal

It is even more ridiculous that you avoided the first part of my post

Your defensive attitude has shed more light on your motive and background

Kedu my brother

OyeniyiLeke:


If you thought that was a question, then your level of reasoning and cognition is abysmal

It is even more ridiculous that you avoided the first part of my post

Your defensive attitude has shed more light on your motive and background

Kedu my brother

I should provide you with my resume? What are you? A recruiter or a project supervisor?

Defensive attitude? You must think yourself so important that I have to prove that I am Yoruba to you.

Oga Ade, get a life. There are more important things to do on a Sunday evening than come down to your level. Peace out.

Collage:


I should provide you with my resume? What are you? A recruiter or a project supervisor?

Defensive attitude? You must think yourself so important that I have to prove that I am Yoruba to you.

Oga Ade, get a life. There are more important things to do on a Sunday evening than come down to your level. Peace out.

This is becoming so ridiculous

Who asked for your Resume? What do they teach children these days?

You have a poor understanding of argumentation

You need to improve your writing , upgrade your education, and develop your analytical skills

You are not ready for the murky waters of propaganda. All I see here is self marketing and you have failed to impress.

Maybe he was right.

The Linkeage theory says it all. External Image is mostly shaped by the internal environment. Repertriations from diasporans are major means of generating income for any reasonable country. Beside, the belief abroad is that every black man is a Nigerian but in reality, Religion and Morality make us riteous and average Nigerian has conscience. #WeAreNotCriminal... WeAreNigerians

skademzy:
The Linkeage theory says it all. External Image is mostly shaped by the internal environment. Repertriations from diasporans are major means of generating income for any reasonable country. Beside, the belief abroad is that every black man is a Nigerian but in reality, Religion and Morality make us riteous and average Nigerian has conscience. #WeAreNotCriminal...
WeAreNigerians

... lots of nigerians both home and abroad were criminals they tarnish the image of this country anywhere in the world! from africa, ameica, europe asia and the gulf states, the story is the same.....looting treasury everywhere terrorisim, kidnapping, vandalism, militants, oil theft both home and abroad, drug pushers, traffiking, baby factory all label to nigerian it's shameful indeed, you could hardly heard any excution anywhere in the world without mention of nigerian!

Yorubas and IPOB


You fools were smarter in deception and treachery before Kanu

Now everything is IPOB

Foolish people made more foolish by God in order to dismantle this blood letting evil country under boko king

temitemi1:
Dear President Buhari,

Your Excellency, finally, you added the backbreaking straw with your comment about the notoriety of overseas crimes committed by Nigerians. Incidentally, I read the excerpt of the Telegraph UK interview wherein you made the statement while I watched a Netflix documentary titled “Virunga”.

Virunga is a 2014 British documentary film, which focuses on the conservation work of rangers within Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the activity of a British company, Soco International, which began exploring for oil within the UNESCO World Heritage Site in April 2014. In the past month, I have also seen quite a few other documentaries around a similar theme – “Stealing Africa”, “How to rob Africa”, “The Great African Scandal”. The consensus theme, albeit stereotype, is that “The West is largely as responsible as Africans for the woes of the African continent”. When it wasn’t giving out the entire democratic republic of Congo to King Leopold II as a private enterprise, it was granting presidential pardon to her citizen who set the pace for defrauding African governments, now commonly known as “Subsidy scam” in Nigerian circles. There are even alleged conspiracies about how this pardoned individual financed the military coup that brought you to power the first time. But that is an entirely different issue for discussion. Since you rode to political power on the wave of a change(d) democrat, we can at least let bygones be bygones.



However, beyond the all-too-common rhetoric of a plundering west, I also found a few lessons from the documentaries that have evidently become relevant in the face of your many recent overseas comments.

First, greed is human nature A few Nigerians partaking in drug trafficking, sex racketeering, and basic as well as advanced fee fraud is not very different from a few westerners partaking in sponsored wars, unpaid royalties, and third party child labor. The key difference rests in the system of the crime and the strength of the law. While the foreign individuals stealing the continent have built corporations around their trade, Nigerian (African) criminals with a turf off the continent still run the show as crudely as many of their one-man businesses. Unfortunately, the strength of the law is a reverse in these scenarios. The corporations have to deal with ineffectual governments and weak institutions, while the silo-styled Nigerian kingpin takes his chances against decade-old intelligent law enforcement institutions. Little wonder who the odds are against.

Second, charity begins at home, and I guess this is an intended double-edged truth. Wishing away the reality that corruption is endemic in today’s Nigeria is akin to a fool’s pilgrimage. If this is a generally accepted paradigm, why do we expect that our beat-the-system nature wouldn’t land us in murky waters when we face stiffer systems abroad? Or do we currently have a system that ensures only the righteous ones make it abroad? Quite the contrary! Many of us who travel abroad have had to beat the system at least once, along the value chain from getting an international passport to being airborne. Sir, if we really want to fix our image issue, then we must fold our sleeves back home and get to the trenches of strengthening institutions as against pelting us with the change rhetoric as if another election season is nigh.

Unfortunately, your disdain for the second edge of the home-taught charity pierces my heart more. A disturbing trend has emerged from many of your foreign trips, especially those in which you enjoy great spotlight from the foreign media. You often speak in the third person. Your stance on Nigerians at such times beggars belief. It’s almost as if you are the president of a people you do not want, or associate with, or don’t even know at all. If this were in the corporate world, it could easily be interpreted as if you are positioning yourself to be poached from the other guys. Or sir, are you positioning for the UK to poach you as her prime minister? That you choose to make controversial statements about your people through the foreign media while on foreign trips is a chain of bad decisions. Sadly, your handlers are doing a great job of managing the clap backs terribly.



On a final note sir, there are quite a lot of hardworking Nigerians seeking asylum abroad. That a lot of Nigerians can daily swallow the pills of a failing government, bad economic policies and a growing sense of insecurity doesn’t mean those who choose to opt out of that reality are fraudulent. When I feel a government cannot provide the basic conditions for my survival, am I not in danger? There is only so much a man can take and those who desire to pursue their own happiness should feel free to do so without their president equating such pursuit with crime. 

Sir, you are the president of all Nigerians, home and abroad. What we expect from you is the CHANGE you and the All Progressives Congress (APC) promised, and not beating the drums of shame, hoping that the rhythm would nudge our hands to clap and our legs into dancing. 

Change, please?

Signed:

Damilare Ogunleye
@ogunleyedami

Cc: Office of the Lying Liars (APC)
       Office of the Wailing Wailers (PDP)
       Office of the Citizen (Nigerian)



http://www.thescoopng.com/damilare-ogunleye-rejoinder-nigerians-seeking-asylum-abroad-are-insincere/

That bolded part is the only thing that matters . The rest of the long epistle na just long thing .
How many Pakistanis, Somalis are terrorists?
Just a few but the bad rep/treatment is meted to all of them .
The only way out is to put your country right and play big on the world stage because you are not going to Change the criminally minded

What I can reasonably feel here is complex on the part of the president. In trying to make the west believe he is a saint, he tagged every other Nigerians as sinners. If the said country was rightly fixed why will the saint seek MEDICAL ASYLUM in London?

oyinkinola:

... lots of nigerians both home and abroad were criminals they tarnish the image of this country anywhere in the world! from africa, ameica, europe asia and the gulf states, the story is the same.....looting treasury everywhere terrorisim, kidnapping, vandalism, militants, oil theft both home and abroad, drug pushers, traffiking, baby factory all label to nigerian it's shameful indeed, you could hardly heard any excution anywhere in the world without mention of nigerian!

Have you read this article before? http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/09/16300-nigerians-foreign-jails/

Imagine there are 16,300 Nigerians in prison for drug-related offences in prisons around the world.

Do you know how many Nigerians are in Diaspora? Well, as at 2013, estimates put it at 17million. Guess what percentage that is: 16,300/17,000,000 and you have 0.1%. And compared to our home population of about 180million, that puts it at 0.01%.

Those figures should set the context for the argument I believe. 0.1% of Nigerians in Diaspora are in Prison for Drug related offences.
Let's assume another 0.1% are also in Prison for Fee fraud
And another 0.1% are in prison for human/sex trafficking
And another 0.1% are in prison for everyday/uncategorized crimes

That puts a wild estimate at 0.4%. So, why would the chief brand ambassador for the land concede to such disparaging assertions on 99.6% of Nigerians in diaspora based on the shameful image of 0.4%?

Again let's analyse based on a game of numbers. So using the same guesstimates above, that puts Nigerians in Prisons all around the world at about 65,200, leaving an average of 334 Nigerians in prison per country for the 196 countries of the world (less Nigeria). Now, it is easy to say, wow, that is a whole lot, but if you juxtapose that with the reality that there are an average of 87,200 Nigerians in each of those countries, then maybe it high;rights a different context.

My point is, yes there are those who do irreparable damage to our image abroad. But part of the C-in-C's role is to launder our image, and not concede to western appellations. Isn't it the same west that has labelled Middle-Easterners as terrorists, Latinos as drug peddlers and Asians as counterfeit lords? They have a stereotype image for every other non-westerner!!!